The
whisky that is lost to the angels due to evaporation
during maturation in the cask - normal loss is around
2% per annum.
Barrel
A type of cask which
holds approximately 180 litres. This is the standard
size for maturing bourbon.
Blended
Whisky
Whisky that is made
from the products of more than one distillery and blended
with grain whisky to achieve a consistent flavour and
appearance
Butt
A type of cask which
holds approximately 500 litres. This is always used
for maturing sherry in Spain and is the largest cask
generally used in Scottish Distilleries.
Cask
Used to store the
distilled spirit during maturation. These come in different
sizes and are made with curved wooden staves supported
by flat circular ends and bound together by metal hoops.
Dram
A large measure of
Scotch Whisky, ironically often referred to as a “wee”
dram.
Distillation
The process whereby
a liquid is recovered from another by heating until
it becomes a vapour that is then cooled and collected
to make whisky.
Feint
The third fraction
(part) of the distilled alcohol from the spirit still
which is returned to the sprit still for redistillation.
Foreshot
The first fraction (part)
of the distilled alcohol from the spirit still which is
returned to the sprit still for redistillation
Gauger
The old name given to
the exciseman whose job it was to uncover illicit distillation
and smuggling.
Grain
Whisky
Whisky that is made
from malted barley together with unmalted barley and other
cereals in patent stills. Grain whisky is not influenced
by location and can be made in any distillery.
Grist
The coarse flour that
is produced when barley is ground ready for mixing with
hot water to make the wort.
Heart
of the Run
The second fraction
of the distilled alcohol which is collected ready to be
matured into whisky.
Hogshead
A 250 Litre cask. This
is the ideal and most common size of cask in which to
mature Scotch Whisky. Barrels imported from the US are
usually rebuilt as hogsheads.
Legs
The trails left on the
inside surface of the glass when the whisky has been swirled
around. This is usually used to determine the amount of
malt in blended whiskies.
Low
Wines
These are the product
of the Wash Still which are run into the Spirit Still
for further distillation. They are usually about 25 per
cent alcohol by volume.
Malt
Kiln
Malted barley is dried
using peat smoke, burnt in a kiln. The smoke filters through
a fine mesh to the barley above.
Malt
Whisky
Whisky that is made
from 100% malted barley which is distilled and matured
in Scotland.
Malting
The natural process
which modifies the starch contained in barley into fermentable
sugar.
Mash
Tun
The large circular container
in which grist (ground barley) is soaked with hot water
before distillation to produce a sweet sugar liquid known
as wort.
Maturation
The process whereby
distilled spirit is aged until it has the right flavours,
strength and mellowness for whisky.
Patent
Still
The large copper column
in which grain whisky is distilled.
Spirit
Safe
The distillates pass
through the spirit safe, whose locks were traditionally
controlled by the Excisemen. The stillman uses all his
years of experience to test and judge the various distillates.
Spirit
Still
The 2nd still used in
the process. The low wines from the wash still are redistilled
here to produce the foreshots, the heart of the run and
the feints.
Slange
Var
Pronounced [Slan je
varr]. This is the Scottish for cheers (santé).
"Slainte Mhath" in Gaelic.
Steep
The tanks in which barley
is soaked in water at the beginning of the malting process.
Uisge
Beatha
Scots Gaelic for aqua
vitae or the 'water of life', from the first part of which
the word 'whisky' is thought to derive.
Wash
The liquid which is
formed when yeast is added to wort (hot water and barley)
to form crude alcohol; wash is like a strong beer.
Washback
The large container
in which the wort is fermented using yeast to produce
wash.
Wash
Still
This still receives
the wash for the first distillation. The low wines are
collected for redistilling in the spirit still. The stills
are critical for determining the character and the flavour
of the whisky.
Wort
The sweet sugary liquid
which is produced when ground barley (grist) is mixed
with hot water.
Buy “The Whisky DVD”
Online
You can find out more about
Scotch Whisky on ‘The Whisky DVD’, a
60 minute documentary focusing all aspects of Scotch
Whisky. Click
Here to find out more.
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