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by OPUS Hotel

Preparation of Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Single Malt Scotch is a type of single malt whisky, distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient in Scotland. As with any Scotch whisky, a Single Malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years.

Water is needed in all stages of the production of whisky. It is mixed with the barley to promote germination, it is added to ground barley grist to create a mash and it is required for diluting most whisky before maturation and once again before bottling.

Barley, water and yeast are the exclusive ingredients required in the production of single malt Scotch.

The barley used to make the whisky is “malted” by soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to germinate to produce the necessary enzymes required.

The malt is milled into coarse flour, and mixed with hot water to activate the enzymes, which leads to conversion of starches to fermentable sugars. Long starch chains are broken into glucose, maltriose, and maltose, which can be fermented by yeast.

The extraction is carried out in a large kettle called a mash tun. At first, the hot water activates the enzymes by providing an optimal temperature for activity in the grist. The enzymes act on the starch to convert it into sugar, and in the process it produces a sugary liquid, known as wort.

Yeast is then added to the wort for fermentation, in a large vessel called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol; this process is called fermentation and can take up to three days to complete. When the process is complete, the liquid contains an alcohol percentage of 5% to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash.

To be called a single malt Scotch, a bottle may only contain whisky distilled from malted barley produced at a single distillery. If the bottle is the product of single malt whiskies produced at more than one distillery, the whisky is called a vatted malt, or a blended malt. If the single malt is mixed with grain whisky, the result is a blended Scotch whisky.

The age mentioned on a bottle of single malt Scotch is the age of the youngest malt in the mix, as commonly the whiskies of several years are mixed together in a vat to create a more consistent drink.

Find More Scotch Whisky Articles

by chrisfreeland2002

Finest Scotch Whisky

Which is the correct spelling whiskey (plural whiskeys) or whisky (plural whiskies) and what is the origin of the word(s). History tells us that the word whiskey – with the ‘e’ – was derived from the Irish Gaelic. The Irish Gaelic word “uisce beatha” was a translation from the Latin words “aqua vitae” meaning “Water of Life”. Subsequently the ‘e’ was dropped from almost everywhere in the world where the ‘water of life’ was distilled. In the late 1800’s the Irish and the Americans chose to include the ‘e’ again to differentiate themselves from the products from Scotland. Today Scotland, Wales, Japan and Canada maintain the use of the word Whisky. Finally – Scotch is generally used to mean a whisky from Scotland and the Scots would say there is no other correct use of the word Scotch.

The whisky ‘map’ divides Scotland into a number of regions where the general characteristics of each of the distilled whiskies is similar. Fine Scotch whiskies are distilled in each of these regions:-
· Highland
· Speyside
· Islay
· Campbeltown
· Lowland
Some of these areas have now been divided into sub categories or regions due to the size of the areas.

In very general terms the areas to the west of Scotland have more areas of peat and as such many of the whiskies distilled in the areas have the ‘taste of peat’. This particularly true of Islay (a region in itself) where in excess of 20% of the island is peat. The greater Speyside, in the North East of Scotland, houses more than half of all the distilleries in Scotland and two of the most famous and well know single malt whiskies are from Speyside distilleries – they are Glenfiddich and Glenlivet.

Whisky is created by distilling a ‘mash’ based on either grain or malt (malted barley). Hence we have the single malt – being for many people the true ’water of life’ and the regarded as the superior whisky. Grain (malted and un-malted barley along with other grains) based whiskies can be blended in such a way to generate further distinctive brands. However, “Blend” may occasionally have a different interpretation. A mixture of malts (with no grain) from different distilleries (usually called a vatted malt) can be referred to as a “Blended Malt”, and mixtures of grain whiskies with no malts will sometimes called a “Blended Grain”.

For a whisky to be called a whisky it must have been as a minimum matured in oak casks for at least 3 years and one day. Although the casks should be oak the history of the casks can be varied. I understand that American Whiskeys are stored in ‘new’ oak casks – hence there is an obvious market for re-cycled casks. Other casks may have originated or been used for the storage of Sherry in Spain. Hence the history of the cask will be a defining part of the whisky’s characteristic. Another feature of Scotch whiskies is that they are almost always distilled twice (some three times). For any whisky to be called ‘Scotch’ it must conform to these criteria – and – perhaps more obviously – be distilled in Scotland.

By all means take the time to understand the history and how our fine Scotch whiskies originate but above all take the time to find your favourite tipple.