Whisky ウイスキー Whiskey وِسْكي Uísque Viski. ουίσκι 威士忌酒 Uisge beatha
Whisky (whiskey) : a spirit distilled from fermented grain, typically barley, corn, rye or wheat, with the barley malted in most most cases when used, and typically aged in wooden casks.
The word whisky (IPA: /wɪskiː/) is an anglicisation of the Gaelic uisge beatha (Scottish) or uisce betha (Irish) meaning the water of life, from the Latin term for distilled alcohol – aqua vitae. The earliest recorded uses of the word in English are from the 16th century.
All spirits go through at least two processes, fermentation and distillation, and the unifying characteristics of whisk(e)y are the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wooden casks.
Within these contraints, whiskies may contain different ratios of grains, they may be double or triple or even quadruple distilled, and the casks may be of varying sizes and types of wood – hogshead or butt, American oak or Maple. These differences all help define the varying flavour profiles of the whiskies, with different grains offering a broad range of flavours, different woods imparting different flavour notes, and different distilation processes producing different spirits.
Given this, there are many types of whisk(e)y around the world, creating a heavily regulated industry with strict practices and classifications. Some of these classifications are geographic whilst others are process specific. As the world of whisky is always growing, whilst some boundaries remain immutable, the entrance of new whiskies – Welsh and English, Dutch and German, Australian and Taiwanese – can sometimes challenge the taxonomy. For instance, to comply with regulations, the newly released Rye whisky from Inchdairnie, cannot be labelled as Scotch Rye whisky and must be classified as Single Grain Scotch Whisky.
Scotch whisky
All Scotch must be distilled in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which other grains may be added), fermented by the action of yeast, and matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years. Distillation should not exceed 94.8% alcohol by volume (ABV) and it must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% ABV.
There are five classifications for Scotch whisky:
- Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by a single distillery using malted barley, water and yeast, through distillation in a pot still
- Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a blend of malt Scotch whiskies, often from more than one distillery, produced using malted barley, water and yeast through distillation in a pot still
- Single Grain Scotch Whisky is produced by a single distillery, in either a traditional pot still or a Coffey continuous still, from a combination of malted and unmalted barley, cereals such as rye or corn or wheat, water and yeast
- Blended Grain Scotch Whisky is a blend of single grain Scotch whiskies, often from more than one disillery, distilled in either a traditional pot still or a Coffey continuous still from a combination of malted and unmalted barley, cereals such as rye or corn or wheat, water and yeast
- Blended Scotch Whisky is a combination of one or more malt Scotch whiskies with one or more Scotch grain whiskies, distilled in either a traditional pot still or a Coffey continuous still from a combination of malted and unmalted barley, cereals such as rye or corn or wheat, water and yeast
Irish whiskey
All Irish whiskey must be matured for a minimum of three years on the island of Ireland. Distillation should not exceed 94.8% alcohol by volume (ABV) and it must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% ABV.
There are four main types of Irish whiskey:
- Single Malt Irish Whiskey is produced by a single distillery, using malted barley, water and yeast, through distillation in a pot still
- Single Grain Irish Whiskey is produced by a single distillery from any combination of cereal grains with no more than 30% malted barley, and distilled in a column still, typically triple distilled
- Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is produced by triple distilling a minimum of 30% malted and 30% unmalted barley – and possibly other unmalted grains – in a pot still
- Blended Irish Whisky is a combination of two or more types of Irish whiskey, malt, grain and Pot Still
American whiskey
American law states that all American whiskey must be made in America from a fermented mash of grains and matured in oak casks. Further rules are specified for each type of whiskey.
The main types of American whisky are:
- Bourbon, must be made in the United States from a mashbill of at least 51% corn that is distilled to no higher than 160 proof off the still, then aged in new unused charred oak containers and bottled without flavouring or colouring at a minimum of 80 proof
- Kentucky Bourbon must fulfil all the requirements of bourbon plus spend at least one year aging in Kentucky
- Tennessee Whiskey conforms to the rules of the Bourbon Act with the additions that it must be produced in the state of Tennessee and follow the Lincoln County Process. This requires that, before bottling, the spirit is filtered through sugar maple charcoal for charcoal mellowing where the charcoal removes pungent substances from the liquid.
- Rye Whiskey must be made from a mashbill of at least 51% rye that is distilled to no higher than 160 proof off the still, then aged in new unused charred oak containers and bottled without flavouring or colouring at a minimum of 80 proof
- Corn Whiskey, must be made from a mashbill of at least 80% corn that is distilled to no higher than 160 proof off the still, then aged in new unused charred oak containers and bottled without flavouring or colouring at a minimum of 80 proof
- Wheat Whiskey, must be made from a mashbill of at least 51% wheat that is distilled to no higher than 160 proof off the still, then aged in new unused charred oak containers and bottled without flavouring or colouring at a minimum of 80 proof
- American Single Malt Whiskey is produced by a single distillery in America using malted barley, water and yeast, distilled to no more than 160 proof, aged in used, new charred, or un-charred oak barrels to a maximum size of 700l, and be bottled at a minimum of 40% vol.
Rye, wheat and corn whisk(e)y classifications are not restricted to America and can all be distilled elsewhere.
Canadian whisky
Canadian whisky must be made of a cereal grain, mashed and distilled in Canada, then aged a minimum of three years in the country in wooden barrels no larger than 700l. It can also contain 9.09% or less of a coloring, flavoring, or other spirit as long as this addition has been aged for at least 2 years.
It’s important to remember Canadian whisky does not need to have Rye in it to be called Rye Whisky. Historically Rye was added to a wheat mash to give the whisky flavour, and while corn replaced wheat over the years, the term Rye remained in use, even for those whiskies produced without rye.
This light-touch regulation allows Canadian distillers to experiment in ways not available to those in many other countries, though most Canadian whiskies are the product of a single distillery simply because of the immense distances between distilleries
Japanese whisky
Whilst Japanese Whisky has no legal definition, standards have recently been set by the JSLMA (Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association) which are leading to a distinction between Japanese and ‘World’ whisky made by Japanese distillers. These regulations state that a Japanese whisky must contain malted grain; be made with only grain and Japanese water; and be saccharified, fermented, distilled (to less than 95% ABV), and bottled (to more than 40% ABV) in Japan.
As some Japanese distillers had previously imported Scotch and/or bourbon to blend into their Japanese whiskies, a broad range of whiskies came to market without an agreed definition of what makes a whisky Japanese. While these may have been excellent expressions of the distiller’s art, this created uncertainty among whisky drinkers about the provenance of spirits they enjoyed. Whilst these apply only to JSLMA members, the new labeling standards are an important first step towards improving transparency and clarity for consumers.
Indian whisky
Indian whisky must be distilled and aged in India, typically from fermented cereal grains, though some are molasses-based with a small percentage of malted barley or grains. Indian whisky often has a short maturation phase due to the hot and humid Indian climate.
Indian Single Malt Whisky must be a distillate obtained from fermented mash that uses malted barley without adding any other grain, distilled in a pot still, and produced in a single distillery
Indian Single Grain Whisky is a distillate obtained from a fermented mash that employs malted or unmalted grain, from a single distillery.
