Whisky 101 - Uisge Beatha

Hello Everyone!  As we mentioned in our last post, we have decided to expand our writings beyond the world of wine.  During our time running Pangaea (which boasted one of the largest selections of single malt scotch in New England), and especially following a trip to Scotland in the summer of 2011, we have become very interested in whisky.  Whisky has a long and storied history from ancient times, and has come to be viewed as one of the symbols and in fact the soul of what many would call its spiritual home, Scotland.  In Scottish Gaelic, whisky is Uisge Beatha, or water of life, with varying forms in other languages, all originating from the Latin aqua vitae.

In many ways, whisk(e)y like wine, has a terroir.  Terroir is the French term that joins a wine to its location.  Before we get to a discussion of whisk(e)y terroir, let’s go over some basic concepts on whisk(e)y.  First we’ll clear up this pesky spelling – whisky is the Irish and Scottish spelling for the word, and whiskey is the American and Canadian spelling.  Around the rest of the world, either spelling may be used dependent on the influence.  As they were the inventors of the modern conception of whisky, we’ll stick with the Scottish/Irish spelling unless explicitly discussing American or Canadian types.

Whisky is first and foremost distilled beer without the hops.   For Scotch whisky, barley is the exclusive ingredient used to make the “beer” for the single malt.  A single malt whisky is made from malted barley; blended whiskies are made from a mix of malt and grain.  Irish whisky is typically made from wheat or barley.  In Canada, much of the whiskey is made from rye, and in the US (particularly bourbon and Tennessee whiskey) it may be a combination of corn, rye, and other grains.  Bourbon has to be at least 51% corn to be considered ourbon. 

After the “beer” is made, it is then distilled.  In general, Scotch whisky is distilled two times, Irish whisky three times, and American and Canadian whiskey are both often distilled three times.  As the distillation is performed, the distillate is “cut” into three portions:  the head, heart, tail - referring to the early, middle, and late points in the distillation process.  The heart, naturally, forms the basis of the whisky.

After distillation, the aging process begins, and which is where most of the distinctive flavors are imparted.  Bourbon and Tennessee whiskies are required by law to be aged in brand new oak casks that have a good char/toast.  Use of these new oak barrels gives Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey their characteristic vanilla oakiness.  Irish whisky is typically aged in used Bourbon casks – since American Bourbon must be aged in new oak barrels, most of the used Bourbon casks make their way around the world to be reused to age other whiskies. 

When it comes to single-malt Scotch, the aging process gets much more interesting.   Scotch is often first aged in either used Bourbon casks or Spanish sherry hogsheads.  Following the initial aging period, the whisky may be finished in a variety of options:  ex-Bourbon, rum, sherry, wine, or other oak casks.   The whisky is then aged for a variety of years, depending on the specific characteristics desired.  Since no aging will occur once the whisky is bottled, the final result is highly dependent on the decisions made by the master distiller during this process. 

So, this has been our first introduction to the world of whisky, and we’ll talk about more in future installments.   Most cultures have their own version of Water of Life, but whether your drink of choice is whisky or whiskey, many would argue that this is the true Uisge Beatha!