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Definition: Whiskey is the general category of distilled spirit made from grain and aged in barrels.



Rum is made from sugar or molasses, not grain. Tequila is made from agave, not grain. Brandy is made from grapes, not grain. Vodka is made from grain, but not aged in barrels. 

Here are a few Whiskey terms which will help you follow along on this site

Single Barrel means that the aged spirit from one barrel is not mixed with spirit from any other barrel before it goes into the bottle. Barrel Proof means that no water is added to the spirit from the barrel to the bottle. Small Batch does not have federally regulated definition, but is meant to indicate that the whiskey is made in smaller quantities with tighter quality control.

Sour Mash means that the fermentation process begins with a portion of the last batch's fermented mash. The unfermented mash is "sweet" because it is basically a giant bowl of cereal grains which have been mashed up. The fermented mash is "sour" because of the alcohol content created from the yeast converting sugars to alcohol. In the early days of whiskey production in the US, concerns about contamination led to the practice of saving some of the "last batch" which already contained the antiseptic alcohol to add to the new mash, thus making the mash "sour."

New make or white dog refers to the freshly distilled spirit which comes out clear as water 


Whiskey making 101

The understanding of how whiskey is made is important to see the nuanced differences between various kinds of whiskey. The general process is explained here, but the reader should note that they key the wide variation from bottle to bottle is that each maker does each these steps in a careful and specific way.
There are tales of an ancient still that was dented somehow over the many years that still was in use. When it came time to finally replace that still with a new one, careful measurements were made so that the dent would be part of the brand new replacement. How's that for an example of sticking with tradition?


The Water

The primary ingredient of any whiskey is the water. Distilleries are always close to a plentiful supply of clean, fresh water. Distilleries are proud of their water sources and will go to extreme measures to protect them. The mineral composition of the water is important... change the water source and you will change the whiskey.



The Grain
The primary grains used in whiskey production are barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Single Malt Scotch is made entirely from malted barley. Bourbon is made mostly from corn. Rye whiskey is mostly rye, but may also contain barley, wheat or corn. Whiskey makers are almost as protective of their source of grain as they are of their water. In the early days of whiskey making, distillers would have their own fields from which they would harvest their grain. Then as industry specialized, they many now have valuable contracts with industrial farms to have access to particular grains.



The Yeast
A similar statement about yeast can be made as that was made for grain. Distillers even develop their own strains of yeast to perform in a particular way.



The Malting
Grain, when it is first harvested, may not be at its optimal complex carbohydrate concentration. The process of malting ensures the maximum concentration of carbohydrate or simple sugars. Water is added to the whole grain, as you might if you had sown the grain for next year's harvest. Just before the grain begins to sprout (called germination), the optimal level of carbohydrate is attained. At that time, the whiskeymaker has to dehydrate the grain to stop the germination. This is done most notably in Scotland by drying the grain in ovens. The fuel that is used in these ovens can influence the flavor of the finished spirit. 



The Grist

Once the grain is dried, it is ground into a powder. 

The Mash
Water is added to the grist to make a vat of cereal. Then yeast is added. The function of the yeast is to convert the simple sugars of the mash into alcohol. At this stage, the premature whiskey is exactly similar to beer. As the conversion takes place, carbon dioxide is produced, which makes the entire concoction appear to be cooking or boiling. But it is only warm to the touch... at a temperature carefully calculated to produce the optimal yeast action.



The Distillation

The still is the place where the fermented mash is heated. Steam droplets form and travel up the coils of the still where they recondense into liquid. The liquid has concentrated the alcohol, because alcohol has a lower boiling point that plain water. Molecularly, however, some water does travel along for the ride, so the result is not pure alcohol. Many whiskies are double distilled and Irish whiskys are famous for being triple distilled. 



The Head, the Heart and the Tail

The distiller will only use the center cut of the main still run. The head is the initial output from the still run and generally contains impurities the distiller does not want in the aged product. Likewise for the last portion of the still run. The center cut of the run, called the heart, is the portion that eventually ends up in barrels, then in bottles, then in our glasses.



Post Distillation treatment

Some kinds of whiskeys are then "Charcoal Mellowed." Most famous among these is Jack Daniel's. Ten foot tall stainless steel cylinders are setup and filled with sugar maple charcoal. There is a sprinkler assembly at the top and the new spirit trickles down through the tower over the course of the next few hours. The result is similar to what you would get by steeping a tea bag in water. The charcoal imparts both color and flavor to the spirit.



The Barrels

American whiskies have strict specifications about the types and treatments of the wood that is used for the barrels. Bourbon and Rye require NEW CHARRED OAK barrels. This means that Bourbon and Rye barrels can only be used once. This is a boon to the other distilleries in Scotland or Canada, who will then buy the barrels and use them again and again to age their products. Some distillers use old wine barrels or sherry barrels. Modern whiskey makers have invented all kinds of combinations yielding all kinds of interesting results.

 The key to barrel aging is the char. By using fire to char the wood, the chemical composition of the wood is altered. When the distilled spirit comes into contact with this altered wood fibers, some of the flavors are transferred from the barrel to the spirit. The gold or amber colors of the aged whiskey is a result of this contact with the wooden barrel.



Two recent trends in whiskey aging are to use Toasted Barrels where a lower heat is used over a longer period of time to penetrate deeper into the wooden barrel staves, and using a second new, charred oak barrel for a secondary finishing.

The Aging

The most expensive part of this whiskey making process is the aging. The most important part of the aging process is Time. This is undoubtedly where the phrase "Time is money" came from. 

Once the distilled spirit is put into barrels, the barrels are put into storage centers called rickhouses. Some years ago one of these giant rickhouses at Heaven Hill distillery caught fire when the warehouse collapsed, the whiskey breached some of the barrels and there was a river of fire running through the countryside. 



In the hot Kentucky summer the liquid is absorbed into the wood of the barrel. In the cold Kentucky winters, the liquid is expressed from the wood. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, the aging process generally takes longer because of the smaller variation between the hot and cold. Common ages for Scotch or Irish whisky are 10, 12 or 15 years or older.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey by law only requires two years of age.

The location of the rickhouse may also influence the flavor of the finished spirit. I swear I can taste the saltwater air in a dram of Islay or Orkney Scotch. 

Inside a rickhouse the smell is amazing. Each year, distilleries lost 2% or more of their product through evaporation, the Angel's Share. Tax collectors and government agents can always tell when a warehouse is being used to age whiskey because of the moss/mold that grows on the outer walls, owing to the presence of moisture in the air.



The Bottling

The distiller or whiskey-maker will keep tabs on each barrel to monitor the aging process. Once he is satisfied with the course that nature has taken, he can choose to put the whiskey directly into a bottle, making a single barrel whiskey. He can take that barrel and mix it with other barrels in small quantities and call it a small batch whiskey.

He may choose to blend it with many barrels from all different part of the rickhouse. If he uses only malt whiskey from his distillery, then he has made a single malt whiskey. If he blends it with grain whiskey or whiskey from other distilleries, then he has made blended whiskey.

He may choose to add a bit of water before bottling, or may choose to add enough water to bring the proof down to a consistent number, like 80.



Dr. Whiskey is a proponent of high proof whiskey. Generally sold at higher prices, higher proof whiskey gives the drinker more control over how he chooses to enjoy drinking it. Higher proofs allow the drinker to experience the whiskey in a spectrum of ways and experience flavors that are just not available at lower proofs.



Drinking Whiskey

Whiskey is made to be enjoyed. You can drink it neat, with ice, with water, with soda, with cream, with coffee, with syrup, with vermouth, with bitters, with ginger ale, with cherries, with mixers... whatever.