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A Scotch whisky has to be produced by a Scottish distillery
with local water, cereal (mainly malted barley) and yeast, and then matured in
used oak casks for a period of no less than 3 years to a minimum alcoholic
strength of 40% ABV.
Scotch single malt whisky is distilled twice (with the exception of Auchentoshan in the Lowlands, which is triple distilled). The spirit is then matured in an oak cask that previously held bourbon or sherry, or a combination of both. There has been a move recently to “finish” whiskies in casks that had previously held sherry or other spirits, after maturing the whisky in ex-bourbon casks. Peat is used widely in Scotch whisky production, lending the spirit a smoky aroma and taste.
There are presently around 90 working distilleries in Scotland.
Irish whiskey is distilled and matured in Ireland for no less than 3 years in a used oak cask. A wide range of cereals is used, which can include rye. The Irish prefer to triple distill their whiskey (to be sure, to be sure, to be sure!), which makes for a lighter, purer spirit, and no peat is used in the process, with the occasional exception.
To be recognized as bourbon the whiskey must be matured at less than 80% ABV, and matured in the USA from a mash of no less than 51% corn, then aged for a minimum of 2 years. Nothing is allowed to be added to the spirit that would alter the colour or flavour.
As for bourbon, but produced in Tennessee, and filtered through a bed of Sugar Maple charcoal.
Rye whiskey is produced in North America, and must contain a minimum of 51% rye. A small amount is bottled and matured as rye whiskey, but most is blended into other whiskies to add character and structure.
Grain whisky is distilled in a column, or patent still, as opposed to a copper pot still. This is a continuous operation, producing a light, sweet spirit.
A single malt is the product of one distillery, and may only be produced from malted barley (the starches have been turned to sugar), pure water and yeast. The resulting fermented mash is then distilled in a copper pot still, in batches. This makes single malt whisky more expensive to produce than a grain whisky.
A blended whisky is a combination of any number of malt and grain whiskies. They are chosen, then “married” to complement and enhance their flavours. Around 95% of Scotch whisky is sold as blends. An age statement on a whisky blend refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle.
These are blends of single malt whiskies, with no grain whisky added.
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