From malt to bourbon. Choose a whisky to discover why it tastes that way — and what its name means.
Registered whiskies 25
The words on a label are not a single ranking system. Read them in three layers: what it is made from, how many distilleries supplied the spirit, and which place and rules define it.
The grain sets the foundation of the whisky.
“Single” and “blended” describe where the component whiskies came from.
Each producing region defines its own protected names and production rules.
SINGLE ≠ ONE CASKSingle means one distillery, not one cask. Whisky bottled from only one cask is labelled single cask.
BOURBON ≠ THE OPPOSITE OF MALTBourbon is defined by place, grain and maturation rules; single malt describes grain and distillery. They are different axes.
WHISKY / WHISKEYScotland and Japan generally use whisky; Ireland and the United States generally use whiskey.
G Gaelic · N Old Norse · P Pictish or Brythonic
Many Scottish distillery names began as descriptions of the surrounding land: valleys, river mouths and hills. Read the name and you begin to read the map.
The recurring terms are arranged in the order whisky is made. Choose a bottle beneath each term to see how that principle changes flavour.
Barley that has been soaked, allowed to germinate and then dried. Malting makes its starch available for fermentation.
Partly decomposed plant matter cut from bogs and burned as fuel. Its smoke can give malt phenolic, earthy and medicinal aromas.
Ground malt and hot water are mixed to dissolve fermentable sugars. The sweet liquid drawn off is called wort.
The recipe of grains used for a whiskey, including the proportion and role of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley.
The sugary liquid extracted from the mash. Yeast ferments it into a beer-like wash.
The vessel in which yeast turns wort sugars into alcohol and flavour compounds.
A family of aromatic compounds often perceived as fruit or flowers. Longer fermentation can encourage their development.
Vapour that condenses inside the still and returns to be boiled again. More reflux generally favours a lighter, cleaner spirit.
The pipe that carries vapour from the still head to the condenser. Its angle and shape influence reflux.
A long copper coil submerged in cold water. Limited copper contact can help retain a weightier, more sulphury character.
The distiller separates the run into foreshots, heart and feints. Only the heart is kept for maturation.
A continuous still that repeatedly distils spirit through a stack of plates.
A cask that previously held bourbon. It often contributes vanilla, coconut, caramel and gentle spice.
A cask seasoned with sherry before whisky maturation. It can add dried fruit, nuts and baking spice.
Whisky is transferred to a cask that held port for a final period, often adding red fruit and chocolate notes.
Spirit that evaporates through the cask during maturation. Warm climates can make this loss much faster.
Burning the inside of a new oak barrel creates charcoal and toasted layers that develop colour, vanilla, caramel and oak flavour.
The alcoholic strength of spirit when it enters the barrel. Bourbon must enter at no more than 125 proof.
A finished blend rests before bottling so its component whiskies can settle into a more integrated whole.
The age on a bottle is the age of its youngest component whisky, not an average.
Alcohol by volume. In the United States, proof is twice the ABV.
Once the labels and processes make sense, it is time to choose a bottle and taste it. These two guides cover casks and a simple first tasting.