ABV

ABV is the abbreviation for Alcohol by Volume. ABV is the alcohol strength of the whisky measured as a percentage in relation to the liquid as a whole. 40% ABV is equal to 40% alcohol and 60% water. By law Scotch Whisky must be a minimum of 40% ABV.

Age

The age stated on a label or carton of a bottle of whisky refers to the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle.

Ageing

The age stated on a label or carton of a bottle of whisky refers to the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle.

Alfred Barnard

As secretary of Harper's Weekly Gazette, he visited every working whisky distillery in Great Britain and Ireland from 1885-1887. In all, he visited an incredible 162 distilleries; 129 in Scotland, 29 in Ireland and 4 in England. The result of which was the monumental 500 page The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, covering in-depth technical information on the distilleries, along with sketches and engravings.

Amylase

There are several amylases types, primarily α- and β- amylases which are able to convert starch into fermentable substrates. The main form, α- amylases, is heat stable to up to 70°C but activity declines at temperatures above 67°C. Less heat stable is the β- amylases which is denaturised at normal mashing temperatures and disappears in less than 60 minutes at temperatures above 64°C. These facts underline the importance of water temperatures during the mashing process to extract the maximum amount of sugar. See also “Mashing”

Angel's Share

The alcohol that is lost due to evaporation during maturation in the cask. This can be around 2% per year. See also “Ullage”

American Oak

American white oak is a type of hardwood and is seen as a perfect type of wood for the construction of whisky casks. The trees grow fast with usually tall straight trunks. This type of wood is used to produce American Standard Barrels (ASB) with a capacity of 200 litres. American white oak contributes mainly vanilla, toffee, butterscotch, coconut, spices and nutty flavours to the whisky. American white oak staves tend to have come from the Bourbon industry and will often have been charred rather than toasted. 1920s and 30s the coopering industry had collapsed so this new law gave the coopering industry a boost. The industry recovered quickly after prohibition and there was a massive increase of casks available. The Scots and Irish began using American oak casks for maturation due to the good availability and the good price of the casks compared to more traditional casks from Europe.

Caramel Colouring (E150A)

Spirit Caramel, aka E150a, is a tasteless liquid used to ensure that whisky has a consistent colour when it is bottled.

Canadian Whisky

Similar to Scotch and Bourbon but has a style of its own thanks to a unique means of production and the influence of Rye.

Cask

A wooden vessel usually made of oak, where whisky is stored in order to mature. It is common practise to age whisky in casks originally used for Bourbon (American Oak) or Sherry (European Oak) to impart character to the spirit. Also getting more and more popular is Japanese oak. There are several different cask sizes and variants and they all contribute in a different way to the flavour profile of the whisky. The size of the cask is an important factor for the maturation and eventual flavour and character of the whisky. The ratio of spirit volume to cask surface influences the way in which the spirit mature. So, it is essential that any casks used are of the highest standard and will complement and enhance the malt spirit they contain. Another & important factor in the overall flavour of malt whisky is the charring inside of casks prior to their first use. This releases quantities of vanilla and related flavours into both their first and second fillings and helps to remove off-notes. New oak imparts a dominant woody flavour, but is not desirable in Scotch whisky. So, second-hand casks are always used; those which formerly held bourbon or sherry. Casks are selected on their ability to produce various maturation mechanisms. There are three main types of mechanism – subtractive, additive and interactive – these are known as cask activities. Subtractive removes immature elements and off notes from new make spirits like sulphur compounds. Additive adds wood-derived flavours from the cask like vanillin and Interactive converts spirit and extractive wood elements to produce mature character.

Cask Strength

Whisky bottled at the natural alcoholic strength without being diluted with demineralised water to bring it down to e.g. 40%, 43%, 45.8% ABV which is usual practice for many Single Malts, like Oban or Talisker. However, some whiskies are bottled at their original cask strength, such as the annual Special Releases. An additional taste experience can be obtained from tasting the cask strength malt undiluted, then diluted in the glass to your taste.

Cask Types

There are several cask types whisky can be matured in but whisky must mature only in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres. The three main sizes are Butts with 500 litres capacity, Hogsheads with 250 litres and American Standard Barrels (ASB) with 200 litres. Because it can be very confusing we have compiled the main cask types used within the whisky industry, starting with the largest possible option. Gorda (capacity 700 litres) The biggest type of cask allowed in the Scotch whisky industry made from American oak. This type of cask is not often used for maturation in Scotland and was used traditionally in the American whiskey industry. However, the large size make them useful for marrying different whiskies together for the production blends to round the flavour before bottling. Madeira Drum (capacity 650 litres) A short, fat and dumpy cask with a very wide diameter and made from very thick staves of European oak. This type of cask is used in the Madeira wine industry and is occasionally used in the whisky industry to finish a whisky. Port Pipe (capacity 650 litres) Also made from thick staves of European oak and the casks are tall, thin with a long narrow shape. This type of cask is used in the Port wine industry and is occasionally used in the whisky industry to finish a whisky. Butt (capacity 500 litres) Butts are commonly known as Sherry Butts but how they found the way into the whisky industry is a longer story. Before 1981 Sherry Butts were mainly used as a container to transport the Sherry around the world in wood before the Spanish export regulations for Sherry changed this procedure. After 1981 it was no longer allowed to transport Sherry in casks. Before that change, the Sherry was often only for a short time in the casks before the casks were emptied and reused. This short time, often just a few months, was enough for the cask to get a lot of the flavour into the wood and whisky was traditionally the secondary occupant for those casks. After 1981 the availability of Sherry casks for Scottish distilleries was severely impacted due to the new regulations and the general downturn of popularity for Sherry. The result was a huge increase in price and a new business for Sherry bodegas to produce Sherry casks, especially for the Whisky industry. A Butt is a tall, narrow cask traditionally made from thick staves of European oak but nowadays the use of American oak is more common for several reasons like better and cheaper availability, easier handling and flavour. There are now different types of Butts. First Fill European Oak Butts First fill refers to the first time the cask has been used for Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The Butt will have been used previously before, by the Sherry industry in Spain. Refill European Oak Butts Refill refers to the process of reusing the cask after its use as a “first fill”. This can be done a number of times until it is deemed exhausted and in need of rejuvenation. Rejuvenated European Oak Butts The process of rejuvenation is where we strip out the inside of the cask to reveal a new layer of wood. The new wood surface is then charred or toasted before the cask is filled again. Puncheon (capacity 500 litres) There are two different types of puncheon cask and the information of the correct capacity varies from source to source. The most common types are machine puncheon and sherry shaped puncheon. The machine puncheon is made of thick American oak staves and the sherry shaped puncheon of thinner European oak staves. Both of them are used in the rum and sherry industry and are sometimes used to finish whisky. Barrique (capacity 225 - 300litres) Widely used throughout the wine (225 litres) and cognac (300 litres) industry and are usually used for finishing purposes in the whisky industry. Hogshead (capacity 250 litres) American Standard Barrels (ASB) get broken down into staves and then reassembled with new ends to produce the slightly larger Hogsheads. This type of cask is one of the most common types of cask used for maturing whisky in Scotland. First Fill American Oak Hogsheads First fill refers to the first time the cask has been used for Single Malt Scotch Whisky. It may have been used previously for Bourbon then possibly for Scotch Grain Whisky before being used for Single Malt. Refill American Oak Hogsheads Refill refers to the process of reusing the cask after its use as a “first fill“. These casks have already given much of their aroma compounds to earlier fillings of spirit and only a small amount now contribute to the final whisky flavour. Whiskies mature very slowly in these casks, allowing the very essence of the distillery character to be revealed. They tend to be light, delicate and with the aroma of the original spirit. These casks have already given much of their aroma compounds to earlier fillings of spirit and only a small amount now contribute to the final whisky flavour. Whiskies mature very slowly in these casks, allowing the very essence of the distillery character to be revealed. They tend to be light, delicate and with the aroma of the original spirit. This can be done a number of times until it is deemed exhausted and in need of rejuvenation. Rejuvenated American Oak Hogsheads Refill casks are rejuvenated by scraping the interior to remove the old surface, then freshly charred or toasted to produce the new active surface. This quickly takes out any immaturity in the spirit, particularly the sulphur compounds. It also breaks down the cask wood to give vanilla sweetness and other compounds which react to produce extra fruitiness. Rejuvenation lasts for only one filling, after which the casks go back to being refills. American Standard Barrel (ASB (capacity 200 litres)) Made of American white oak the ASB is the most common type of cask and is usually used in the American whiskey industry. Because they can be only used once in the US they get sold to other producers of rum and whisky. To make shipping easier and to reduce costs they often get broken down into staves and reassembled in Scotland as hogsheads. Kilderkin (capacity 82 litres) More common in the beer industry but in rare occasions also in the whisky industry. Quarter Cask (capacity 50 litres) This cask is a quarter of an ASB and is used to give whisky flavour quickly because of the ratio of spirit volume to cask surface. The disadvantage of such small casks is the higher evaporation loss.

Charcoal Mellowing

Typically used for American whiskey produced in Tennessee. The spirit is filtered through charcoal before filled into a cask. Some distilleries filter again before bottling. Other names are “Leaching” or “Lincoln County Process”.

Charring

The process of burning the inside surface of the cask in order to create ‘channels’ in the wood to allow interaction between the spirit and wood. Depending on how aggressively the cask is charred the more interaction there will be and the more interaction there is the quicker the spirit matures and delivers flavour and colour. The process of charring is usually only done to American oak casks. Sometimes old casks are re-charred to prolong their useful life.

Chill Filtration

Whisky is often chilled before bottling to remove natural substances and congeners which can cause the whisky to become cloudy if stored at low temperature or diluted with water.

Clearic

Another name, or rather a more traditional name, for the new make spirit that first run of the stills.

Column, Continuous, Patent or Coffey Still

In 1830, Aeneas Coffey invented the Coffey or Patent Still, which enabled a continuous process of distillation to take place. This led to the large scale production of grain whisky, a different, less intense spirit than the malt whisky produced in the distinctive copper pot stills. Coffey stills were first installed at Cameron Bridge Distillery in Fife by John Haig.

Condenser

The most popular method of cooling spirit vapours. It is a copper tube from the lyne arm of the still, surrounded by many small copper pipes which are fed with cool water. The spirit vapours condense quite quickly with maximum copper contact.

Congeners

Chemical compounds produced during the fermentation process. They include esters, acids, aldehydes, methanol and other alcohols. These are strictly speaking impurities, but they are important parts which give most of the flavour. Only the right level of congeners makes it drinkable so it must be carefully judged.

Cooper

A highly-skilled crafts-person who makes and repairs the casks for whisky maturation by perfectly locking staves of wood together to make a watertight container. This art is called coopering.

Copper

All pot stills must be made of copper. Copper is an ideal metal as the way it is utilised with the stills and condensers will make a huge difference to the final spirit. The interaction between copper and condensing spirit leads to a purification process which has a high influence to the character. Take for example Cardhu and Dalwhinnie. Cardhu run their stills very gently and allow the spirit in vapour form to have lots of contact with the copper. This helps to extract some of the heavier compounds such as sulphur. Dalwhinnie, however, don’t want this copper contacts as they want those heavier compounds to carry over into the new make spirit. That’s why they run their stills very hard. The amount of copper contact is called reflux.

Couch

During the malting process barley is soaked into water in the steep to germinate. The Couch is a second tank where the wet barley is kept to dry which stops further growth.

Cut

There are three different parts during the distillation in the spirit still. It starts with the foreshots, the cut is the middle part which is collected and filled into casks for maturation and the feints are collected at the end of the distillation process. Foreshots and feints are re-distilled. The right point to collect the middle cut is the demisting point. At this point the spirit which comes off the still no longer gets cloudy when water is added.

Cytase

Cytase is an enzyme that breaks down the cell walls of the barley making the starch accessible for the amylase enzyme to break down the starch into maltose (sugars).

Esters

A class of components formed by the chemical combination of an acid and an alcohol, produced in small amounts by yeast during fermentation. Many esters have a fruity aroma.

Enzymes

Important compounds in grain produced during germination. See also “Amylase” and “Cytase”.

European Oak (Quercus Robur)

A type of hardwood used for casks that contributes rich, red berry, spicy, tannin, flavours to the whisky. The staves are usually thicker than those used for casks made from American Oak. There are very different climate conditions across Europe which has an effect on the oak trees and how they can be used. Scottish oak was used a long time ago but Scottish oak grows very slow with twisted trucks so it was not easy to handle and the casks tend to leak. Later Russian oak was used because the trees grow faster and are much easier to handle. The rising imports of Sherry casks from Spain back in the day made casks easily available to distillers and they were also much cheaper. Spanish oak is mostly grown in the Galicia region of northern Spain and is despite the more and more popular American oak still sought after. Also commonly used for whisky maturation is French oak. French oak is often used to produce casks for the wine industry.

Gauger

The job of a Gauger was it to close down illicit stills. It is an old name for an exciseman.

Germination

Having stimulated the barley into life during steeping, it is important to maintain a good; even rate of germination to ensure that sufficient breakdown of the cell wall/protein material (or modification) takes place. To do this, the steeped barley is cast (moved) from the steeps into a large germination drum. Once casting is complete the drum is turned to provide an even bed of malt on top of a perforated floor. Cool, humidified air is blown through the malt to control the temperature and remove excess heat. Traditionally this would have been done at the distillery and laid out on a concrete malt floor. Only a very few distilleries still adopt this floor malting method and most distilleries get the malt malted to their specifications and delivered.

Glen

A Scottish valley.

Grain Whisky

While Malt Whisky can only be made from barley, Grain Whisky is made from a mixture of grains, typically wheat and maize (corn) and malted barley. Grain whisky is distilled in a continuous column still, also known as Coffey still or patent still. Coffey still distillation is generally accepted to yield lighter and less complex flavour than pot still distillation.

Green Malt

This term describes barley that has started to germinate and has not been dried in the kiln. Green (unkilned) malt is still used in some grain distilleries but most have substituted to kilned malt. Green malt is less expensive to produce and is usually mixed with kilned malt (malt inclusion rate). However, it needs to be used quicker and has higher transportation costs than kilned malt. Green malt also has a lower level of α- and β- amylases.

Grist

A ground up malted barley, which is used for distilling in all distilleries. It can be broken down to three components; Husk (20%) which is the outer shell of the barley, Grits (70%) which is the main part of the Grist and contains all the sugar, and flour (10%). Grist is mixed with hot water to form the mash and to extract the sugar needed during fermentation to produce alcohol.

Islands

The climate of the islands is distinct from that of the mainland by being maritime and wet with fierce winds. However, the winters are rarely severe and palm trees flourish in the more sheltered spots. Whisky is made on several of the islands, including Skye. Large quantities of illicit whisky used to be made on Skye since the island distillers refused to register for licences for the same reason as their West Highland neighbours; the difficulties of policing the areas and the favours of sympathetic magistrates meant they simply did not need to. Legal distilling was unattractive because of the inconvenience and expense of transportation. Also, poor soils and a wet climate made it difficult to grow large quantities of good barley on the island, so it had to be imported as did the coal required to fire the stills. Finally, the whisky had to be delivered back to its markets on the mainland. The only distillery on Skye is Talisker, which in flavour very much reflects its origins, having a sweetish, seaweedy aroma and a pungent, peaty taste with a peppery ‘catch’ in the finish.

Islay

Islay is 40 kilometres long from east to west, by 32 kilometres broad. It is the most southerly of the western isles being only a mere 20 kilometres from the north coast of Ireland. As a region, it is neither Highland nor Lowland. The rocky, heather-covered hills in the north and east of the island rise only to 460 metres and the southern part is a combination of peat moss and fertile alluvial plain. The whole island is often lashed by gales blowing in off the Atlantic, but it also enjoys a higher than average amount of sunshine. Port Ellen maltings supplies malted barley to distilleries on the island each of which has its own specific level of peating. All these rather extreme conditions go to shape what is regarded as some of the most distinctive malts in Scotland. They are seaweedy, iodine-like and phenolic. In fact, Lagavulin and Caol Ila are some of the most heavily peated whiskies produced. A dash of Islay malt gives an unmistakable tang to many blended whiskies.

IWSC – International Wine and Spirits Competition

One of the world’s most respected competitions, one that the Classic Malts always enter and we are delighted to have won many awards.

Lomond Stills

An unusually small pot still developed in 1955 by Alistair Cunningham which is used for batch distillation like a pot still but the level of reflux can be controlled in a similar manner to Coffey stills. It produces heavier, oilier spirit and is no longer in use for whisky distillation in Scotland.

Low Wines

Low Wines are the alcohol produced during the first distillation of the wash in the wash or low wines still. The name low comes from the low strength of about 22- 24% ABV. The low wines stills can usually be identified because of the small windows which help the still man to control the boiling process better.

Lowlands

The Lowlands of Scotland were always better suited to arable farming and, with the improvements in farming methods it became possible to grow and crop more cereals. Take into account the development of agricultural equipment like ploughs, the introduction of mechanical threshing mills and reapers, the easy availability of fuel, and the more sophisticated communications network, it is not surprising that Lowland distilling became large-scale and industrialised long before it happened in the Highlands. The Highlands of Scotland finish north of the Stirling plain and west of the rich farmland of Aberdeenshire. Back in the 1700s, the key to distilling in the Lowlands was always the availability of barley and the development of crop husbandry and harvesting. Distilling in the Highlands tended to be concentrated close to the area where there were abundant supplies of grain. It was mostly a part-time pursuit, dependent on agricultural production in a region where the main farming was based on livestock. Glenkinchie is one of only a few Lowland distilleries currently in regular production. Its malt is typical of whisky produced in this region. Lowland malt whisky has always been lighter and drier in character than that from the Highlands, which is why it makes an excellent aperitif.

Lyne Arm or Lye Pipe

This is the pipe from the still where the spirit vapours are transported to be condensed back into liquid. The angle of the pipe is believed to influence the character of the whisky as it can promote or diminish the amount of contact between vapour and copper, which contributes to giving it a light or heavy body. Tall stills or stills with a lye pipe which angles upwards allow greater reflux, giving a lighter spirit. Stills with a smaller surface area or a downwards sloping lye pipe tend to produce a heavier spirit.

NAS or NAD

The terminology is referring to No Age Statement or Non Age Declared. This is describing whiskies that show no age statement on the bottle. The whiskies within the Classic Malts Selection that carry no age statement, such as Talisker Skye, Oban Little Bay or Dalwhinnie Winters Gold, have been created by our master blenders using casks from one single distillery but at different ages. Meaning that they are a combination of ages in the final bottle making it impossible to say an age as each time it is bottled the youngest whisky will potentially change as they are all about recreating a flavour profile.

New Make

Spirit freshly distilled and of high strength with around 70% ABV and clean in colour. New make spirit is ready to be filled into casks. Most distilleries dilute the spirit to 63.5% ABV before it is filled into casks to mature.

Nosing

Nosing is the process, usually undertaken at whisky tastings, to judge and identify different aromas by smelling the whisky to categorize it.

Nosing Glass

A tulip-shaped glass used to taste whisky. It has a narrow opening so the whisky can be swirled and the fragrance is concentrated in the nostrils.

Pagoda

The Pagoda roof is a familiar symmetrical and triangular shaped chimney that sits above the kiln. The first Pagodas were seen in the late 1800s and the shape was designed by the Elgin based architect Charles Doig who also designed several distilleries.

Peat

Peat (turf) is partially carbonised, decayed vegetable soil that has been compressed over hundreds of years. It gives off a distinctive smoke when burnt which is very influential in the aroma of some whiskies. It is particularly notable in the Island malts, especially Talisker, Caol Ila and Lagavulin.

Phenols or PPM

PPM is the abbreviation of Parts Per Million – the scientific measurement for showing the amount of phenols present in the malt used to make whisky, that have been absorbed from the burning of peat. The phenolic content of the malt does not necessarily correlate with the phenolic content of the final matured whisky.

Pot Ale

Pot ale is a residue left in the wash still after the first distillation which is often mixed with draff to produce animal feed. Some distilleries also use it as fertilizer on fields.

Pot Still

A copper distillation vessel, resembling a large kettle and onion or pear shaped. The size and shape of pot stills varies from distillery to distillery, and pot still variables play an important part in determining the character of spirit produced. Traditionally distillers are very reluctant to change the shape or size of their stills for fear of changing the character of their spirit. The pot stills can be categorized into Plain, Ball and Lamp Glass shaped types.

Proof

Proof is a standardised measurement to determine the alcoholic strength. Originally when a mixture of water and alcohol were poured on a small amount of gunpowder it was possible to determine if the mixture was of high or low proof. If the powder did not ignite, the mixture had too much water and the proof was considered as low. Spirit that is 100 degrees proof equals to 57.1% alcohol so 70% proof equal to 40% alcohol according to the British definition. In the United States the proof number is twice the percentage of the alcohol content measured at a temperature of 60°F or 15.5°C.

Purifier

A Purifier is a pipe reversing some distillate from the lyne arm of the spirit still back to the swan neck. This produces more reflux which results in a lighter spirit.

Refill

See “Cask type”

Reflux

In malt whisky production, when pot stills are used to carry out the distillation, the process of vapour condensing within the still and then re-boiling is called “reflux”. The amount of reflux is influenced by the shape of the still and by the lye pipe. The more the lye pipe angles upwards, the more reflux is created. Therefore a still with an upward sloping Lyne arm (or Lye pipe) will have the most reflux resulting in increased copper contact, giving the lightest spirit, whereas a downwards slopping Lyne arm with less copper contact will have the least reflux and a heavier spirit.

Region

The Scotch Whisky Association has defined 5 whisky regions: Lowland, Campbeltown, Islay, Highland and Speyside. We have created our own regions: Lowlands, Islay, Islands, Highlands and Speyside. They offer flavours that are hugely diverse - and are all represented in The Classic Malts Selection.

Rummager

In pot stills which are directly fired, a rummager is a mechanism that stirs the liquid in the still to prevent solids sticking to the bottom.

Run

See “New make”

Rye Whiskey

American whiskey made from a mash containing a minimum of 51% rye.

Tails

See also “Feints”

Tasting

The term tasting refers to the evaluation of whisky through visual examination, taste and aroma. Tastings are often conducted for the pure analysis of the whisky in groups e.g. in panels to award whisky after some pre-defined criteria, for reference purposes or as a social activity. There is no rule but common are the three stages of evaluating the whisky. The taster considers first the appearance of the whisky, nosing is the second part where the taster tries to detect the different aromas. Finally the liquid is tasted. Many add water or ice to see how the whisky is changing. The whisky glass, air temperature and the time the whisky spend in the glass to breathe can change the aromas.

Toasting

Toasting is a similar process to charring of casks but less aggressive due to the more porous nature of European oak.

Vatted Malt

A vatted malt is the combination of multiple different single malts from different distilleries. The term is old and the new “legal” definition is “Blended Malt”.

Yeast

This is a living organism classified of the fungus kingdom that is vital for the fermentation process. It is placed into the mash tun, where it feeds on the sugary worts and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products.