whiskey

history

In 1171 AD, when King Henry II of England led an army to attack Ireland, he found that the locals were drinking "water of life" barley to make high-alcohol distilled spirits. After the soldiers drink it, the body heats up and can resist the cold. This kind of wine is considered to be the ancestor of whisky. The word "Whisky" originated from the ancient Celtic word "Celtics" meaning - water of life. Whiskey originated in Ireland, developed in Scotland, and preceded private production; the British government began to levy whisky tax in 1644. In 1774, the British government banned the use of small stills. Producers fled into the mountains and forests to make wine. Hence the poetic name "Moonlight Whiskey".
Due to being unable to sell for a long time, it was a blessing in disguise and a unique style of Scotch whisky was created. Since then, whisky has been developed.
The earliest documentation of whisky is recorded in the Treasury Archives of Scotland in 1494, which records that a monk named John Cole at Lindola Abbey, near Newburgh, Fife, purchased eight pols. malt. 35 cases of whisky were produced.

Features

Whiskey is made from barley, rye, corn, and other grains, fermented, distilled, and then put into old oak barrels for alcoholization.

wine making

Stills used to make whisky are usually made of copper, as it removes the sulfur-based compounds in the alcohol that make whisky unpalatable. Modern distillation columns are made of stainless steel and have copper cladding on the inside. The simplest standard distillation apparatus is the "pot still", with a teapot-shaped heating chamber at the bottom and a slender neck attached to the top to collect the purified liquor. The "column still" (also known as continuous distillation) is used in grain whisky making and is the most used form of distillation for bourbon and other American whiskeys. Continuous distillation works like a series of pot stills. Pot distillation can produce about 40 to 60% alcohol, while continuous distillation can reach 95.6% alcohol.

Aged

Whiskey does not age in bottles, only in casks, so whisky "age" is calculated as the time elapsed from distillation to bottling. This period also reflects the degree of contact and interaction between the cask and the whisky, which in turn changes the chemical composition and flavor of the liquor. Whiskey that has been in the bottle for many years may increase its monetary value due to its rarity, but it does not make the whisky age longer, nor does it make the wine taste better. After 10 to 20 years of aging in casks, the more aging time does not improve the flavor of the whisky.

While aging in wooden barrels (especially American and French oak), whisky goes through six processes that give the liquor its final flavor: extraction, evaporation, oxidation, concentration, filtration, and coloration. In particular, the process of "extraction" gives the whisky many compounds, including aldehydes and acids such as vanillin, vanillic acid, and syringaldehyde. Distillers also sometimes age whisky in barrels that before housed other spirits, such as rum and wine, to add specific flavors to the whisky.

Package

Most whisky is bottled and sold with an alcohol concentration of about 40%, which is also the legal smallest for whisky in some countries. The alcohol concentration of whisky can also be higher than 40%, and some whisky that comes out of cask strength, undiluted, and bottled (Cask Strength) can even reach more than twice the alcohol concentration.