What is whiskey made from? The technology of its production. Classic whiskey production technology

Whiskey is a world-famous noble alcoholic drink. Its production is laborious and rather long. There are several varieties of this drink, which depend on the country of manufacture, since each country produces it in its own way and from different constituent ingredients. Let's take a closer look at what whiskey is made of and how it happens.

whiskey classification

This drink is of three types: malt, grain and mixed. The first has three types: Cask - a mixture of malt whiskey from different distilleries. Single malt - produced by only one distillery and can be with different long-term aging. Malt - taken from only one barrel. It can have a high strength or be diluted to a certain rate. Single malt whiskey is more popular than cask whiskey, which is aged, like a blended drink, in oak barrels and has a strength of 40 degrees. The recipe was restored in Scotland in 1960. It used to be thought that whiskey needed to be weakened by blending, as it had a sharp smell and taste. As a result, new varieties were obtained, each of which has its own “zest”.

The grain type of the drink is almost all used for blending, but a small part of it still goes on sale in a pure unchanged form. If additional purification is performed, then the drink is used to make gin and vodka. For the latter, it is distilled up to 5 times.

Mixed is obtained by blending grain and malt. The most popular drink is the one where the proportion of pure whiskey is more than 90%, the remaining 10% are additional ingredients. The high content of the malt component is, for example, in the brand "Deluxe".

This drink is divided in Scotland itself into five different types, differing in strength and taste: single malt, grain, blended, malt blend and grain blend. From the very beginning, Scotland produced malt Scotch whiskey, which was made using barley. The malt was dried with hot air (with smoke from swamp peat), mixed with water to produce wort, fermented and distilled. It turned out alcohol, which was aged in oak barrels. The taste is greatly influenced by water, peat, the drink that was previously contained in this barrel, and the location of the distillery (near the swamp or the sea). All whiskey in Scotland is mostly blended, and is rarely found in its pure form.

This drink is considered the oldest in Europe. For the most part, it has a triple distillation, and when drying malt, peat is used extremely rarely, so there is no taste of smoke in it. It comes in four varieties: single malt, single grain, pure and blended. Depending on the variety, the aging of the drink can be from eight to fifteen years. What is whiskey made from? It is made from barley and malt. Cereal crops are added: wheat, rye, oats. Nevertheless, the main component in the drink is natural water. If there are additives, they are indicated on the bottle label. Only barley malt can be used, but made from various varieties of this cereal. Or whiskey can be made from only one variety, but at the same time in the same enterprise. The most common and most popular are mixed species. Currently in Ireland, seven steps are used in the manufacture of the drink.

There is a drying of malt, aging of the drink, distillation, blending and other preparation. At the final stage, the master determines the character of the variety, sometimes combining up to forty different ingredients. Then everything is filtered, diluted with water to the required strength and sent for bottling.

How is whiskey made overseas? The history of the Canadian drink dates back to 1794, and in 1840 separate small distilleries appeared. And from the very beginning, Canadian whiskey was like a light spirit, not at all like the noble drink of Europe. Then it was improved. For its manufacture, corn, rye and wheat are used. The technology is non-classical, so even the aftertaste is very different from drinks from other countries.

What is whiskey made in America? The main type of this drink in the United States is bourbon, which is distinguished by its production, because corn is used for production, not barley. Whiskey is aged in oak barrels, which are fired inside using special technologies. It is due to this innovation that the drink has a unique taste and aroma, which distinguishes it from its European counterparts.

What is whiskey made from in Japan? This drink is the youngest in the world. Japanese whiskey is ranked fifth in the world among the leaders of alcohol. And oddly enough, the inhabitants of this island nation themselves use the national drink sake much less often than it. This whiskey is very close in style and manufacturing technology to Scotch. Most Japanese blended brands contain varying percentages of UK malt.

Nevertheless, Scotch whiskey and Japanese whiskey are different drinks. The difference is in less “smokyness”, because not so much peat is used in the manufacture. The production technology is similar to the Scottish one. Japan has both malt distilleries and a grain drink. They are also aged in barrels. Only the last ones are made from Japanese oak.

How classic whiskey is made: barley is placed for a period of 2 to 4 days in special vats that contain water. Briefly they are called "barley baths". Then the cereal enters the dryer for 12 days. There it is turned every day so that it germinates. On the 13th day, it is dried over hot peat or fire, and then crushed with a special mill. In order for the sugar that is formed during germination to dissolve in water, the resulting “flour” is poured with hot water. The result is a liquid called wort. It is completely alcohol-free and very sweet. Then yeast is added to it and insisted for a couple of days. During this time, fermentation begins and malted milk is obtained - this is the name of a low-alcohol liquid. Then the distillation begins, for which different apparatuses are used. At the same time, their configuration greatly affects the resulting whiskey. After the process, the main usable part of the distillate is separated. This whiskey production technology is used almost everywhere in the world. The resulting alcohol is diluted with water to the desired concentration and poured into barrels, where it stands from 3 to 15 years.

Benefits of whiskey

Everyone knows about the dangers of alcohol, but this alcoholic drink can also be beneficial if consumed in small quantities. For example, it perfectly relieves stress, protects against osteoporosis, and prevents and treats colds. But only if whiskey is drunk in moderation.

4.5k (39 per week)

The tradition of making whiskey (in Scotland it is called scotch) came to these lands from the ancient Celts. The production of a noble liquor is not an easy task and takes place in several stages: malting, malt grouting, fermentation, distillation, aging. The manufacturing technology involves the use of ready-made barley, sometimes it is pre-filtered and cleaned in a special way.

How is malt obtained

First, barley is immersed in special vats for a period of two to four days and soaked in water. Scotch whiskey-brewing traditions involve further thorough drying of the barley, which is turned over regularly until the plant sprouts, which takes another ten to fourteen days. Modern distilleries use automated methods to shift the barley, so that the grain germinates evenly. At a certain stage, the barley is stopped turning, it is dried in special ovens, or the future base for whiskey is placed over the smoke coming from smoldering peat bogs. The smell emanating from peat penetrates into barley grains and is already clearly felt in the finished product. In ancient times, peat kilns were built in the form of a room with a roof in the form of an oriental pagoda, so such unusual buildings were visible from afar. The old distilleries that have survived to this day look exactly like this.

Malting process

The next step in the preparation of scotch is mashing the malt through special millstones designed for coarse grinding. The crushed raw materials are transferred to large vats, where the barley is covered with hot water and continuously stirred. Sugar, which is in the grains, gradually turns into the main component of whiskey - wort, which is a sugary-sweet liquid that does not contain a single gram of alcohol. The mashing process lasts only as long as it takes to completely convert the sugar into wort. The rest of the malt is used by the Scots as cattle feed.

How fermentation, distillation and aging work

After all the wort is ready, it is cooled and poured into other vats, where Yeast is the main component of the fermentation process. After dissolving the yeast, it starts fermentation process, and sugar begins to be converted into alcohol. As a rule, this lasts about two days, after which the resulting liquid has a low alcohol content and is completely ready for subsequent distillation that takes place in an alembic of a certain shape. Heavy, viscous and oily scotch is made in a short-mouth tank, while for a fragrant and full-bodied single malt whiskey, a long-mouth cube is required.
First of all, the wort goes through the first cube, designed specifically for wort, which is heated to boiling point. Since alcohol boils at lower temperatures than water, alcohol vapor tends up the neck, where it enters the condensing coil. The second stage for the future of whiskey will be transferring the resulting distillate to another still, where the process is repeated, and low-grade alcohol enters a thick glass flask. A feature of distillation is that the quality of the process depends on the person. While tasting the must is not possible at this stage, only a professional and experienced distiller will be able to determine exactly when to detach the middle part of the machine from the top and bottom. This is due to the fact that in the middle, the highest quality alcohol is concentrated, which is used to make scotch tape. The liquid from the "head" of the cube contains toxic substances, and coarser alcohol of low quality and with a small percentage of alcohol content descends into the "tail". The raw material that is obtained from the top and bottom is re-distilled.
The liquid from the middle level of the cube is poured into huge vats, where it is diluted with water to reduce the degree and poured into barrels. Distillation, in total, takes at least a week, aging in barrels - three years or more. In the process of aging, the liquid is saturated with aromas, by analogy with the skate, part of the whiskey evaporates. Classic single malt whiskey in Scotland is characterized by exposure 8-15 years.

Grain whiskey production technology

The difference between grain whiskey and single malt whiskey is that grain distilleries use a distillation “Coffey cube”, designed for a continuous distillation process. All the main stages of making whiskey - grain and single malt - are practically the same, except that in the first case the technology looks more ambitious, and not only barley, but also corn or other crops can be used.
The distillation process takes place in two columns made in the form of cylinders connected by pipes. The liquid flows into the first tank, and steam is sent there, heating the whiskey blank even before it enters the so-called analyzer. Then the liquid is cooled, turned into a condensate and settled in a flask. The advantage of the technology is that such whiskey matures much faster and there is no need for long-term storage - after three years, the scotch is ready for use.

As you know, the shades of taste of "living water" strongly depend on the place of manufacture, however, the general technology for the production of whiskey remains approximately the same in all countries. In this article, we will figure out what and how whiskey is made from, take a closer look at all the stages and briefly touch on the characteristic features of individual regions.

Whiskey composition. The basic ingredients are always the same: malt (sprouted grain), yeast and water. Sometimes a little sugar or caramel is added to the finished drink, but this applies more to cheap varieties. Flavorings, dyes and other chemical additives in this whiskey can not be.

Step by step manufacturing technology

Malting

Whiskey is made from pure barley or a mixture of grains, for example, bourbon (American whiskey) is at least 51% corn, and the rest is other cereals (barley, rye, etc.), pure rye or wheat varieties are also possible . Rarely, but there are whiskeys made from rice, buckwheat, and other cereals.

Malt is the main component of whiskey.

Dried in a sunny, well-ventilated room, the grains are poured with water and left to germinate, periodically changing the water - this is how enzymes are activated in cereals that break down starch into simple sugars. Sprouted grain is called malt. The whole process takes up to two weeks. The main thing is to stop the malting of the grains in time so that the sprouts do not “eat up” all the starch that will be needed in the next stages.

Whiskey made from unmalted (unsprouted) raw materials is called "grain". In fact, it is a barrel-aged ordinary spirit with a rough taste and almost no aromatic bouquet. Grain whiskey is not sold as a separate drink, but is only mixed into blends with "noble" distillates.

Drying malt

The finished malt is removed from the water and dried in a special chamber. In Scotland, on the Isle of Islay and in Japan, the smoke of marsh peat is additionally used to make the drink acquire a characteristic "smoked" taste and smoky aroma.

Wort preparation

Wooden fermentation tank with wort

Grinding is poured into a wort kettle, poured with water and gradually heated, not forgetting to stir. The future wort sequentially goes through several temperature regimes with sustained temperature pauses:

38-40 ° C - flour and water turn into a homogeneous mass;
52-55°C - protein is broken down;
61-72 ° C - starch is saccharified (turns into sugar suitable for yeast);
76-78°C - the final sugary substances are formed.

Fermentation

The wort is poured into wooden or steel vats and mixed with special alcoholic yeast (each reputable enterprise tries to have its own unique strain). In many distilleries, yeast is taken from a previous batch of mash, as a result, the process becomes cyclical and lasts for tens, and sometimes hundreds of years.

Fermentation takes 2-3 days at a temperature of about 37 degrees. Yeast actively multiply, feeding on oxygen, but when the oxygen in the mash ends, the breakdown of sugar obtained from starch in the grain begins.

At the end of this phase comes the time of malolactic fermentation - the fermentation of the wort due to lactic acid bacteria, and not yeast. Ready-to-distill mash with a strength of 5% tastes like beer, but without hops.

Distillation

The mash that has won back is subjected to double or triple distillation (depending on the manufacturer) in copper distillation cubes - alambiks. The material of the equipment is very important: copper eliminates the “sulphurous” taste of alcohol and provokes chemical reactions, as a result of which vanilla, chocolate and nutty tones appear in the whiskey bouquet. However, stainless steel equipment is sometimes installed in new industries.

Copper alambik for whiskey

After the first distillation, the mash turns into a “weak wine” with a strength of ~ 30 degrees. To get a 70-degree whiskey, you need to carry out a second distillation.

For further production of whiskey, only the middle portion (“heart”) is used, the first and last fractions (“heads” and “tails”) are drained or sent to a distillation column to obtain pure alcohol. The division into fractions is due to the fact that at the beginning and end of the distillation process, a lot of harmful substances enter the finished drink.

Even the shape of the alambic matters: each notch on the copper side affects the taste of the distillate. Therefore, when equipment is changed at old distilleries, the new one is cast exactly according to the patterns of the former, retaining all defects, “bends” and dents.

For the production of grain whiskey and bourbon, the Coffey continuous distillation apparatus is often used instead of the traditional two-chamber alambique. This device distills the mash not in portions, but constantly. This method of production saves time and distillation costs, but degrades the quality of the whisky.

The finished distillate is diluted with soft spring water to 50-60 degrees. Some distilleries prefer hard water with a high content of trace elements, such whiskey acquires a characteristic mineral flavor.

Excerpt

Traditionally, whiskey is aged in oak sherry casks, but for cheap varieties, sometimes they take bourbon containers (American whiskey “ages” in new, charred casks) or even completely new, unused casks.

Most whiskey barrels are sourced from Spain, the producer of sherry (fortified wine)

At this stage, the bouquet of the drink is finally formed, a noble caramel shade and aroma appears. At the same time, 6 main processes take place:

Extraction (“pulling out” of wood aroma, tannins).
Evaporation (barrels are not closed hermetically, alcohol gradually evaporates).
Oxidation (of aldehydes when interacting with the barrel material).
Concentration (the smaller the volume of the liquid, the richer the aroma).
Filtration (through membrane filters, immediately before blending or bottling).
Colorization (using caramel to make the drink look “nobler”).

The average aging period is 3-5 years, but there are varieties that spend 30 years or more in barrels. The longer the whiskey is aged, the greater the "angel's share" - the amount of alcohol evaporated - and the higher the price. Over time, oak wood absorbs most of the fusel oils from alcohol, saturates the drink with lactones, coumarin and tannin, but if overexposed, the whiskey will acquire a “woody” flavor.

Blending

It is a process of mixing distillates (sometimes grain alcohols are also added to the composition) of different aging periods and (or) from different distilleries. There is no single recipe: each brand has its own secrets. The number of mixed varieties can reach up to 50, and all of them will differ in taste and aging. The proportions are selected by an experienced master of production - a blender. Typically, such a person has been working at the enterprise for decades and, long before retirement, prepares a replacement for himself from among other employees, gradually passing on secrets and best practices.

The workplace of a master blender is very similar to a chemical laboratory

The point of blending is to guarantee the buyer the same taste of their favorite brand from year to year, regardless of the characteristics of the crop or technology. Also, mixing allows you to create new whiskey with a unique taste (will expand the range of products) from distillates available to the company, changing only the proportions.

Blending is not a mandatory step: many connoisseurs prefer to drink pure single malt whiskey produced by one distillery, this category is called “single malt”, and blended whiskey is labeled “blended”. Arguments about the superiority of one category over another do not make sense, it is more a matter of taste and philosophy than the real impact of production technology on quality.

Blended whiskey is kept in oak barrels for several more months, so that mixed varieties “marry” - turn into one harmonious drink, and not a cocktail of flavors.

Bottling

After the final aging, the whiskey is filtered (mechanically, to separate the liquid from particles of wood, other solid fractions), sometimes the drink is again diluted with water until the fortress required by the regulations is obtained. Only after that the finished product is bottled and sent to stores.

After cold filtration, the whiskey does not become cloudy when mixed with water, but some of the unique taste is lost.

Cheap distilleries sometimes practice the dubious method of cold filtration, where the whiskey is chilled to about -2°C. As a result, fatty acids float to the surface and are easily removed mechanically. After cold filtration, whiskey loses some of its organoleptic properties (aroma and taste), but it looks more presentable - it does not become cloudy in a glass when ice is added, it seems amber and transparent.

Even raw materials are used differently in different countries: in Canada, as in the USA, wheat, rye and corn are used to make whiskey, in Ireland - barley and rye, and in Scotland barley grains.

Stages of whiskey production

In the technology of making whiskey, the main stages can be distinguished, among which:

preparation of ingredients;
malting;
drying malt;
wort preparation;
fermentation;
distillation;
excerpt;
blending and bottling.

It makes sense to consider these stages in more detail.

Preparation of ingredients

The taste that whiskey will later have depends on the quality of the raw materials! Today, alcohol can be obtained from any product that contains carbohydrates and proteins. Wood, banana peel, potatoes, beets, cereals, milk, glucose, ethanol (natural gas) can serve as the basis for the production of alcohol. It is worth noting that for the preparation of high-quality whiskey, experienced blenders of the world use only fresh and natural raw materials.

Cereals, including rye, barley, wheat, rice, buckwheat, are excellent raw materials for making real whiskey. The most important condition for obtaining aromatic alcohol is the selection of high-quality raw materials by hand. The best raw material for the production of elite alcohol is barley, the grains of which contain a huge amount of necessary enzymes. That is why today any grain mixture consists of 10-20% barley malt.

Grains suitable for making whiskey are selected by professional maltists. They grade grains from one to nine points and select only the top three categories for further malting. Thus, approximately twenty percent of the harvest goes to the production of whiskey.

It should be noted that the strength of alcohol directly depends on the starch content in barley grains. According to the recommendations of experts, only mature barley grains should be harvested, after which they should be dried for three days in a dry place where sunlight is possible.

Scottish-sprouted barley is the most suitable for making quality whisky. The climate of Scotland contributes to this - frosty winters do not allow pests to survive in the soil, and sunny summers give the plant strength, filling it with a unique taste.
The most important ingredient in quality whiskey is water - soft or hard. The first helps to soften the taste of whiskey, the second - gives it spice.

Malting (preparation of barley malt)

After harvesting barley, it is processed, thoroughly cleaned and dried. After that, you can proceed to the most important stage in the production of whiskey - malting. For this, barley grains are pre-soaked for seven to ten days in order to germinate. Then the malt is dried again. This difficult task is given to professional maltists with experience and necessary skills.

The peculiarity of the malting process lies in the ability of a professional to catch the moment of rupture of the walls of the grain, when the sprout has not yet begun to absorb the starch necessary to make high-quality whiskey.