The Whiskey Making Process

The Whiskey Making Process

“You know these love letters mix with whisky, just don’t light a match when you kiss me.”
Jon Bon Jovi

Malting

A wide range of grains are used, including corn, rye and wheat, but barley is generally favored by both master distillers and whiskey connoisseurs.  Malting is not always used, however this process breaks down the starches in the grains which helps to increase the production of sugars.  Malting involves soaking the grains in water and spreading them over a dry floor which triggers germination. As soon as the barley reaches the desired state of germination, the grains are smoked to dry them, some distillers using a peat fire to enhance the flavor with earthy, smoky tones.

Despite marketing to the contrary, no distillery produces all the malt barley and specialized maltsters supply most of the malt used in whiskey production today.

Mashing

Once the malt has been dried, the grains are now turned into “grist” which is similar to rough, whole meal flour crossed with wild rice.  The grist is mixed with water and heated in a “mash tun”, a giant sealed urn, and the mash is allowed to soak.  This process is known as “mashing” and further develops the sugar content from the starches in the grains used, ultimately producing a thick, sugary liquid which is known as “wort”.

Fermentation

The wort is now moved to an even larger container known as a “wash back”, which is used to cool the mixture down.  Yeast is then added and fermentation commences to produce “wash”, which any home brew beer drinker is likely to recognize from their own efforts.

By now, we have a liquid which is coarse and has a relatively low alcohol content, less than 10%, but the real art in whisky making is about to start – distillation and maturation.