Sherry casks. In the United States, whiskey is aged in ten main types of barrels, the wood of which gives the drink its aroma. How wood affects whiskey

As you know, the flavors of “living water” greatly depend on the place of production, but the general technology of whiskey production remains approximately the same in all countries. In this article we will understand what and how whiskey is made from, consider all the stages in detail and touch a little 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. There cannot be any flavors, dyes or other chemical additives in real whiskey.

Step-by-step manufacturing technology

Malting

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

The grains, dried in a sunny, well-ventilated room, are poured with water and left to germinate, changing the water periodically - this is how enzymes in cereals are activated that break down starch into simple sugars. Sprouted grain is called malt. The entire 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” 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 an ordinary alcohol aged in barrels with a rough taste and almost complete absence of an 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 bog peat is additionally used to give the drink a characteristic “smoked” taste and smoky aroma.

Wort preparation

The grinding is poured into a wort boiler, filled 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 (turned into sugar suitable for yeast);
• 76-78°C – 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 reproduces, feeding on oxygen, and when the oxygen in the mash runs out, the breakdown of sugar obtained from starch in the grain begins.

At the end of this phase, the time comes for malolactic fermentation - fermentation of the wort using lactic acid bacteria rather than yeast. The mash, ready for distillation, with a strength of 5%, tastes like beer, but without hops.

Distillation

The spent mash is subjected to double or triple distillation (depending on the manufacturer) in copper distillation cubes - alambics. 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 nut tones appear in the bouquet of whiskey. However, new production facilities sometimes install stainless steel equipment.

After the first distillation, the mash turns into “weak wine” with a strength of ~30 degrees. To obtain 70 proof whiskey, a second distillation is necessary.

For further whiskey production, 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 many harmful substances enter the finished drink.

Even the shape of the alambik matters: every 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 old one, preserving all the defects, “bends” and dents.

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

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; this whiskey acquires a characteristic mineral flavor.

Excerpt

Traditionally, whiskey is aged in oak sherry barrels, but for cheap varieties, sometimes bourbon containers are used (American whiskey “ages” in new barrels, charred from the inside) or even completely new, previously unused barrels.

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

1. Extraction (“pulling” aroma and tannins from wood).
2. Evaporation (the barrels are not sealed tightly, the alcohol gradually evaporates).
3. Oxidation (of aldehydes when interacting with barrel material).
4. Concentration (the smaller the volume of liquid, the richer the aroma).
5. Filtration (through membrane filters, immediately before blending or bottling).
6. Colorization (using caramel to make the drink look “noble”).

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 “angels' share” - the volume of alcohol evaporated - and the higher the price. Over time, oak wood absorbs most fusel oils from alcohol, saturates the drink with lactones, coumarin and tannin, but if you overdo it, the whiskey will acquire a “woody” taste.

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 they will all differ in taste and aging. The proportions are selected by an experienced production master - a blender. Typically, such a person works 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 point of blending is to guarantee the buyer the same taste of his favorite brand from year to year, regardless of the characteristics of the harvest or technology. Mixing also allows you to create new whiskeys with a unique taste (they will expand the range of products) from the distillates available to the enterprise, changing only the proportions.

Blending is not a necessary 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”. Disputes about the superiority of one category over another make no 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 the mixed varieties “get married” - turn into one harmonious drink, and not a cocktail of flavors.

Bottling

After the final aging, the whiskey undergoes filtration (mechanical to separate the liquid from particles of wood and other solid fractions); sometimes the drink is diluted again with water until the required strength is obtained. Only after this the finished product is bottled and sent to stores.

Cheap distilleries sometimes use the dubious method of cold filtration, where whiskey is cooled to approximately -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 looks more presentable - it does not become cloudy in the glass when ice is added, it appears amber and transparent.

The relationship between the wood of the barrel and the whiskey is the most important component in shaping the structure of the drink. It is the barrel that forms the color, aroma, and taste of whiskey. Whiskey maturation is one of the most interesting and completely misunderstood processes that is hidden from us.

The barrel is the basis that shapes the character of whiskey

To age whiskey, they use both fresh oak barrels and barrels in which other noble drinks have already been aged, for example, port wine, American Bourbon, sherry. Oloroso, Fino or Amontillado.

Oloroso- sherry from Spanish Andalusia which, due to the characteristics of the wort and the addition of a certain amount of alcohol, did not form a fleur (a film of a special type of sherry yeast that forms on the surface of the drink in a barrel and prevents the oxidation of the drink) (its strength is 16% and above). Oloroso can be dry, semi-dry or sweet, depending on the preparation technology and the moment when fermentation is stopped.

Fino- Produced from Palomino grapes grown on chalk soil. After careful selection of primary material, the most promising samples are fortified to 15% and placed in solera. The entire aging process takes place under cover. This sherry is always dry. Its strength reaches 18%.

Amontillado- Fino, aged after the fleur has died. Fleur can die both due to harmful external conditions and due to the addition of additional alcohol. Typically, the ABV of Amontillado ranges from 16.5 to 18%.

The type of barrel in which the whiskey will mature is determined by the distillery master.

It is believed that the minimum maturation period for whiskey is at least 3 years and one day, only after which the drink can be legally labeled as Scotch whiskey. However, the requirements for the quality of the drink that have developed over the years of production have raised the minimum bar for aging alcohol in a barrel to 5 years. It should be noted that after bottling, whiskey stops maturing. Scotland's unique cool climate allows tannins to be released from the porous wood of the oak barrel into the drink. Another interesting fact is the evaporation of whiskey during the aging process - part of the drink evaporates through the walls of the barrel. The Scots call this phenomenon.

Why oak?

One of the most common questions is “Why was oak chosen as the material from which whiskey barrels are made?” The reason why oak was chosen is the unique structure of its wood, which is extremely durable, which is very important when molding a barrel, and chemically saturated. Another feature of the structure of oak is the absence of resin channels in the structure of the wood, of which there are so many, for example, in pine. The presence of resins would negatively affect the taste of the whiskey.

But is it only the physical properties of wood that influence the ripening process? Of course not! An important factor is the process of release of tannins as a result of periodic seasonal changes in temperature, which creates the unique taste of whiskey.

The use of oak barrels allows you to achieve three effects that determine the character of whiskey:

• Oak imparts flavorful and aromatic notes of wood to the drink. Often, in addition to astringent notes, hints of fruit, vanilla and wood sugar (xylose) can be distinguished in the taste of whiskey.
• Oak absorbs unwanted flavors from the main bouquet, such as the taste of water.
• Oak interacts with the drink, transforms the “dry” properties of wood into an organoleptically balanced bouquet, and forms a harmony of color, smell, and taste.

An oak barrel helps convert tannin (a substance contained in wood with pronounced tannic properties and a characteristic astringent taste) into acetals - substances with a fruity odor, and acetic acid into fruity esters.

There are 5 main components of oak that are involved in the formation of the drink:

1. Cellulose- has virtually no effect on the formation of the taste of whiskey, but ensures the strength of the wood fibers, and therefore the barrel itself.
2. Hemicellulose- consists of simple sugars that are destroyed when heated, forms the basis of the bouquet and color (young whiskeys are usually colorless) due to the sugar contained in the wood, giving the taste a note of “charcoal” with the aftertaste and aroma of caramel.
3. Lignin- the element that binds cellulose in wood, when heated, gives off notes of vanilla, smoke and spices.
4. Oak tannins— play a significant role in the formation of the bouquet of the drink during ripening. In combination with oxygen, they form subtle aromas and transform into acetals.
5. Oak lactones— are formed from lipids contained in oak wood. This element adds charcoal, wood, and sometimes coconut notes to the flavor structure. It is lactones that give American bourbon a specific taste, since the concentration of lactones in American oak is much higher than in European types.

Is any oak suitable for making a whiskey barrel?

As a rule, coopers use three types of oak to make barrels for aging drinks:

• White oak — Quercus Alba(another name for this variety is American oak). The most commonly used type of oak used in the production of barrels for aging whiskey. The wood of this American oak is more saturated with lactones than the European variety, which, as a result, provides the drink with a richer taste.

• Sessile oak — Quercus Petraea— European type of oak. Especially common in France. Most often used for aging wine. Rich in tannins. Gives vanilla notes to the drink.

• English oak — Quercus Robur- this species is also called summer oak, English oak, and common oak. European look. Among the regions where this species grows, Spain should be noted. The barrels, made from Spanish oak, give off notes of raisins and prunes. Such barrels are used for aging cognac and sherry. Rich in tannins.

Among the factors influencing the bouquet of whiskey, the following should be noted:

• Growth rate of the “donor” tree from which the barrel is made;
• Method and duration of wood drying;
• Methods of firing and tarring barrels.

Influence of oak growth rate: slower is better?

Almost all masters are convinced of the direct connection between the growth rate of the tree and the quality of the drink, its taste and aroma, while in the production of whiskey this connection is practically not considered. The most common White (American) oak is a fast-growing tree. At the same time, it is known that a barrel made of oak, which has grown slowly, has some advantages, namely a higher content of oak lactones, which provides the release of vanilla and fruit notes, which is important in the production of whiskey.

The method and period of wood drying also has a huge impact on the quality of the barrel. Only well-dried wood is used to produce barrels. It is during drying that the composition of the elements is formed. It is generally accepted that drying in the open air is preferable to drying in dryers, in which the wood loses tannins and lactones. Often, when producing high-quality wines, wood is used that is dried in a natural environment for 24 months. At the same time, the wood for most bourbon barrels is dried in special dryers in just 2 weeks. Why? The fact is that most whiskey masters believe that drying the wood has the greatest impact on the quality of the spirit of the first fill of a new cask, that is, sherry, wine or bourbon, and has virtually no effect on the maturation of the whiskey. It should be noted that Scotch whiskey matures only in barrels in which the base drinks have already been aged.

Heat

Heating is an integral part of the barrel making process. Wood fibers have a certain elasticity and must be heated to give the barrel the desired shape. Open fire or steam is used to heat and give wood plasticity. The shape of the barrel is held in place by six metal hoops of different diameters. After shaping the barrel, it is fired, causing the wood sugar to crystallize in the wood.
There are some differences in the production process for bourbon and sherry casks.

Bourbon barrels

The finished molded barrel is additionally fired, as a result of which a black layer of soot (coal) is formed on its inner surface. The time of such firing, that is, the thickness of the deposit, affects the elements contained in the wood, and therefore the formation of taste. It should also be noted that the carbon formed on the walls removes sulfur compounds from the drink. Typically, firing time ranges from 40 seconds to 1 minute, although some artists have experimented with increasing the firing to 4 minutes. The result of firing is a change in the structure of the inner surface of the barrel.

Sherry casks

Unlike bourbon barrels, these barrels are not subjected to additional charring. As mentioned above, the most popular base for maturing Scotch whiskey is the Oloroso sherry cask. Sherry casks can be made from American oak, although such casks are used to age Fino sherry and are not later used to make Scotch whiskey. It is generally accepted that European oak is more saturated with elements than American oak. Aging in sherry casks gives whiskey a richer, richer taste than in American bourbon casks.

A little more history

The use of bourbon barrels to age whiskey is a relatively new phenomenon. The first experience of using such barrels dates back to the 30s of the twentieth century. The reason was an interruption in the supply of sherry casks due to the civil war in Spain. Currently, about half a million bourbon barrels and only about 20 thousand sherry barrels are used to age whiskey.

It should be noted that very few whiskeys are aged exclusively in bourbon casks—most “bourbon” whiskeys are blended in varying proportions with whiskey from sherry casks.

Barrel size

There are three main cask sizes used in the maturation process of whiskey:

• Barrel with a volume of 190 liters;

• Hogshead with a volume of 245 liters;

• Butt with a volume of 500 liters;

There are also such varieties of barrels as Puncheon (similar to the Butts barrel, it has a volume of about 500 liters, but wider and lower), Quarter (about 140 liters) and the smallest Octave (just over 50 liters)

The Butts cask is used in the production of sherry, and the Hogshead cask is used in the production of bourbon. It should be noted that there is a direct relationship between the size of the barrel and the rate of maturation of the whiskey - all other things being equal, the larger the barrel, the slower the maturation of the whiskey. With small barrel sizes, the aging process occurs faster. A great example of this addiction is the excellent Laphroaig Quarter Cask whiskey.

Some whiskey producers, such as William Grant & Sons Ltd., use their own barrels, and some of them reach a volume of 2 thousand liters!

Step by step

Once a cask has lived out its first life of bourbon or sherry, it is ready for its second life as a cradle for whiskey. The barrels are sent to Scotland. An interesting fact is that when transporting bourbon barrels, as a rule, they are disassembled into separate planks, while sherry barrels are transported whole. After assembling the bourbon barrels, some manufacturers re-fire them.

Barrels can be used to age multiple batches of whiskey. On average, barrels are retired after two fillings, but there are batches that can efficiently withstand 3 or even 4 fillings. It happens that after a barrel stops giving itself into whiskey, its inner surface is “cleaned” in a special way to refresh the wood, and re-fired, thereby giving the barrel another life. The quality of the barrel is controlled by the master distiller before each filling. It may seem strange, but cooper is a complex and responsible profession. Almost all distilleries have strict requirements for craftsmen - the training period for a cooper is about 5 years.

What after whiskey?

The question may arise - what next? What happens to the barrel when it has given its all? Naturally, some of the barrels are dismantled and burned, since the wood simply rots, and some of the barrels go to the needs of the “local population.” But there is another option!

Enthusiasts from their company McKay Flooring from Glasgow, Scotland, have developed a technology that allows them to straighten the boards after the barrel has been decommissioned and dismantled, and use them to produce parquet! Its cost is relatively high - about 300 euros per sq. m. Unfortunately, using such floors in residential areas is most likely not the best idea due to the possible specific odor that cannot be completely removed.

The barrel rightfully occupies one of the most important places in the process of whiskey formation. Born in Europe, over the course of several years it forms Spanish sherry, and then travels thousands of kilometers of sea to absorb several generations of whiskey in Scotland. The life of a barrel is decades of daily painstaking work.

I have one reader who doubts that whiskey is actually aged in barrels. They say that most whiskey is a tinted “fresh distillate.” And once he said that there was actually nowhere to age so much whiskey. Well, let's check it out. Is there anywhere?

I armed myself with Google search and Google maps and found the 5 most often mentioned in the news Diagio warehouses. I chose Diagio because they are the largest company, they account for about a third of all Scotch whiskey, and somewhere they need to withstand the petalitres of whiskey that goes to Johnnie Walker, White Horse, Bells. They have several dozen malt distilleries, each of them has warehouses, but, of course, modern production rates have long outgrown them, and for logistics, storing, controlling aging and transporting whiskey from different (often inaccessible) corners of Scotland would be a real nightmare. Therefore, all large complexes are built in the central belt - next to grain distilleries, bottling and packaging plants, and, last but not least, next to major ports.

1.Blackgrange

Well, of course, let's start with the legendary Blackgrange! This is the largest warehouse complex in Europe. It truly amazes the imagination. You can find it on the map, remember the scale, and compare it on the same scale with your neighborhood. At the same time, the complex is constantly expanding, the last warehouses were completed in 2013, permission was received to store up to 1,080,000 tons of whiskey. The location is quite logical - next to the Cambus grain whiskey distillery, now closed. But now there is a new cooperage called Diagio. Comfortable.

2.Glenochil

Glenochil is easy to spot if you zoom out the map slightly from Blackgrange, it is very close. It may look modest next to Blackgraz, but in fact the complex is huge. 300 thousand tons of alcohol are stored here. The location is again no coincidence; Glenochil is also a former grain distillery, although it was closed a long time ago. The distillery has now been converted into a yeast production factory.

3. Cluny Bond

A grandiose project, the construction of which was completed last year. The barrels have already taken up residence in this huge complex near Kirkcaldy. The location is smart - close to the main Cameronbridge grain distillery, plus the bottling and packaging plant in Leuven. 46 warehouses of 60,000 barrels each = 2,760,000 barrels, about 860 tons.

4. Bonnybridge

Another complex near Bonnybridge. The closest complex to Glasgow and Edinburgh, according to the latest information (2009) 125,000 tons of alcohol, 400,000 barrels are stored there. The company has long been waiting for permission to build three more warehouses and store another hundred tons of alcohol, but residents of the town have a lot of objections to this - they are worried about mold and mildew covering all the walls in the area, the characteristic smell at night, fire safety issues and the already congested road . So for now, Diagio chooses the path of least resistance and expands other complexes.

5. Grane Lane Storage in Grangemouth

But even Diagio’s own warehouses are small; Diagio rented 180,000 square meters for 8 years in the Grane Lane warehouse complex, where Diagio holds about 140,000 barrels, another 50 thousand tons.

I posted a lot of photos from warehouses - American ones, or old stone ones at Scottish distilleries. But the traditional type of warehouse is a “dunnage warehouse”, low one-story buildings, often made of stone, with barrels on the side, no more than three in height, usually in pyramids. American warehouses on a larger scale are racked warehouses, the “rack” type, multi-story, similar inside to a multi-tiered closet, up to 9 floors, on each floor there are three rows of barrels, each row is supported by its own guide boards. These types of warehouses use small forklifts that can lift exactly one, or two, barrels to the required level. Naturally, this does not work on a large scale.

Mass Scotch whiskey is aged in so-called palletized warehouses, they look like one large hangar in which barrels stand vertically in pallets (usually 9 barrels per pallet). Pallets are stacked on top of each other up to 12 pieces high, usually 6-9 rows. Naturally, serious technology is already used here.

Here is a photo in one of these warehouses. From here

Now a little arithmetic.

All Diageo malt distilleries produce 105 million liters of spirit according to the latest Malt Whiskey Yearbook. Cameronbridge is 100 million liters (maltmadness.com) + half of 65 million in North British (information from Wiki). We will assume that this is for alcohol at strength at the exit from the column, and before pouring into barrels the whiskey is diluted with water, so we make an adjustment for grain whiskey: 132.5 * 94.5 / 63.5 = 197.2. In total, malt and grain whiskeys together produce about 305 million liters per year.

In total, almost 2,400,000 tons of alcohol can be stored in these five complexes alone. If we simplify and assume that a ton - at 63.5% strength - is about 1100 liters. Those. On average, warehouse capacity is enough for 7 years of storage. Considering that more than 90% of whiskey is sold in the form of cheap blends aged about 3-4 years, it turns out that there is a lot of free space for our single malts. Although personally, I would prefer if my Talisker or Lagavulin remained there for the entire aging period, on the Isle of Skye or Islay.

Drinks are most often judged by their taste. When tasting good whiskey, connoisseurs usually say briefly: mature, soft.

With softness, perhaps, everything is clear, but with maturity it is more difficult, since this term usually means endurance. What period is optimal, does the production method affect the aging time, how long should the drink be aged in a barrel in order to acquire the very maturity for which it will be appreciated.

A few words about whiskey

Whiskey is a natural product, it is based on grain crops. The manufacturing technology looks something like this. Initially, from barley, rye, wheat, corn or millet - sometimes you can even encounter the use of rice or buckwheat, malt is prepared. It is dried and a wort is obtained, which is subject to fermentation. The fermented mass undergoes a distillation process, the resulting product is filtered and bottled in barrels.

From this moment the countdown begins, which is then called the aging of the drink. After a certain period, if necessary, it is blended (mixed) and poured into those beautiful glass containers that we see on store shelves.

The strength of whiskey is in the range of 35-60 degrees, the color varies: from light yellow to brown. It is highly valued - it is on a par with cognac, rum, and vodka. The value is determined by the quality of the drink, which in turn depends on aging - time, conditions. It is different in each producing country. The minimum aging of Scotch whiskey is 3 years, Irish - 5 years, Canadian - 6. The aging of the original drink cannot be less than 10-12 years, collection - 21 years, and the rarest and most valuable varieties are aged from 30 to 50 years.

Aging depends on the barrel

To this day, opinions on what is the most optimal aging period for whiskey are ambiguous. The terms vary, depending on the method of production. Only one rule remains unchanged: the longer the drink is stored in a barrel, the more its taste changes - it becomes colorful and rich. If the whiskey is in a different container, then time does not affect the quality in any way.

In a barrel, under the influence of wood, taste, color and aroma are formed. This moment of birth and maturation of whiskey in its production is still considered the most mysterious and completely unsolved. After all, if you do not guess the aging period and make it shorter, the result will be the most disastrous: instead of a noble drink, you will get ordinary grain alcohol or moonshine.

The alcohol obtained from grain is bottled both in new barrels, which are necessarily made of oak, and in those where other drinks were previously aged. Usually noble, high-quality wines act as predecessors: port, sherry. The choice of a specific type of barrel rests with the master distiller.

The drink must remain in the barrel for at least 3 years and one day. Only then can it be called Scotch whiskey. True, today this bar has been raised to 5 years, which is explained by increased quality requirements. During this time, the porous wood constantly saturates the drink with tannins, and some of it evaporates and goes through the walls. In Scotland, these evaporations are called the “angels' share”; exactly how much liquid will evaporate depends on climatic conditions - humidity, temperature, etc. On average, 0.5-12.5% ​​evaporates per year.

The older, the more expensive

Whiskey is an elite drink, people drink it with pleasure. It is vodka that makes you drunk, drinking it in huge quantities, while whiskey is characterized by small doses, relaxation, and pleasant sensations.

True connoisseurs of the drink understand a lot about it and pay a lot of money for real quality. In return, they receive a special, incomparable taste and aroma, directly dependent on the method of production, bottling and aging of the product.

Let's say the whiskey produced by The Macallan has been aged for as long as 64 years. But the price of a serving of this drink is impressive - 60 thousand dollars. However, this is not the limit - for the oldest whiskey in the world they asked for 1.4 million dollars.

It is believed that the older the drink, the less often it can be found, and its cost is correspondingly higher. However, experts say that properties do not always improve over the years; a certain peak occurs in development, which can only be felt by a real, experienced specialist.

For example, Scotch whiskey of the Lagavulin brand reaches its apogee in development at 16 years, and another brand, Glen Grant, is sold with five years of aging. The reasons for such a difference in the maturation of the drink lie in the characteristics of distillation, location of production and, of course, the barrel.

The most interesting thing is that when creating a drink, it is unlikely that any master expects that in 50 or more years he will be able to taste it. A striking example is Grant's David, where barrels that had been stored for more than 50 years were opened. The drink in them turned out to be amazing: not only freshness and fruity notes were felt in it, but also an unusual taste of birch bark. The drink retained its strength - it was 40 % However, even the most experienced and oldest whiskey master could not explain how such a masterpiece came out.

This suggests that the creation of noble drinks still remains a sealed secret. No one knows exactly what exactly happens in the barrel, which means it is impossible to give a full guarantee that after 50 years of aging you will get a unique drink with inimitable taste. Only one barrel in a million may turn out to be like this. And maybe you will be the one to try this drink.

Except for Auchentoshan and Hazelburn with their triple distillation and Springbank, Benrinnes, Mortlach with partial triple distillation (some of the alcohols are distilled 2 times, and some 3 times). Scottish distilleries practice double distillation. This means that the two cubes usually work in pairs: a cube for distilling mash is called a wash still, A the second, the output of which is ready-made alcohol, is called spirit still. These cubes are made of copper, which is important. The reactions that occur between copper and alcohol reduce the content of unwanted impurities, and the longer the contact of alcohol with the still lasts, the cleaner it will be. In this regard, it can be argued that most manufacturers are striving to increase such contact. But this will not be entirely true, because in addition to undesirable impurities, useful ones responsible for the character of the bouquet are also reduced, therefore, if you want to get a full-bodied and strong drink, you should preserve these important compounds.

From the fermentation tanks where fermentation took place, the mash, usually preheated, is pumped into the first still. After which it is heated and the first distillation begins.

There are several ways to heat the cube. The most popular now is steam. Steam that has been heated by oil or gas is supplied under the base of the cube through special steam lines (steam coils). The steam lines, in turn, are connected to special containers, round, rectangular, or even in the form of plates, which heat the mash.

Some manufacturers continue to use the old method of heating over an open fire. For example, at Glenfiddich and Glenfarclas all the stills are heated by open fire using gas, but at Springbank only some of the stills are heated directly with oil, and the rest with steam. The only disadvantage of this method is that solid particles can burn on the inner surface of the cube, which can affect the taste of the drink. To avoid this, a special device is installed inside the cube that scrapes burnt particles from the surface.

When the temperature in the cube reaches 95 degrees, alcohol vapors begin to rise to the top, but before we talk about further processes, let's look at the various still shapes.

There are three main types:

Onion (traditional cube)- the name speaks for itself, a cube in the shape of an onion.

boiling ball- with a special convexity in front of the cube's neck to increase reflux.

Flashlight- with a special “narrow waist” in front of the cube neck.

In addition to these three main types, there are many variations of narrow and wide cube necks, and the slope of the pipe connecting the cube neck to the condenser can be different.

The reason for such a wide variety of shapes and sizes is that these factors determine the length of time the distilled product is in contact with the copper, and also affect the intensity of reflux during distillation. Reflux is a term that means the repeated distillation of alcohol vapors. A high or narrowed neck, a large angle of inclination of the connecting pipe, will lead to the fact that heavy alcohols will not reach the cooler the first time, and, having gone down, will undergo repeated distillation. This process produces a lighter alcohol.

A boiling ball gives greater contact with the copper and also produces a lighter spirit than an onion-type still. Lantern-shaped cubes also help increase contact with the copper and prevent evaporating and foaming mash from getting into the neck of the cube. If this happens, then the distillation can be considered failed. To avoid this, the cube is filled only 60-80%. This process is controlled using special “windows” installed on the neck of the cube, which show the filling level, and if it begins to rise, then the heating temperature of the cube should be reduced.

After the alcohol vapor passes the neck of the cube, it enters the cooler through a pipe, where it condenses and is sent to the receiver. The resulting liquid contains just over 20% alcohol and is about a third of the volume of the original mash. In the receiver, tails and heads from the second distillation are added, as a result of which the strength increases to 28%, which is very important for further distillation. If this is not done, then after the second distillation you will get alcohol with a strength of no more than 60%, which is very little in order to isolate from it the necessary fractions containing compounds important for the character of whiskey. At a strength of 28%, the alcohol after the second distillation will exceed the level of 70%, which is a necessary condition for obtaining good alcohol.

After mixing, the result of the first distillation, which is called low wines is pumped into the second cube, where, as a result of heating the walls of the cube, it acquires a strength of approximately 82%. The risk of foaming, unlike the first distillation, is minimized due to the absence of carbon dioxide in low wines. On the other hand, during the second distillation, temperature readings play a more important role. Higher temperatures will reduce reflux and allow more heavy compounds to enter the cooler. Depending on the desired nature of the alcohol, this may lead to undesirable effects.

Traditionally, alcohol vapors condensed into coil. This is a large pipe, 3 to 5 meters long, made of wood or cast iron and located outside the room. Inside this pipe, filled with water, is a copper spiral, which sometimes reaches 120 meters in length. The alcohol passes through this spiral, cooling due to water. This method is still used in 13 production facilities in Scotland.

A more modern cooling device, a shell-and-tube condenser, is a large pipe with water flowing inside through small tubes, which cools the passing alcohol vapor.

Alcohol safe consists of two parts (by analogy with cubes) - wash safe (first distillation) and spirit safe (second distillation). The entire result of the first distillation is collected in a glass container with a hole in the bottom. The result of the second distillation is divided into three fractions - heads, hearts, tails. They flow through tubes into one of two glass containers. Previously, it was necessary to manually switch the direction of forcing - now this is a computer job.

The first part of the distillation is called heads; they last for the first 15-30 minutes and have a high content of undesirable impurities and heavy compounds and can destroy the finished alcohol if they get into it. So this part with an alcohol content of 75-80% is sent back to be mixed with the result of the first distillation for re-distillation.

The next part, the hearts, contains up to 100 different aromatic compounds that give the spirit its fruity character. This part is sent to the intermediate receiver and then for holding.

The third part, the tails, is initially necessary for the alcohol, but then the level of undesirable components in them increases and at this point the distiller (or computer) switches the pipe and directs it to the first tank (where the heads are contained) for re-distillation.

Obviously, determining the beginning and end of the hearts plays an important role in shaping the bouquet of the drink. For this, hydrometers are used that measure alcohol content. This fact is taken into account to form the character of whiskey and the length of the hearts differs from one manufacturer to another. For example, if you want to get a fruity, floral whiskey, the distiller will start collecting hearts at 75% and stop at 68%. If you want to make a heavy and piquant whiskey, then you need to collect hearts in the range from 70% to 60% or even lower. At the moment when the hearts are flowing, it is important to slow down the cube as much as possible to increase reflux. This usually takes about 2-3 hours.

Hearts are often called “new make spirit”, which has a strength of about 70%. Fresh alcohol is pumped into an intermediate alcohol receiver and then into an alcohol vat, where alcohols from several distillations are mixed. The spirit vat is located in the room where the barrels are filled, which is the last step before aging the whiskey in barrels.

6. Exposure.

Before being placed into wooden barrels for aging, the freshly distilled spirit is diluted to approximately 63.5%, a strength that has recently been considered ideal. At a higher strength, ripening will take longer, and the formation of some compounds important for the bouquet of the future drink will be difficult. Despite this, some manufacturers now bottle alcohol at a higher strength or do not dilute it at all. This allows you to use fewer barrels and, accordingly, less storage space. Other producers have for many years not diluted their whiskey before bottling it into casks. For these reasons, it is possible to find cask strength bottlings that, after more than 20 years of aging, remain above 60% ABV. If you fill barrels with alcohol diluted to 63.5%, then after two decades the strength will drop to 50% or even lower.

The evaporation of drinks during barrel aging is also called the angel's share. About 1.5-2% evaporates in Scotland every year. Oak is a porous material and alcohol, as well as water, evaporates during aging. The angel's share directly depends on the temperature in the warehouse. A higher temperature will produce a greater volume of evaporation. Air humidity also plays a big role. High humidity means that the evaporation of water will occur more slowly than the evaporation of alcohol, leading to lower alcohol content over the years. Scotland has high humidity, especially in winter. In other places, such as the southern United States, humidity is low, which causes more water to evaporate than alcohol, and as a result, the strength of the drink can increase during aging.

7. Oak and barrels.

The influence of wood on the final character of whiskey is difficult to overestimate. Often, about 80% of a whiskey's bouquet comes from the barrel. After dilution, the spirit is poured into wooden casks, which, according to the Scotch Whiskey Act 1988, must be made of oak. Sometimes in other countries they use other types of wood, just as in Scotland itself they used to try to use barrels, for example from chestnut. There are more than 400 varieties of oak barrels (quercus), of which about 200 are in the United States. But for whiskey producers, only 3 of them are of main interest:

English oak or English oak (Quercus robur)

Sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

White oak or American oak (Quercus alba)

The first two grow in Europe, and the latter, respectively, in North America, mainly in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. American white oak is valued for its profitability. The trees grow quickly and have a fine-grained structure, which means they can be sawed rather than chopped with an axe. Which also means that less wood is wasted.

European oak, on the other hand, is more porous, which means more evaporation during aging, as well as greater oxygenation, which often benefits the maturing spirit. Also, European oak contains more tannins, while American oak contains more vanillin, which affects the bouquet of whiskey.

A fourth species of oak that is currently receiving increasing interest is the Japanese or Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica), also known as Mizunara oak. After World War II, Japan had difficulty obtaining sherry casks and some producers decided to use the local variety of oak to age their drink. They were not satisfied with the results of such experiments, and as soon as the Spanish barrels returned, they began to use them. Decades later, however, they discovered that whiskey aged in Japanese oak had a unique bouquet with hints of sandalwood and cedar, and many producers in Japan have now begun to use Japanese oak in certain quantities.

The importance of oak's influence on whiskey aging can be expressed in three parts: subtraction, addition, interaction.

a) Subtraction

During aging, sulfur compounds are destroyed and removed from the alcohol. In fact, this does not happen due to the oak, but due to the carbon formed on the inner walls of the barrel during its firing. In order to assemble the barrel, the boards are heated until they are fired. This is not enough for bourbon barrels; after the barrel is collected, it is treated with an open flame, as a result of which the inner walls of the barrel are charred 1-3 mm deep. This is why such barrels are more effective at reducing the sulfur content of alcohol.

b) Addition

The barrel gives the drink both color and bouquet; it conveys to varying degrees oils, acids, sugars and fats that affect the bouquet of whiskey. Another addition to the bouquet refers to the short aging or “finishes”, in this case it comes not from the barrel itself, but from the drink that was in it before (for example, wine, sherry, port, etc.). Depending on how many times the barrel has been used, its effect will be different. The tannins contained in the wood affect the color of the drink, and European oak will give a darker color than American oak.

c) Interaction

Of all three, this process is the least studied. Evaporation and oxygenation (when oxygen replaces evaporated water and alcohol) reduce sharpness and add complexity to the alcohol. In addition, new compounds are formed when the barrel and alcohol interact. If the first two types of influence act during the first two years of aging, then the interaction occurs throughout the entire aging and strongly depends on the conditions under which it takes place (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure).

Previously, manufacturers used those barrels that they could find, because they considered them as shipping containers. At the end of the 19th century, there was a fashion for using Spanish sherry casks. Large quantities of sherry were imported into England, and the casks were cheap. In the mid-20th century, sherry import volumes declined significantly, and whiskey producers tried to find another solution. Some of them began making their own casks in Spain, then renting them to sherry producers for aging and then shipping them to Scotland. Others began using American bourbon barrels, which by law must only be aged in new, charred barrels.

Around 18 million casks of whiskey are aged in Scotland and 95% of these are made from American oak and every year 300,000 of these casks arrive in Scotland from the USA.

It is important to understand that when it comes to choosing a barrel, it is not the influence of the bourbon or sherry itself that is taken into account, but the influence of the barrels used to age them.

With some exceptions, the spirit that becomes whiskey is poured into barrels that have already been used at least once to age another spirit or wine. If you use a new oak barrel, you should be very careful, because there is a chance that the oak will overpower the bouquet of the alcohol.

Bourbon, sherry, and other spirits soften the oak as it ages and help convert the various polymers found in the wood into aromatic compounds. Obviously, bourbon, with its high alcohol content, and relatively low-alcohol wines affect the barrel differently. Different alcohol contents allow different compounds to be extracted and transformed. If you take an American oak cask and a European oak cask, both of which previously contained sherry, you will notice that they will impart different flavors to the whiskey. American oak, for example, will give hints of vanilla and coconut, while European oak will give ripe fruit and tannins.

Over the past two decades, new types of casks have begun to be used, not just bourbon and sherry. Today it is not difficult to find whiskey that has been aged in barrels of port, Madeira, rum and various wines. Sometimes whiskey is matured in one barrel for the entire time, but most often whiskey is transferred from a sherry or bourbon barrel to another for a final aging, which lasts from two months to two years.

Barrels are also divided according to the number of uses. If a barrel is used to age whiskey for the first time, then such a barrel is called a First fill cask, then comes a Second fill cask, if the barrel is used for the third or more time, then it is called a refill cask ( re-fill cask). First fill casks should be used with extreme caution as the oak and/or spirit that was previously in the cask can greatly affect the flavor of the whisky. Second- and third-fill barrels have less influence, so they are easier to use in blends and single-barrel bottlings. After each use, most bourbon barrels are re-sanded and fired to create a fresh layer of carbon on the interior walls. Sherry casks are also charred and sometimes refilled with sherry.

8. Blending and bottling.

If we exclude single cask bottlings, which, as the name implies, are bottled from a single cask and most often at cask strength, all Scotch whiskey is blended, even Single malt. Blending called the mixing of two or more barrels before bottling. This process varies quite a lot between different producers, including depending on what kind of whiskey is produced: blended or malt, but the basics are the same everywhere:

the contents of several barrels are poured into large vats, where purified air is passed through to mix the alcohols. This process is called rousing. After this, the whiskey is diluted with demineralized water to the required strength, the value of which cannot be lower than 40%. After the next stage, which is touch-up, the blended whiskey is sometimes sent to "marriage", which can last up to 12 weeks. Whiskey is tinted by adding caramel (E150). Some manufacturers do not use this method, others do, and others only use this method for some of their products. Whiskey is tinted so that it is always the same color, or so that the whiskey seems more aged. Some argue that adding caramel affects the taste.

After the caramel has been added, the whiskey will “marry” again within 10-15 minutes. The next stage is filtering. All solids that enter the whiskey from the barrel are filtered out mechanically. Cold filtration, as an additional cleaning method, is a controversial process, as is artificial tint. It involves cooling whiskey to a range of -4 to 2 degrees, which makes it cloudy. This cloudiness consists of various fatty acids, which are subsequently filtered out. This is done so that when water or ice is added the whiskey does not become cloudy, and also for purely cosmetic reasons.

Countering these arguments is the fact that filtration strips whiskey of important aromatic components. The extent of this influence depends on the temperature, the size of the filters and the speed at which the whiskey passes through them. Independent bottling companies almost never use chill filtration, and some producers also produce unchillfiltered whiskey.

After cold filtration, the whiskey is bottled. Like blending, this is a standard procedure, but the details vary between producers and sometimes between different varieties from the same producer. Recently, the absence of cold filtration and coloring has become a strong marketing weapon for those manufacturers who are focused on advanced buyers.