Malt
Single malt Scotch is a type of Scotch whisky, distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient. This is in contrast to a blended Scotch whisky which consists of a mixture of single malt Scotch whiskies and Scottish grain whisky(ies) created from corn (maize), wheat, and/or unmalted barley. A blend that uses only single malt whiskies is known as a ``blended malt``, ``pure malt``, or ``vatted malt``. Single malt Scotch is traditionally distilled using a pot still, and must be distilled and matured in Scotland.
Production
All single malt Scotch goes through a similar batch production process, as outlined below. At bottling time various batches are mixed together or vatted to achieve consistent flavours from one bottling run to the next. Even still, some variation does occur.
Water
Water is used in all phases of the production of whisky. The contribution that the water adds to the final product is not fully understood.
Most new-make malt whisky is diluted to about 63.5% before it is placed in casks to mature. These days, many distilleries are using distilled water for diluting whisky before it is casked in the casks as well as for diluting the whisky after maturation to bottling strength (i.e., 40 - 46% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)). Others, like Jura or Bruichladdich use water from local burns or springs to dilute new-make before it is casked. Much new-make whisky is shipped in tanker trucks to central warehouses where local tap water is used to dilute it before casking, and again at bottling time.
Since huge amounts of water are used during the process of whisky production, water supplies are a key factor for the location of any distillery.
Malting
Barley, yeast and water are the only ingredients required in the production of single malt Scotch. The barley used to make the whisky is `malted` by soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to begin to germinate for three to five days.
Malting is used to convert starch, (which is insoluble in water and not available for fermentation by yeast) to fermentable sugars. In order to halt the germination process, the germination is stopped (through heating) when the optimum enzyme levels have been reached but before much of the sugar has been used for the growing plant.
Traditionally each distillery had its own malting floor where this was done, but now most of the distilleries use commercial `maltsters` who prepare each distillery`s malt to exact specifications.
The method for drying the germinating barley is by heating it with hot air, which usually, but not always includes some peat smoke. Peat may be added to the fire in varying amounts which can add a smoky aroma and flavour to the whisky. The smoky flavour comes from phenols that are released by the peat and adsorbed onto the malt.
Some of the more intense, smoky malts from Islay have phenol levels between 25 and 50 parts per million (ppm), whereas more subtle malts can have phenol levels of around 2–3 ppm.
Mashing
The next step is Mashing wherein the malt is milled into a coarse flour called ``grist``, this helps more of the sugar to be extracted during mashing process.
The grist is combined with hot water in a stainless steel basin called a mash tun, which helps dissolves the sugar and diastase in the grist. The enzymes then act on the remaining starch, converting more and more of it to maltose, which is dissolved into the water. Typically, each batch of grist is mashed three times or so to extract all the fermentable sugars. The resulting sugary liquid is called wort.
Fermentation
Yeast is combined with the wort in a large vessel (often tens of thousands of litres) called a washback. Washbacks are commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. The yeast consumes the maltose and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. Fermentation can take up to three days to complete. When complete, the liquid has an alcohol content of 5 to 7% by volume, and is now known as wash. It is very similar to a rudimentary beer.
Distillation
The wash is then pumped into a copper pot still, known as the wash still, to be distilled. The wash is heated, boiling off the alcohol, which has a lower boiling point than water; the vapor is collected in a condenser which has been submerged in cool water. The lower temperatures cause the vapor to condense back into a liquid form.
This spirit, known as low wine has an alcohol content of about 20 to 40 %. The low wines are then pumped into a second pot still, known as the spirit still, and distilled a second, (and in the case of Auchentoshan and Irish whisky, a third) time. The final spirit called `new make spirit` generally has an alcohol content of 60 to 80 %.
Much of the body, or mouth feel, of the final whisky is believed to come from the size and shape of the stills used in its production. When a still wears out and has to be replaced, or when a distillery decides to expand the number of stills it operates, precise measurements of the existing stills are taken to ensure the new stills are reproduced exactly like the old. There are stories of master distillers having dents placed in brand new stills so that they matched those in the old still, and one distiller refuses to allow the cobwebs to be cleaned off his stills for fear of altering the whisky.
Regions
Flavor, aroma, and finish will differ widely from one single malt to the next.
Single Malt Scotch whisky can be categorized into the following regions, although the region the malt is from is a poor indicator of general character and flavour
* Highland Single Malts
* Speyside Single Malts
* Island Single Malts
* Islay Single Malts
* Lowland Single Malts
* Campbeltown Single Malts
This article is based entirely or in part on the
Malt wikipedia article
and is licenced under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation Licence.
Contact
If we can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to contact us, or drop by the Rose & Crown during business hours:
email: roseandcrown@alderney.ws
phone: +44 (0) 1481 823414
fax: +44 (0) 1481 823615
The Rose & Crown Hotel
Le Huret,
Alderney
UK Channel Islands
Delivery on Alderney is free :-) we deliver Monday to Saturday between 10am and 1pm.
Please note that we cannot deliver off-island.
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