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+--- Thread: Scotch education (/thread-17000.html)
- AVB - 04-18-2006 08:09 PM
Scotch FAQ
Scotch Education Part 1 Where is it made?
Scotch Education Part 2 Who makes it?
[b]Scotch Education Part 2a Who makes this stuff?
Scotch Education Part 3 How do you say it (with audio)
Scotch Education Part 3a How do you say it (phonetically)
Scotch Education Part 4 Scotch Regions
[/b]Scotch Education Part 5 Whisky Chemistry
Dewars Tasting Wheel
Loch Fyne Whiskies Flavor Map
Loch Fyne Whiskies text notes for Flavor Map
Lost Distilleries 1885-1945 (Thanks to Ulf Buxrud for the information. )
[b]The Distilleries 1800-2000
Wood & Scotch
The Balvenie Vintage Cask Listing
General Scotch Info
Blends - Malt whisky mixed with grain whiskey.
Vatted - A number of single malts mixed or married together.
Single Malt - Usually a number of casks made at the same time with the same mash run. Again, usually mixed together for consistancy but not always.
Single Cask - As the name says, a bottling from a single cask of Scotch. May or may not be at cask strength for alcohol.
Cask Strength - May or may not be from a single cask, usually from multiple casks mixed together.
Cask Strength- Single Cask. The purest form of Scotch. Usually a max of 600 or less bottles from one cask. However, there can be many casks used in a particular run but the bottlings will have different proofs and quantities.
The barrels used are from many sources, Bourbon from Kentucky, Sherry from Spain, Port from France etc etc. The wood and prior usage all effect the final taste. First fill (the first time a cask is used for Scotch) will usually impart the greatest flavor from it's prior contents. A bit of trivia....you know how a cartoon will show XXX on something to show it has alcohol in it. That came from the X put on a Scotch barrel showing how many times it was used.
Peat flavoring comes from using peat to dry the maltings and not from seasoning the barrels. The slower the drying cycle the more peat is absorbed by the maltings. Some distilleries use coal or gas and thus don't have that flavoring
The main difference between a highland or lowland malt is the distillation process. The two remaining lowland distillers use a triple distilation method whereas the highland distillers use a double distill method. If you get into the silent stills you'll find other differences but those are all getting expensive now due to their not being made any longer.
Cost can be a good general indicator but not the absolute. Talisker 10 is every bit as good as Laphroaig 30 at a quarter the price and Glenfiddich Gran Reserva is rated as high as Macalln 25 at a third the cost. Look at cost within a distillers line as a better indicator and not across distillers. If you like a particular brand then most times the more expensive will be better up to a point. Collectable Scotch is exempt from this rule.
Remember that age alone does not the best dram make.
[/b]
- Irishcelt - 04-18-2006 09:16 PM
Great reading there AVB
- lz6 - 04-19-2006 12:21 PM
Thanks for the education AVB.
- Tfire136 - 04-20-2006 03:25 AM
Ahh the wonderful world of scotch. Thanks AVB I am still in the dark when it comes to scotch, but I am learnign fast.
- Cigar Penguin - 04-27-2006 05:52 PM
Excellent reading!
Now I am salvitateing for most of whats on that list.I think I'll practice pronounceing each name after I finish the bottle in one sitting.....I have a lot of work to do!
- AVB - 10-30-2006 10:05 PM
Scotch Education Part 2a added tonight.
- AVB - 01-14-2007 10:21 PM
New link posted in Scotch Education
Lost Distilleries 1885-1945
- AVB - 02-19-2007 06:18 PM
Dewar's Tasting Wheel added to first post.
- snakeman2000uk - 06-23-2007 10:16 PM
hate saying this, but the peat flavour usually comes from the water used in the distilling prossess, i.e, the nearby water is from a peaty area, local river/stream that flows through the distilery.
- AVB - 06-23-2007 11:21 PM
You'll have to come up with some proof for a statement like that. While water can be peated and added to the wash charge this is not, nor has it ever been the "normal" way of peating a malt.
From Loch Lomand "The starch in the barley turns to sugar and at the optimum time the germination is stopped by placing the barley in an oven or kiln. Traditionally the heat for this oven was peat fired and it was from here that malt whisk acquired its peaty, smoky taste."
From Wikipedia
"Many (but not all) distillers add peat to the fire to give an earthy, peaty flavour to the spirit."
From Beverage Tasting Institute
"The whisky that came from these distilleries was made primarily from malted barley that had been kiln-dried over peat fires. The smoke from these peat fires gave the malt a distinctive tang that made the Scottish product instantly identifiable by whisky drinkers all over the world."
From The SMWS
"This is the point where the secret influence comes in to play. Peat gives whisky a particular flavour due to compounds known as phenols."
From The Malt Advocate
"In fact, it is exactly that smoke that imparts the desired and unique aroma and flavor that we now call peated malt, an aroma and flavor that enjoys a cult-like following the world over."
I can go on and on.