Homemade & Commercial

Wine, Beer, Spirits, Cider & Mead Guides

Alcoholic beverages; most commonly beer and wines made at home. Brews made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. The Beer Pirate features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and commercial productions information; and all the best practices needed to make that perfect batch!

The early distillers used very crude and primitive equipment. Fermentation was carried on in open mash tubs, the yeast being the wild varieties which the air afforded. Since that day tremendous changes have taken place.

The making of American whiskies is basically the same as the making of grain whiskies in Scotland. The grains, of course, are different, and the whiskey is distilled out at a lower proof.

Briefly the steps are as follows:

1. The grain upon arrival at the distillery is carefully inspected and cleaned of all dust.
2. It is ground in the grist mill to a meal.
3. The meal, together with a small amount of malt, is cooked to convert the starches.
4. The cooled “wort” is yeasted with pure culture yeast, and goes to the fermenting vats to become “beer.”
5. The beer goes into a patent or double column still. The result is whiskey, which is distilled out at below 160 proof. It is now reduced in proof to 100 to 103 by the addition of pure well water.

The new whiskey is placed in a new charred white oak barrel to mature in a bonded warehouse, where it must remain under Treasury Department control until the Internal Revenue tax has been paid. The time limit was eight years until recently when it was extended to twenty years. This means that a whiskey or any other distilled spirit still in bond after twenty years is then subject to payment of the Internal Revenue tax, whether it can be sold or not. symptoms of zoloft working; Levitra Online lipitor drug cost
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Early American settlers brought spirituous liquors with them, as they were considered essential in withstanding the hardships of an ocean voyage, and a medicine in cases of illness in the new, savage land. For a long time, spirits had to be imported from Europe.

The first commercially distilled spirits in what is the present day United States was New England rum. Distilling of whiskey on a commercial scale began over a century later.

There is a record of experimental distilling in 1660, but it was not until the early eighteenth century that the distilling of whiskey began to develop. The grains used along the Eastern seaboard were rye and barley. As the settlements began extending westward, however, it became apparent that the transportation of newly grown grain back to the populous seaboard cities was difficult for the settlers, particularly those in Western Pennsylvania. They found it was simpler to distil their grain, both rye and com, into whiskey. It not only kept longer, but was easier to transport to the cities. Whiskey and furs, indeed, became the best means of exchange, particularly during the Revolutionary War period when Continental currency was worth less than five cents on the dollar.

Whiskey played a prominent part in our early history, in determining our right and ability to be a self-governed nation. It happened in this way. Whiskey had always been distilled in small, family-owned distilleries, without legal interference from any government. In 1791, not long after George Washington became President, money being a crying need for the new nation, an excise tax was levied on whiskey.

The independent Pennsylvania distillers resented the taxing of their product and said so in no uncertain terms. The tax collectors in some cases were even tarred and feathered. There were rioting and stormy scenes in these “western” communities, and President Washington, in great haste, sent a force of militia to quell the “insurrection.” It was done without bloodshed and accomplished its object. While in itself the “insurrection” was of minor importance, it was of tremendous significance to the future of the Federal Government, and is still known as the “Whiskey Rebellion.”

Many of the disgruntled Dutch, Scotch, and Irish farmer-distillers decided to move out of reach of the tax collector, which meant going farther west into Indian Territory. They found the proper water for distilling in Southern Indiana and Kentucky.

The first whiskey distilled in Kentucky is generally attributed to the Reverend Elijah Craig at Georgetown, which was in Bourbon County. The grain he employed was com (maize) as it was more plentiful than rye. It became known as Bourbon County whiskey, and the name Bourbon has remained as the designation of whiskies distilled from a com mash.

The three important whiskey-distilling areas in the United States are not located where they are from pure chance but because of the most important factor in the making of whiskey-the quality of the water. It comes from springs that pass up through layer on layer of limestone rock. The limestone mantel runs along Western Pennsylvania, cuts across Southern Indiana and over into Kentucky. There is another isolated limestone region in Maryland around Baltimore.

However, with the advancement of science and the development of inexpensive water technology the distiller has been freed from the necessity of locating his production at or near these limestone mantel outcroppings. Today he can and does distil whiskey in many other parts of the United States.

There is a common belief that Irish whiskey is a potato whiskey. This is not true at all. No doubt the misconception stems from the fact that the Irish refer to illicitly distilled whiskey as poteen, a term derived from the pot still in which it has traditionally been distilled. Yes, in Ireland they eat potatoes but do not use them for distilling purposes.

Whiskey in Ireland is distilled from a fermented mash of the same grains as are used in Scotland, namely, malted barley, unmalted barley, corn, rye and other small grains.

The barley malt used is dried in a kiln which has a solid floor, so that the smoke from the fuel-very often peat-has no opportunity to come in contact with the grain. Thus the malt is not “smoke-cured,” as is the case in Scotland. All Irish whiskey is triple distilled.

Irish whiskies are often all pot still distillations, and while often shipped as a blend of whiskies of the same distillery, they are also shipped as unblended straight whiskies, on occasion.

Grain whiskies are also distilled in column or patent stills. Some houses blend their malt whiskies with grain whiskies to produce a lighter-bodied and flavored whiskey.

Most Irish whiskies are seven years old or more before they are shipped. Irish is a particularly smooth whiskey, but with a great deal of body and a clean, malt flavor.

It is used in the same manner as Scotch whisky.

The whisky remains in cask, under government supervision, from the time it is distilled until it is sold for export or home consumption.

Until 1853, Scotch whiskies were always “straight” whiskies, but about that time a few distillers began the practice of blending whiskies from various sources and widely separated distilleries, all in Scotland, of course. The firm of Andrew Usher & Company is credited with beginning this practice. Before this time, the taste for Scotch was confined to Scotland, but after blending became a general practice, Scotch whisky became popular in England and throughout the world, as the blend of unmalted grain whisky with malts produced a drink generally liked.

As already pointed out, the four geographical divisions from which whiskies made entirely from malted barley are obtained are the Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown and Islay. To these malted whiskies, we must now add unmalted whisky, known to the trade as grain whisky. Grain whisky in Scotland is whisky and not neutral spirits, as some people believe. The Scotch grain whiskies are distilled out at slightly over 180 proof. They are reduced to 124 proof when barreled in Sherry casks for aging.

The blending is done when the whiskies are from three to four years old. A master blender examines them and indicates the exact proportion of Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown, and Islay malts and of grain whisky which are to be married. This is accomplished by placing the whiskies in a large vat where they are thoroughly mixed both by rotating paddles and by compressed air blown up from the bottom. The whisky is then returned to Sherry casks for a further period of maturing.

The Immature Spirits Act of Great Britain specifically states that no whisky may be sold for consumption in the British Isles less than three years old. By the reciprocal trade agreement between Great Britain and the United States, Scotch and Irish whiskies imported into this country must be at least four years old to be imported without an age statement on the label.

The usual Scotch blend is composed of from 30 to 50 per cent of malt whisky, the balance being grain whisky. The original object of using grain whiskies, which are always distilled in patent stills, was to reduce the cost, but in doing so a lighter whisky was produced, which appealed much more to the other peoples of the world than had the fuller, smokier Scotch whiskies previously made.

The essential difference between blends consists in the proportions used of the four types of malts. Of these, of course, the Highland malts are considered the finest, and are always the most costly. They are fairly light in body and flavor, and do not have too much smoke. The finest Highland section is Banffshire, and within it the Glenlivet and Speyside regions are considered the best. Next in importance is Moray. Lowland malts are also light in body, but not as smoky in flavor. Incidentally, almost all of the grain whisky distilleries are in the Lowlands. Campbeltown malts are very full in body and quite smoky. The Islay malts are also very full, smoky, and pungent.

In the last analysis, the reasons for blending are to obtain a smoother, more balanced product than any of its single component parts, and to assure uniform continuity of a given brand. In this way the consumer can look for the same character, flavor, taste and quality year in and year out. A Scotch whisky blend can very easily be the result of a marriage of as many as 30 or 40 malt whiskies, together with five or more grain whiskies.

The age of the individual whiskies at the time of blending may vary widely since no single whisky will be employed before it has reached its proper maturity. The time (years) required for this is governed by the character of the whisky itself and the climatic conditions under which it is matured. The fuller-bodied malts of Islay and Campbeltown take much longer, sometimes ten to twelve years, while the Highland and Lowland malts may be ready in six to eight years, and the grain whiskies may only require four years. The greater the climatic dampness the slower the aging process.

Therefore, the secret of fine Scotch whisky lies in the art of the blender. On his unique ability depends the polish, smoothness and uniformity of the whisky. There are some 112 distilleries in Scotland (84 Highland Malt, 7 Lowland Malt, 8 Islay Malt, 2 Campbeltown Malt and 11 Grain Whisky distilleries) producing over 4000 brands or blends.

Scotch whisky is obtained primarily from barley, which is grown in Scotland preferably, but of late year’s barley from California, Canada, India, Africa, and other countries has been imported for distilling purposes.

There are five main processes in the making of Scotch: first, malting; second, mashing; third, fermenting; fourth, distilling; and fifth, maturing and blending.

On arrival at the distillery, the barley goes into the barley-receiving room where it is dressed, that is, sieved, or passed over screens so that small and inferior grain will be eliminated, after which the best grain is stored. When required for use, it is placed in tanks, called “steeps,” where it is soaked in water until thoroughly softened. It is then spread out on the floor of the malting house, and sprinkled with warm water for about three weeks, during which time the grain begins to germinate, that is, to sprout.

When the sprouts are about three-quarters of an inch long, the water is turned off and the grain is known as “green malt.” Please note that it is already malt, for malt is germinated grain. During this germination process, a chemical change has occurred in the grain which is important in its future function of producing whisky. Some of the starches have been changed into diastase, which has the property of converting the balance of the starch into sugars-maltose and dextrin-which are fermentable, whereas the starch in its original state is not.

The green malt is transferred to a kiln, where it rests on a screen directly above a peat (Peat is coal in its primary stage, and consists of partially carbonized vegetable material, usually found in bogs. Pressed and dried peat is generally used for fuel in both Scotland and Ireland.) fire. Like green wood, peat gives off a much more acrid and oily smoke than soft coal. This swirls around the grain, which becomes so impregnated with the aroma of the smoke that it is carried over into the spirit later distilled from it.

The kilning, or drying, process is very important, as it is here that the malt acquires a good part of its character, and a variation occurs here in the various regions; that is, the malt in the Lowlands is kilned less than in the Highlands; whereas the Campbeltown and Islay grains are more heavily roasted.

The kilned malt is now screened to remove the culm or dried sprouts, after which it goes to the mill room where it is ground into meal or “grist.”

The next step is mashing. The ground malt is thoroughly mixed with warm water in a mash-tub where it soaks until the water has liquefied all of the starches, and the diastase has converted them into sugars. When the water has absorbed all of the goodness from the grain, it is drawn off, cooled, and is known as wort.

The wort now passes into the fermenting vats where a small quantity of carefully cultivated pure yeast is added and fermentation takes place. The yeast acts upon the sugars in the wort in the same manner as the natural yeasts act upon the sugars in grape juice, producing alcohol and carbonic acid gas. When fermentation is completed, the liquid is known as beer, or wash. Up to this point the process is identical with that of the brewing of ales and beers, except for the omission of hops.

The beer now goes into a pot still which is known as the wash still. The result of the first distillation is a distillate of low alcoholic strength, which is known as low wines. The low wines pass into the spirit still where they are redistilled. The first and last part of the distillation (the heads and tails called the feints) is gathered separately from the middle portion, which is the useful part of the distillation. At the beginning and at the end of the distillation operation, too high a percentage of impurities are carried over with the spirit, which, if used, would impair the flavor of the spirit when matured. The feints, however, contain a substantial quantity of useful alcohol and are returned to the spirit still with the next charge of low wines, and the alcohol is distilled out. The impurities are disposed of with the residual slop from the spirit still operation, that is, the waste material which is thrown out.

The useful spirit, distilled off at between 140 and 142 proof, is now known as whisky, and flows into a spirit vat from where it is put in casks. These casks, generally made of American white oak, vary in size from 33 to 144 American gallons in capacity. The different sizes are used for convenience. They may be new or old, and very often are casks in which Sherry has been shipped. More often than not, the casks have been previously used for maturing whisky.

At the time of barreling the whisky is reduced in proof to 124 to 126.8 by the addition of water. According to Dr. P. Schidrowitz, whose notes are quoted by Peter Valaer in his excellent paper on Scotch whisky, “it is held that the best water is that which its origin as a spring has served with water which has passed through a red granite formation, and which, after rising from its source, passes through peaty country. Such waters are generally very soft, and possess certain qualities which are apparently due to the peaty soil or heather-clad moor through or over which the water passes on its way to the distillery.” The waters of Loch Katrine are reputed to be of the finest for Scotch whisky.

After the process of distillation was discovered, it was inevitable that man should use the product closest at hand, easiest to obtain, and least expensive. As a result, where the grape grows abundantly, brandy is produced; where sugar cane is grown, rum is made; and where there is an abundance of grain, whiskey is distilled.

The Word “Whiskey” – its origin

The word “whiskey” comes from the Celtic uisgebaugh or uisgebeatha, the Caledonian and Hibernian spellings, respectively. However spelled it is Celtic for “water of life.” Whether it was the Scots or the Irish who first used the word or first distilled whiskey is a source of never-ending argument between them.

Uisgebaugh is pronounced-whis-geh-BAW
uis = whis as in whisk
ge = geh as in get
baugh = baw as in ball

The English found the Celtic word too difficult and too long so they shortened and anglicized it to “whisky.” The Scots spell it whisky-while the Irish insist on inserting an “e” -whiskey. The Canadians use the Scotch spelling and we in America use the Irish spelling.

Scotch Whisky

In the beginning, every Highland laird had his own still, and the spirits obtained were rough, harsh, with a smoky pungency appreciated only by the Caledonians. The whiskies were distilled freely and paid no taxes. In 1814, distillation from all stills of less than 500 gallons capacity was prohibited in Scotland, and the law almost caused a revolution. However, the Government finally convinced the irate Highlanders that they would be wiser to sell their whisky legally, and within a few years illicit distilling became a rare thing in Scotland. A similar situation prevailed in Ireland at the same time.

Four regions of Scotland produce whisky: the Highlands, the Lowlands, Campbeltown, and Islay (pronounced I-lay). Each produces a whisky with an individual character.