What Is Whiskey Made Of? (Besides Alcohol)

You may be wondering why I have distilled the metropolitan experience down to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. And to that, I would say not really. Remember the time I also talked about coffee? Regardless, whiskey is clearly encountered from time to time these days. The problem is that the terminology can get a little confusing. And every time you think to ask about it, you happen to be drinking whiskey, which quite frankly is not the greatest learning companion. So what is whiskey made of? Here’s a brief overview, focusing on the major producers.

 

The Big Picture

We’ll start with the basics.

Terminology

Whiskey is an umbrella term under which all sorts of other terms (also known as arbitrary definitions) exist.

The broadest definition of whiskey is any distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden barrels. (I’ll explain some of these terms below.) Within this very general category fall more specific entities such as Scotch, American whiskey (with bourbon being an example), etc. What determines the specific type of whiskey includes factors such as country of origin, the exact grain(s) used, alcohol by volume (ABV), the exact type of wooden barrel used, and the duration of aging. In fact, rather stringent laws dictate these factors.

Both whiskey and whisky are accepted spellings, with the former generally used in places like the US and Ireland and the latter used in places like Scotland, Canada, and Japan.

The Process

Stripped down to the absolute bare-bones (and not comprehensive) version, making whiskey involves the following steps:

• Grain, which can include barley, rye, corn, or wheat, is chosen. The combination of grains used is called the grain bill or mash bill.
• Some of this grain must be malted. Malting is a process that produces the enzymes that will later be important in breaking down the starch in the grain.
• Ground grains are mixed with water and heated in a process called mashing. It is in this process that the aforementioned enzymes break down the starch to create more simple sugars.
• Yeast is added to start fermentation, with the bottom line being the conversion of simple sugars to alcohol.
• Using a still, the mixture undergoes the process of distillation (heating to create vapor that is then condensed). Since alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, alcohol-rich vapor can be captured in isolation and then condensed, with the result being concentrated alcohol.
• The product of distillation is aged in a wooden barrel and ultimately bottled.

 

If you’re thinking that the first few steps of this process resemble brewing beer, you’re correct. In fact, certain breweries distill their beer into whiskey.

 

Some Examples

With those basics out of the way, the following categories of whiskey might make more sense.

USA

As far as American whiskey goes, bourbon is a popular choice. In order to qualify as bourbon, the product must be made in the US (doesn’t necessarily have to be Kentucky), contain at least 51% corn in the mash bill, come out of the still at no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV), use new charred oak barrels, enter the barrel at no higher than 125 proof (62.5% ABV), and be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof (40% ABV). An associated term is straight, which indicates that the bourbon has been aged for a minimum of two years. Tennessee whiskey is quite similar to bourbon but must be distilled in Tennessee and must undergo the Lincoln County process (i.e. charcoal filtering prior to barreling).

Another popular choice in the US is rye whiskey, which must follow the same standard as bourbon but use 51% rye (in place of the 51% corn).

As expected, a wheat whiskey requires 51% wheat.

Scotland

Scotch, or scotch whisky, has its own standards. These include but are not limited to the production process occurring in Scotland, the use of malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals can be added), the use of oak barrels (often used oak), a minimum of three years of aging, and a minimum ABV of 40%.

In the world of Scotch, the terms single, blend, malt, and grain can be a source of confusion. Single refers to a product from one distillery (but not necessarily one batch or one barrel), while blend refers to a final product coming from two or more distilleries. Malt refers to the use of only malted barley, while grain refers to the use of other grains along with barley. As such, “single malt scotch whisky” means a single distillery and malted barley. The various combinations of these terms can make your head spin, serving as a reminder that a seriously deep dive can be taken into the world of Scotch.

Others  

Irish whiskey and Canadian whisky come with their own definitions, with country of origin being an obvious part. The rules governing what could be labeled as Japanese whisky were somewhat lax, though more formal regulations have entered the mix. India is the world’s largest consumer of whiskey, and the country has also developed a significant presence on the production side.

 

A Quirk

In the complex world of whiskey, many non-distilling producers (NDPs) have existed and continue to exist. Such companies actually receive product from large-scale distillers, having no role in grain selection, distillation, or barrel selection. While they have some flexibility in aging and blending, bottling and marketing are a major focus.

In and of itself, such a practice is not necessarily of concern. That said, some NDPs have been reprimanded for misleading labeling that tells a much deeper and homemade-sounding story about their whiskey than actually exists. So if you’re a die-hard small-batch and artisanal type who likes to feel a deep connection to a product, this quirk may be worth noting.

 

After all that reading, it’s time for an Old Fashioned. The only question is what kind of whiskey to use. Or should I use whisky? Eh, whatever.