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Whisky terminology

Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
In another thread it was suggested that it might be a good idea to have a thread dealing with all the various whiskey and whisky terminology, and their definitions, to help out the new guys, and those who just want to know what the heck we are talking about.

This is the place, folks.

What essential whisky terms does the dedicated malt monster need to know?
 
Doc4

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Scotch & Canadian ... Whisky.
Irish and American ... Whiskey.
 
buffdaddy

buffdaddy

Beat me to it Legion. Here's some to get started:


Alcohol by volume (ABV): As the name suggests, this is the proportion of alcohol as a percentage of the total volume. A higher number means a stronger whisky.

Body: This is a hard term to explain, but it basically refers to the way a whisky feels in your mouth. A whisky that seems to flood your mouth with flavor has a lot of body.

Cask: The barrel in which the whisky was aged, usually made of oak. This is the source of much of the distinctive woody flavor of whisky.

Complex: Having many layers and elements. A more complex whisky is one that you can taste and discuss for hours.

Dram: A serving of whisky (the exact amount can vary).

Finish: The moments after you have swallowed a whisky; also, the flavors and experiences you encounter during this time.

Legs: The way a whisky acts when swirled in a glass. A more viscous whisky will stick to the side of the glass, giving it ‘legs’ while a thinner whisky will not.

Malt: A process in which starch is converted to sugar. Malts have a distinctive taste that is appreciated by fine palates. Grain that is soaked in water and then dried begins to malt, adding a new flavor to the whisky it graces.

Mouthfeel: This means exactly as it sounds: the way a whisky feels in your mouth. This is usually due to viscosity and other physical factors, although the flavors can definitely have an effect on the way a mouthfeel is perceived.

Palate: This can refer to one of two things: the time in which a whisky is in your mouth, or the individual flavors present in the drink.

Peat: The fuel over which malted barley is dried. This gives Scotch whisky its distinctive flavor and smokiness.

Proof: Twice the ABV. This is an old English way of ranking the alcohol content, but all you have to remember is that it is exactly two times the ABV, so an 80 proof whisky is 40% ABV.

Viscous: Having a slightly thicker, stickier mouthfeel. A viscous whisky will also have more defined legs when it is swirled slightly in the glass.

http://www.whiskypapa.com/articles/basic-whisky-terminology
 
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Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
proxy.php
 
cb91710

cb91710

On "Malt"

I understand that there are "Single Malts" and "Blends"... but how would one describe the difference? My boss was asking about good whiskeys, and I suggested a couple of single malts that I've enjoyed... then when he asked the difference I couldn't answer.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
A single malt is a whisky made from malted barley (Usually), and from one distillery. Blended (vatted) malts are a mixture of single malts from different distilleries. Blended whiskys are a mixture of malts, and can also contain clear spirits like grain spirit, etc.
 
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buffdaddy

buffdaddy

Here's an expanded definition of Peat and it's relation to Scotch whisky:

Influence of Peat
Peat is found all over the British Isles and it is the use of peat in the Scottish whisky industry that helps to produce a drink that has a unique flavour within the world of spirits. Peat is earth that consists of grasses, moss, tree roots, dead animals and soil that has become tightly compacted over thousands of years. Historically peat has been used in the whisky industry, especially as in many places it was the only consistent source of fuel. The process is time consuming and the use of peat dwindled as other fuels, such as coal and electricity, became more widely available. Now it is largely confined to the islands of Scotland - naturally they now have other fuel sources but many of the whiskies remain well known for their smoky, peaty flavours. Therefore, the distilleries have chosen to keep the practice so as to keep the distinctive flavours in their whiskies.

Different characteristics
Peat is one reason why different distilleries have different characteristics in their whiskies. Peat smoke contains chemicals called phenols and these phenols are absorbed by the malted barley during the drying process in a kiln. The level of phenols are controlled by the length of time that the barley is exposed to the smoke, the amount of smoke produced and the type of peat used. The smoke that has been absorbed is then carried through the entire whisky making process and right in to your glass.

Phenols
Once finished, the malt is taken away for mashing and the phenol level is measured. This level is known as the PPM – Phenol Parts per Million. A distillery will always have the same PPM for their malt and this value is also measured in the final spirit. Some is lost during distillation so the PPM is always lower at the end, roughly one third of the level of the original PPM in the malt. The PPM figure most commonly used is that of the malt. Most whisky has some smokiness but in most the PPM value is so low (eg. 1–5 PPM) that it is virtually undetectable. In smokier whiskies, it is easier to detect these levels as the PPM levels increase.


PPM values
Here are some examples of PPM values of some well known distilleries
(the approximate PPM of their malt is in brackets in increasing value)

http://www.whiskyforeveryone.com/whisky_basics
 
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ReAndyMator

ReAndyMator

Proof: Twice the ABV. This is an old English way of ranking the alcohol content, but all you have to remember is that it is exactly two times the ABV, so an 80 proof whisky is 40% ABV.
Click to expand...
Only in America. 100% proof spirit is (strictly speaking) at 57.2%. It was 'proof', because to prove that spirit wasn't watered down, you could pour gunpowder on it, and it would still burn, as long as the alcohol content was at least the aforementioned 57.2%. Hence, you could prove that the spirit was still strong, hence proof.

57.2% isn't a very convenient number, so the US adopted 50% as 'proof'.
 
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sugra

sugra

Angel's Share: The portion of whisky lost to evaporation during maturation in barrels. As much as 30% for a typical 12 year single malt.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
Last edited by a moderator:
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
buffdaddy said:
Betchs he was feeling no pain after that piece lol!
Click to expand...

It's not like he had skimpy shots in those glasses, either. How do I get into that line of work?

Maybe I could just sit at the bar, and when someone wants something hard to pronounce they could come up, whisper "third one across, with the white label", and I'll shout "Barman! A Bunnahabhain for me and my friend!"

I could make that work.
 
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