The Basic Ingredients

The world of whisky is undoubtedly fascinating and full of nuances, but if we delve deeper, we discover that the ingredients used to make whisky are few and always the same: water, grains, and yeast. However, the methods used for distillation differ in subtle ways and small (regional and national) variations that contribute to the distinctive style of each whisky. In our journey through this guide, we will attempt to describe, without being too dull, the main characteristics of whisky: what makes a whisky "peaty" or sweet? What are its aromas? And how do barrels and aging affect the spirit? If you're curious to discover these and other secrets of this fantastic beverage, just keep reading and immerse yourself in this fascinating journey—Slàinte!

The Basic Ingredients

Water, grains, and yeast—here’s our holy trinity. At first glance, they might not seem extraordinary, but in skilled hands, these three ingredients transform into an explosive product. Let’s explore the role of each.

Water

Water can be considered the fundamental ingredient in making a good whisky, both because it constitutes a significant percentage (40% to 60%) of the final product and because it contributes to determining its organoleptic characteristics.

In Scotland, the water is generally soft and low in minerals, which according to Speyside distillers is the secret to their excellent single malt; but another school of thought argues that water with a good amount of nutrients and minerals is better because it nourishes the yeast, promoting fermentation. If we step outside the Scottish borders and analyze the water used to produce the equally excellent single malts of Ireland and Wales, we notice that the Irish and Welsh use hard water. In Kentucky, in the United States, water is considered indispensable for producing excellent bourbon, and it has a high concentration of calcium—the very element thought to be essential for the strong bones of Kentucky's thoroughbred racehorses. In Scotland, the water from the Highlands is very hard and rich in minerals, and producers like Highland Park and Glenmorangie use this as one of their strengths, not to mention the water that passes through the peat of the Isle of Islay, which, with its particular acidity, makes the whisky from that island distinctive. So, what's the truth?

The importance of water is so strongly felt by distilleries that they sometimes go to the extent of protecting their water sources by purchasing the land around them. Not to mention that water is also essential in various production processes; during the distillation phase, having an abundant supply of cold spring water for the condensers is indispensable. Having insufficient water or water at too high a temperature would mean suspending production for a long time or installing expensive cooling systems.

 

Grains

Grains play a crucial role in imparting specific and distinctive notes to whisky; barley, corn, rye, and wheat are the base from which skilled distillers extract a diverse range of flavors. Only barley is used alone; in all other cases, grains are blended in various proportions. Malted barley is used for Scotch single malts, but in most other whiskies, it is still part of the grain mix used for fermentation.

Barley

Barley is undoubtedly the most commonly used grain in whisky production because it contains a high percentage of starch. Starch is essential for the alcoholic yield of the final product, as it is starch that transforms into sugar, and then sugar into alcohol. Barley is a versatile grain that adapts well to different types of soil and climates and is very resistant to cold. It was also one of the first grains to be successfully cultivated in Scotland and Ireland, from where it was exported to North America.

Scottish barley is considered the best for whisky production, to the extent that it is exported in small quantities even across the ocean; Japanese and Australian distilleries often use a varying amount of Scottish barley in their production. The issue? Scottish barley alone is not enough for the entire production, and many Scottish distilleries use a small amount of imported barley, primarily from England, in their whisky production.

Flavor: Barley imparts a particular bouquet of flavors to whisky, including malt, cereal, sweet biscuit notes, cream, and nuts.

 

Corn

Corn is a resilient grain, easily cultivated, and thrives in all temperate climate countries. Its relatively short production cycle (about 80 days) makes it one of the most widely grown grains in the United States, especially in Kentucky, where it is cultivated extensively.

Its resilience and widespread use, combined with its high alcoholic yield, make it the primary grain for all North American spirits, particularly Bourbon whiskey. Bourbon is made with a grain mixture in which corn must be present at least 51%.

Flavor: The use of corn as the main grain in American whiskies unmistakably characterizes their flavors, imparting a wide range of sweet and spicy notes to the spirit.

 

Rye

Rye's success is attributed to its great climatic adaptability, allowing it to thrive even at high altitudes and on less rich soils or without special care.

Rye has been present in Europe since the 4th century and was introduced to the United States with the waves of Germanic migration. Rye is a fundamental ingredient in rye whiskey and is also part of the blends for Bourbon and Canadian whiskies. For rye whiskey, as with Bourbon, the minimum rye content must be at least 51%.

Flavor: Rye imparts distinctive notes of dried fruit to the final product.

 

Wheat

Wheat is a wild plant belonging to the Poaceae family and was among the first to be cultivated in Europe since prehistoric times.

This grain is primarily used for the production of grain whisky. Grain whisky is a distilled spirit made from unmalted grains combined with a percentage of malted barley. This particular whisky is mainly used as an ingredient in blended whiskies, with only a small amount bottled as grain whisky.

Flavor: Wheat has a rather sweet and creamy taste, with typical honey notes.

 

Yeast

Yeast is the great unknown in the world of whisky; few people talk about it, and even fewer understand its use. Yeast is a living microorganism that can remain dormant for years, but with the right nutrients (sugars) and under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions, it awakens and multiplies rapidly, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol. Many distillers believe that yeast plays a significant role not only in creating alcohol but also in contributing to the character of the spirit. The yeasts used for fermentation are a mix of brewing yeasts and laboratory-cultivated yeasts (for easier and more controllable fermentation), and especially in the United States, distillers guard the exact composition of their yeasts as a closely guarded secret.

 

Peat and Wood

As we have seen, to produce whisky or whiskey, we have only three ingredients available: water, grains, and yeast—nothing else can be added. However, there are two other important elements that influence the final result of a whisky: peat and wood.

Peat

Peat is a decomposed plant material, partially carbonized by water, that forms over thousands of years in waterlogged areas and bogs. For centuries, peat has been used as fuel around the world, and in Scotland, peat played a crucial role in drying the barley used to make whisky. With the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of coal, many distilleries stopped using peat as fuel, except in the Scottish islands where peat is still widely used today: Talisker, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Caol Ila are just some of the distilleries that continue to use peat in their whisky production as a hallmark of their tradition.

The origin of the peat is important because the vegetation in Japan differs from that found in Scotland or Australia; therefore, while the ingredients used may be the same in theory, the final product can be different. In Sweden, some of the peat bogs used today were once submerged by the Baltic Sea, making the peat particularly salty and brackish. Furthermore, there are no rules dictating what material the barley must be dried over, and in Scotland, Highland Park mixes peat with heather typical of the Orkney Islands, giving the whisky a distinct flavor, markedly different from the typical Islay whiskies.

Its Use

Peat is primarily used for drying the barley, but beyond its role in malting, peat can also impart its characteristics (albeit to a lesser extent) to the water that flows over it: this is the case in Islay, where the water that filters through the peat bogs, which is normally very acidic, is used throughout much of the distillation process.

 

Wood

Aside from the type of grain used for distillation, it is the wood that most significantly influences the character of whisky. More precisely, it is oak wood (either American or European) that shapes the character of this spirit. Having enough wood to construct a barrel means having an oak tree that is at least a hundred years old. To avoid upsetting environmentalists, it's worth noting that in the second decade of this millennium, more oaks will be planted than in the past thousand years. Producers today are acutely aware of their environmental responsibilities.

Why Oak Wood

Oak wood is very sturdy yet malleable, impermeable yet porous, allowing molecules of oxygen, water, and alcohol to pass through. Additionally, it is rich in flavors that become readily available through charring and toasting (each new barrel is charred and toasted before it can be used to age whisky).

American or European Oak?

For aging single malt whisky, only used barrels are primarily employed (the spirit held in a new barrel would be immediately overwhelmed by the spicy flavors of the wood), and there are three main types of barrels: those that previously contained sherry, which can be either European oak or American white oak (Oloroso sherry is produced only in North American oak barrels); and finally, American oak barrels that previously held bourbon. In contrast, American whiskey, such as bourbon or rye, is aged exclusively in new American white oak barrels.

Wood obviously affects the aromas and flavors that whisky can absorb during its maturation. American white oak barrels have a higher vanillin content, which imparts sweet notes of caramel, vanilla, and coconut to the spirit; European oak, on the other hand, contains more tannin, which produces fruity notes.

Special Finishes

In recent years, there has been growing experimentation with the practice of using barrels that previously contained wine or other spirits for aging whisky. It is not uncommon to find single malts aged in classic ex-bourbon or ex-sherry barrels that are then finished in barrels that previously held port, Madeira, Marsala, or rum. Although adding ingredients to single malts is not permitted, this particular technique imparts pink or red hues to the whisky due to the contact with wood already infused with another spirit. This also has a significant effect on the flavor, adding additional "layers" of aromas and tastes to the whisky.