ABV (Alcohol by volume)
The alcohol strength of the whisky measured as a percentage part in relation to the liquid as a whole, for example 40% ABV equals 40% alcohol and 60% water.
AGE
The age statement on a label is the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle.
The age reflects the time spent maturing in the cask from date of distillation.
ALDEHYDES
Chemical compounds which have haylike, grassy aromas, they are created during fermentation and develop during maturation.
ANALYSER
One of the two columns which make up the Coffey still used in the distillation of grain whisky.
ANGELS SHARE
The part of the alcohol that evaporates from the cask during maturation.
BARREL
A cask of approximately 180 - 200 litres capacity.
BLENDING
The art of combining two or more malts to create a blended malt whisky or combining several single malt and single grain whiskies to create a blended scotch whisky.
BOIL BALL
A spherical shaped section immediately above the body of some pot stills. This influences the degree of influx.
BREWERS YEAST
Yeast which has been recovered from the production of beer.
BUTT
A cask of five hundred litres capacity.
CASKS
The oak containers in which whisky is stored for maturation.
CASK STRENGH
Whisky which has not been reduced in strength by adding water prior to bottling.
CEREALS
Barley, wheat, and maize grains used in making Scotch Whisky.
CHARRING
The process of burning the inside of a cask to release wood extracts such as vanillins and tannins.
COFFEY STILL
Also known as a patent still for the distillation of grain whisky.
CONDENSER
As the alcohol vapours leave the still they pass through the lyne arm to the condenser where they are cooled and returned to liquid form.
CONGENERS
The compounds that give Scotch Whisky its aroma and flavour.
CONTINUOUS STILL
A continuous still is used in the production of grain whisky.
CULTURED YEAST
Yeast grown under laboratory conditions for use in distillery fermentations.
DIASTASE
A group of enzymes secreted during germination which modify and make soluble the cereal starch, thus preparing it for conversion to sugar.
DISTILLATION
The process of extracting alcohol from a liquid by heating to a point where the alcohol becomes vapour.
DRAFF
The solid residue left in the mash tun once all the sugars and soluble materials has been removed. Draff is effectively wet barley husks, and is used as cattle feed.
DUTY
Tax, first introduced on Scotch Whisky by the Scottish parliament in 1644.
ENZYMES
Natural organic catalysts that prepare and convert the cereal starch to sugar.
ESTERS
Chemical compounds which have pear drops, fruity, acetone like aromas they are formed during fermentation and develop during maturation.
FEINTS
The last fraction of distillate from the spirit still. They are recycled with the next batch of low wines.
FORESHOTS
Foreshots are the first runnings of distillate from the spirit still. They are recycled along with the feints in the next batch of low wines.
GRAIN WHISKY
Made from either wheat or maize along with a small proportion of malted barley and distilled in a Coffey still to a much lighter alcohol percentage than malt whisky.
GREEN MALT
Malted barley which has germinated but has not been dried in a kiln.
GRIST
The dried malted barley after it has been ground to a coarse meal.
HEART OF THE RUN
Also known as 'the middle cut' it is the finest part of the distillate from the spirit still which will be matured in oak casks to become malt whisky.
HOGSHEAD
A cask of 250 litres capacity.
KILNING
The drying of the green malt to halt germination.
LOMOND STILL
A pot still with cold water coils in the swan neck to increase influx to produce a light flavoured spirit.
LOW WINES
The product of the first distillation which contains 21% - 25% alcohol.
LYNE ARM
Also known as the lyn pipe, it connects the top of the swan neck to the condenser.
MALT WHISKY
Malt whisky is made only from malted barley and distilled in pot stills.
MALTING
The process of steeping the barley in water followed by a growing period of several days then finally drying it in a kiln.
MASH BILL
The proportions of the cereals used in an individual mash.
MASHING
Mixing grist with hot water to extract the sugars and other fermentable material.
MASH TUN
The vessel for mashing.
MATURATION
The period during which the new spirit is in cask. It becomes Scotch Whisky after a minimum of three years.
NOSE
The aroma of a whisky.
PEAT
Plant material which has decayed over thousands of years and traditionally was used for drying the green malt.
PEAT REEK
The smoke produced by burning peat.
PHENOLS
Chemical compounds which have medicinal, peaty aromas and flavours.
PHYLLOXERA
A small but deadly grapevine pest, phylloxera (fil-ox-era) wiped out millions of acres of vine across Europe in the late nineteenth century.
POT STILLS
The type of stills used for making malt whisky.
PURIFIER
Used to return some of the heavier oily elements of the distillate back to the still in order to produce a light bodied spirit.
RECTIFIER
One of the two columns that make up a Coffey still.
REFLUX
The process by which spirit vapour condenses before it reaches the top of the swan neck and falls back to be redistilled. The more refluxing that takes place the lighter the spirit produced.
SLÀINTE MHATH
A traditional toast from Scottish Gaelic, pronounced 'slancher var' and meaning 'good health.'
SPENT LEES
The liquid remaining in the spirit still once all the alcohol is drawn off – basically water.
SPIRIT SAFE
A locked brass and glass cabinet through which the distillate is monitored as it flows from the condenser.
SPIRIT STILL
The second (or third where triple distillation is practised) pot still which produces the heart of the tun.
STAVES
Cut and shaped lengths of oak used to form a cask.
STEEPING
The process of immersing the barley in water to increase the moisture and induce germination.
TWO ROW BARLEY
This refers to the seed arrangement on main stem of the barley. Two row barley has one seed row on either side of the stem. Other varieties include four row barley and six row barley.
WASH
The name of the beer like liquid at the end of the fermentation.
WASHBACK
A large vessel in which the wort is fermented. Originally made from wood but many distilleries now use stainless steel.
WASH CHARGE
Wash charge refers to the volume of wash filled into the wash still.
WASH STILL
The pot still that performs the first distillation to produce low wines.
WORT
The sugar rich liquid collected from the mashing process. It is cooled and transferred to the washback for fermentation.
YEAST
A living micro-organism of the funghi family. Feeding on sugars it produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.