The A-Z of

Scotch Whisky

150 words
any whisky
lover needs
to know
Aa
Amino Acids

The compounds broken down from

protein that then react with sugars (in
what are called Maillard reactions) to
produce colour and flavour in malt.

ABV – Alcohol By Volume American Standard Barrel

(ASB)
The percentage of pure alcohol (ethanol)
in a product by its volume. By law Scotch
Whisky cannot be bottled under 40% 200 litre cask typically used to originally
ABV. mature bourbon. These casks are usually
made from American White Oak.

Age
American White Oak
The age of the whisky is the number of
years it has been matured. That is, the
Latin name Quercus Alba, it grows in
length of time between going into a cask
North America. It is very suited to whisky
and being bottled. With all types of Scotch
maturation as the trees are fast growing
Whisky, the age given must be that of the
with tall straight trunks meaning it is high
youngest whisky in the bottle. By law, a
quality wood with a high level of vanillins.
whisky cannot be called Scotch unless it
It typically offers flavour notes of coconut,
has been matured in Scotland in a cask
vanilla, honey and nuts.
made of oak for at least three years and
one day.

Ageing

See maturation. Typical flavour notes of American White Oak.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 1

Amylase

Two major enzymes are a-amylase and b-

amylase. They, along with limit dextrinase,
work together at mashing temperatures
62-80°C to progressively degrade the
starch into fermentable sugars, primarily
maltose and maltotriose.

2 row barley commonly used in Scotch Whisky

production.
Angel’s Share
Barrel
This refers to the amount of whisky
(ethanol and water) that is lost due to Also known as the American Standard
evaporation during ageing. In Scotland Barrel (ASB), it is 200 litres in size (53
between 1.5-2% of the volume is lost per gallons).
year.

Blended Whisky

Bb
Barley
One of the five categories of Scotch
Whisky defined by the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA). The raw materials for
a blended whisky include water, yeast,
malted barley and cereals (maize, wheat,
unmalted barley). A blended whisky is a
mixture of grain whiskies from one or
more grain distillery and malt whiskies
One of three raw ingredients in Single from one or more malt distillery.
Malt Scotch Whisky and a key ingredient Sometimes there can be in excess of 15
in Scotch Blended Whisky. Barley different whiskies in a blend. By law, the
provides the starch which then becomes age on a label of a blended whisky must
alcohol. relate to the youngest whisky in the bottle.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 2

Bonded warehouse

A bonded warehouse (or bond), is a

building or secured area in which dutiable
goods may be stored or undergo
manufacturing operations without
payment of duty. This means that the
distillery does not have to pay duty (tax)
on the whisky whilst it is maturing or
being bottled.
Cask bung and bung hole. The position of this bung
hole means that this cask will most likely be matured in
a dunnage or racked warehouse.
Bourbon Cask
Butt
Barrels used for maturing bourbon are
required by American law to be made 500 litre casks that were traditionally used
from American White Oak which has to mature sherry.
been charred prior to usage. As these casks

Cc
cannot be re-used to make bourbon, they
often experience a second life maturing
Scotch Whisky. The initial fill of the
bourbon prior to use in Scotch Whisky
strips out some of the harsher elements.
Bourbon is a spirit which can only be
made in America. It is made from a grain
mash which must contain at least 51% Campbeltown
corn.
This is one of the five whisky regions
recognised by the Scotch Whisky
Bung Hole Association (SWA). It is located on the
west coast of Scotland on the Kintyre
peninsula. It used to be home to over 30
The hole in the head or belly of a cask for
whisky distilleries in the 1800s but today it
filling. The position is determined by the
is home to only three.
style of warehousing that will be used.

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Caramel Colouring Cask Strength

By law, E150a is allowed to be added Is the name given to a whisky which has
before bottling to aid with colouring not not been diluted after maturation and
flavouring. before bottling.

Charring
There are generally four grades of
charring:
No.1 = 15 seconds
No.2 = 30 seconds
Three of the most popular casks used in the Scotch No.3 = 35 seconds
Whisky industry. No.4 = 55 seconds
(This heavy char creates layers of charcoal
Cask on the inner surface of the staves, hence its
nickname, the ‘alligator char’.)
The name of the vessel used to mature
Charring has a number of functions; it
Scotch Whisky. By law casks must be
helps to further break down the structure
made of oak. They can come in a variety of
of the oak allowing easier and deeper
sizes from 200 – 700 litres (cannot be
penetration by the spirit and a more
bigger by law). The most common sizes
intense interaction with the flavours
are 200 litres (barrel), 250 litres (hogshead)
produced through lignin degradation. The
and 500 litres (butt).
charcoal layer also acts as a filtration
system, helping to remove unwanted
flavours, such as sulphur, from the new
Cask Bung spirit.

This is a stopper used to plug the bung

hole in the head or belly of a cask. It is
usually made of wood but can also be hard
nylon.

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Chill Filtration Coffey/Continuous Still
This is a method used in whisky for
Aeneas Coffey patented the continuous
removing deposits. The whisky is chilled
still. It is also known as a column still,
to between -10 °C and +4°C before being
patent still or Coffey still. It consists of
passed through a fine adsorption filter.
two columns, a rectifier and analyser. It is
This process is carried out mainly for
used to produce grain spirit and typically
cosmetic reasons.
comes off the still at a much higher ABV
than malt new make spirit. It can work 24
hours a day and produce spirit on a much
Climate larger scale than a pot still.

Climate affects the rate of maturation. a

hot climate, for example, will accelerate Condenser
whisky's ageing process and the angel's
share.
The function of a condenser is to provide
rapid cooling for the vapours coming from
the stills. As they are made of copper they
also act to prolong the complex chemical
reactions already taking place within the
still, and therefore play their part in
contributing to the flavour of the finished
product. Each distillery will have a
minimum of two condensers (one for each
still), but they normally have more. There
are two different types of condensers; shell
& tube and worm tubs.

Congeners
This is the name of the compounds that
are responsible for the majority of the
taste and aroma of whisky.
Coffey Still.

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Cooper individual distillery manager based on the
style of whisky they want to create.
Traditional distilleries use thermometers
The cooper is a highly skilled person that
and hydrometers to measure the ABV,
builds and repairs oak casks using only
while more modern distilleries have a host
natural materials. Many distilleries use
of electronic monitoring devices to help
larger cooperages for their casks. Only four
them know when to make cuts.
distilleries in Scotland have their own
cooperage on site.
Cytase

Copper This is an enzyme which breaks down the

cell walls of the barley making the starch
accessible for the amylase enzyme to break
Pot stills are always made of copper. It is
down into maltose.

Dd
very malleable, is a good heat conductor
and interaction with the copper can help
remove unwanted flavours such as sulphur.

Cut
During the spirit run, the portion of new
make spirit that is kept for maturation in
Degradation
casks is called the cut or the spirit cut. It is
also known as the heart. A term for the breakdown of larger
molecules into smaller ones during the
germination process.
Cut Point
Draff
This is the point when the spirit safe turns
from foreshots to heart (cut), and then This is the spent grain left in the mashtun
from heart to feints. They are judged by after the wort has been drawn off. It is
timing or ABV and are decided by the normally sold on as cattle feed or used in
biomass burners.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 6

Dilution Dram
Whisky normally comes off the still at
The Scottish name for a drink of whisky,
between 65-67% ABV. It is then normally
also known as a nip or a tot. It is not an
diluted down to about 63.5% before
official unit of measurement.
maturation and further diluted before
bottling.

Drum Maltings
Distillation
The modern method of malting barley. It
The action of purifying a liquid by a involves a large germination drum which is
process of heating and cooling. The turned occasionally until the malting
process begins with heating a liquid (the process is complete.
wash) to boiling point. The liquid
evaporates, forming a vapor. Chemists use
distillation to purify compounds in Dunnage
solution or to separate mixtures of solutes.
For example, different compounds have
different boiling points. The name of warehousing where casks are
stored normally up to three high with
thick stone walls and an earthen floor. It is
now also referred to as traditional
Distiller’s Yeast warehousing.

This is the specifically bred and cultured

yeast used in distillery fermentations.

Distillery
In Scotland, a place where spirits are
produced.
Dunnage Warehouse.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 7

Ee
Enzymes
Ff
Feints
Enzymes are proteins that build up or This is the term applied to the third
break down other molecules in cells. fraction of the distillate received during
the distillation of the low wines in the
spirit still used in the pot still process of
Esters manufacture. The previous fraction of the
distillate is the potable spirit. The cut
These are chemical compounds that are point is judged by the stillman and is
primarily created during fermentation usually based on ABV. The feints are
when an acid and alcohol combine. Esters returned to the still, together with the
provide the fruity, vanilla, herbal flavours foreshots. Feints are also known as tails.
and aromas of the whisky.

Fermentation
European Oak
This is the stage during the whisky making
process when alcohol is produced.
Latin name – Quercus Robur. Also known fermentation begins when the yeast
as English oak, Pedunculate oak, converts the sugary wort into crude
French oak or Russian oak. This oak is alcohol, producing a liquid similar in
slower growing than Quercus Alba and is aroma and taste to a sour beer called wash.
very porous. It offers flavour notes of spice
and dried fruits. There are many other
varieties in use, but Robur is most
Finishing
common.
The procedure whereby spirit is matured
in a cask of a particular origin and then
spends time in a cask of different origin.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 8

First Fill/Fills malting process requires the wet grain to
be put on a smooth concrete floor while it
germinates. Over the course of seven to
A cask that is being used to mature Scotch eight days, the grains germinate and frees
for the first time is referred to as first-fill. up the starch that can be broken down
Subsequent fills after that are known as into sugars in the mashtun and then
second-fills, third-fills etc or refills. When fermented into alcohol.
a cask is used for a first-fill, the wood is
still fresh and active giving greater
extraction than subsequent fills. It is
thought that over a 10 year period a cask
will lose approximately 40% of its
extractives, meaning that later fills will
have less to offer the whisky.

Flavour Wheel

It is a tool developed in 1970s by Pentlands Floor Malting.

Scotch Whisky Research to aid with
flavour descriptors; it is essentially a
colour-coded, adjective-rich circle used to Flour
convey the sensory qualities of a product.
The original version has since been Flour (fine powder) forms 10% of the grist.
developed further with many companies See grist.
producing their own version of the flavour
wheel which often highlights the
development of certain aromatics during
both production and maturation.

Floor maltings
This is the traditional method of malting Barley growing in East Lothian, Scotland.
grain. After steeping the grain, the floor

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Foreshots Green Malt
This is the term applied to the first Green malt is the name of the malt after
fraction of the distillate received during germination before kilning, it is still wet
the distillation of the low wines in the and growing.
spirit still used in the pot still process of
manufacture. The following fraction of the
distillate is the potable spirit. The cut
Germination
point is judged by the stillman and usually
based on time. The foreshots are returned This is part of the malting process. After
to the still, together with the feints. steeping, the barley would traditionally be
foreshots are also known as heads. spread over the floor of the malting house
being turned regularly, see floor malting.
Nowadays this is normally carried out on a
Fusels commercial scale in large drums which
rotate. During germination, the barley
This is a type of thick oil collected during secretes the enzyme ‘diastase’ which makes
grain distilling; it can be sold on to various the starch soluble, thus preparing it for
other industries. conversion into sugar.

Gg Grits

Grits form 70% of the grist. See grist.

Grist
Grain Whisky
After the malting process, the malted
Grain Scotch Whisky is made out of
barley is milled into a powder called grist.
malted barley, other unmalted cereals
The consistency of grist is important to
(such as maize, corn or wheat), yeast and
match the distillery’s mashtun. The book
water. It is distilled in a continuous
value for the ratios are husk 20% (coarse),
(Coffey) still.
grits 70% (medium) and flour 10% (fine).

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 10

Hh
Heads Grist ratios.

See foreshots.
Husk
Heart
Husk forms 20% of the grist. See grist.
See cut.

Hydrometer
Highland This is an instrument used to measure the
density of liquids which can then be used
This is one of the five whisky regions along with temperature to calculate the
recognised by the Scotch Whisky alcohol content.
Association (SWA). The dividing line of
the Highlands and Lowlands runs between
the Firth of Clyde on the west and the
Firth of Tay on the east. The Highland
region also includes the island distilleries
with the exception of Islay.

Hogshead

A cask made from the staves of a bourbon

cask with new oak ends, it holds 250 litres.
Hydrometer.

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Ii
Illicit
Kk
Kiln
Illegal, unauthorised. This is a furnace traditionally used for
drying barley. It would be fired by peat (if
desired) or wood. Modern kilns use gas or
Islay heavy fuel oil.

This is one of the five whisky regions

recognised by the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA). It is an island located
on the West of Scotland. It is known as
the Queen of the Hebrides due to her
fertile land. Whisky from Islay is
traditionally heavily peated.

Jj
Japanese Oak

See Mizunara. Traditional Kiln.

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Kilning Lignin
This is part of the malting process used to Found in oak. After toasting, the lignin
heat germinated barley to dry it to stop breaks down and creates flavour
germination. compounds. It can offer floral, spicy,
vanilla and fruity notes to the whisky

Ll
during maturation.

Lowlands
This is one of the five whisky regions
recognised by the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA). The dividing line of
the Highlands and Lowlands runs between
the Firth of Clyde on the west and the
Lactones Firth of Tay on the east.

Oak lactones are important flavour

extractives in oak wood. The cis-isomer is Low Wines
usually dominant and imparts sweet
vanillin and coconut aroma. The
concentration of lactones varies between This is the distillate of the Wash Still. It
species, with the total amount of oak normally has an ABV of 22-25% and is
lactones being highest in Quercus Alba further distilled in the Spirit Still.
and lower in Quercus Robur.
Lyne Arm
Lauter
This connects the body of the still to the
A type of mashtun design. It allows for condenser. It can angle upwards or
speedier draining through more control downwards or horizontal depending on
than a traditional mashtun. It does this by the style of whisky being distilled and how
raising and lowering the lauter arms as much reflux is required. It can sometimes
they rotate very slowly through the mash. be called a lye pipe.

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Mm
Marrying
This is the action of blending two or more
different whiskies together and leaving for
a period of time in a vat.

Malt Whisky
Mash
This is whisky that is made in a pot still
using only malted barley, water and yeast. This is the thick porridge-like contents of
the mashtun.

Malted Barley
Mashing
Also referred to as malt. This is barley
that has been steeped, germinated and Mashing is the process of adding hot water
kilned. to the grist. It takes place in a vessel called
a mashtun and uses heat (hot water) to
bring on the natural enzymes (amylase) to
breakdown the starch in the grain and
Malting turn it into fermentable sugars.

This is the process of steeping,

germinating and kilning the barley.
See germination, kilning and steeping.

Maltose
This is a simple sugar made from two
glucose molecules and is the predominant
product from the hydrolysis of starch
during mashing. It is the preferred Mashing.
substrate of distilling yeast.

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 Master Blender

This is the ‘nose’ of the company, and

someone who develops specific blended
spirits using a combination of spirits with
different characteristics.

Mashtun.
Master Distiller

Mashtun This is a qualification run by the Institute

of Brewing and Distilling (IBD). It is a
This is the vessel where mashing takes senior position and involves a wide range
place. It is made of cast iron or stainless of responsibilities including managing
steel. The bottom of the mashtun is staff, overseeing the production line,
effectively a sieve so that after mashing the product development, quality control,
wort (sugary liquid) can drain through to product testing and sourcing raw
the underback before going onto materials.
fermentation.
Maturation

This is the process of ageing whisky in oak

casks. By law Scotch Whisky must be
matured in an oak cask in Scotland for a
minimum of three years and one day.

Milling
A mill takes the dried malt and uses giant
rollers to grind it into a coarse flour called
Mashtun. grist.

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 No-age Statement (NAS)
Mizunara
Latin name Quercus Mongolica. This oak This is whisky which is bottled without its
is native to Japan and is often called maturation age being stated on the label.
Japanese Oak. It is a difficult oak to work It came about due to demand and supply
with as it does not grow straight, has a in the early 21st Century and is now
high moisture content and is much more commonplace among Single Malt Scotch
porous than other varieties which can Whisky.
make the casks prone to leaking. Its name,
translated, means “water oak”. It must be Nosing
200 years plus before it can be felled and
its scarcity means it can command large The act of smelling a whisky to pick out
prices at auction. flavours or aromas.

Nosing Glass
Mothballed
This is a specially shaped glass for nosing
A distillery that is no longer in use and has
whisky. It is normally wide at the bottom
been decommissioned for a period of time.
and narrow at the top but they come in

Nn
Also known as a silent distillery.
many different shapes and sizes. The
Glencairn nosing glass or Copita style
nosing glass are probably the most
common styles.

New Make

This is the high-alcohol content liquid

that comes off the still during the spirit
run. It is then put into casks to mature and
after three years and one day maturing in
an oak cask in Scotland, it can be called
Scotch Whisky. Copita glass.

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Oo
Olfactory System
The olfactory system is the sensory system
used for smelling.

Oak
Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations, all
Scotch Whisky must be matured in an oak
cask no larger than 700 litres, in Scotland
for a minimum of three years and one day
Pp
Pagoda
before it can be called Scotch. See Quercus
Robar, Quercus Alba, Quercus Mongolica
and Quercus Petraea. This is the Asian-style structure on top of
most distilleries. Its purpose was to attract
air from all directions to provide a better
draw for the kiln below. Pagodas – also
known as Doig Ventilators – were
invented by Charles Doig in the late 1800s
and is a symbol of distilleries throughout
Scotland.

Palletised warehouse.
Oak tree.

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Palletised Peat Reek

This is a relatively new system of This is the smoke of a peat fire which is
warehousing. The casks are stored upright desirable when trying to get a smoky
on pallets, can be up to 10 casks high. aroma to the barley.
Casks can be moved around by forklift
and it is an efficient system. However, the
effectiveness of this type of system is still Phenols
under trial.

These are the compounds within the peat

Peat smoke that are responsible for the smoky
and medicinal aromas in whisky. They are
Decaying plant matter found throughout
measured in parts per million (PPM).
Scotland and in parts of Europe. It can be
used to stop germination by drying the
malt. The peat smoke produces chemicals
called phenols which are absorbed by Port Pipe
malted barley and impart a smoky flavour.
It is commonly used as a source of fuel for A cask that is 350 litres and more, they
domestic fires. See peat reek, phenols and were traditionally used to mature port.
PPM.

Pot Ale

This is the residue of fermented wash left

in a pot still after the first distillation. It is
normally about two thirds of the charge.
After distillation it is usually put through
an evaporation unit and condensed into a
pot ale syrup which is sold as cow feed.

Peet reek.

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Pot Still

A pot still is a type of distillation

equipment, which works like a large kettle
in heating up the wash. They are always
made of copper and operate on a batch
distillation basis. Pot stills come in a
variety of different shapes which all affect
the character of the spirit.

Pot stills.

Parts Per Million (PPM)

Puncheon
The unit that phenols are measured in.
The measurement is taken from the malt
500-700 litre casks. The variation in size is
before milling, it is assumed that over half
usually dependent on what they are being
the phenolic levels are lost during
used to mature with sherry puncheons
distillation. Therefore, from the PPM that
being larger than rum puncheons.
is mentioned, less than half is in your dram
of whisky.

Purifier
Proof
This is a pipe linking the lyne arm back to
the pot. The idea is to increase reflux by
Proof is twice the alcohol content by
causing any heavy compounds or
volume. For instance, a whisky with 40%
condensed liquid in the lyne arm to fall
ABV would be 80-proof. This term is
into the purifier pipe and back into the
normally used in America as the UK uses
pot to redistill. In effect, it is like an extra
the ABV figure.
semi-distillation. Purifiers are not that
common with only a handful of distilleries
in Scotland having them including
Ardbeg, Strathisla, Talisker and Glen
Grant.

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Qq
Quarter Cask

Generally 125 litres in size, they are made

from 200 litre casks which have had three
or four staves removed and then rebuilt.
However, you can have a range of smaller
ones which are bespoke sizes.

Quaich
Quercus Alba
It is a two handled, shallow drinking cup.
Traditionally it would have been carved
from wood although now silver or pewter See American White Oak.
are more common.

The word quaich comes from the Gaelic, Quercus Mongolica

‘cuach’, meaning cup. It was used to offer a
welcome drink to visitors and in
See Mizunara.
ceremonial clan occasions with each
member drinking from the same quaich
signifying unity and friendship.
Quercus Petraea

Also known as Sessile Oak, Cornish Oak

or Durmast Oak. It is native to most of
Europe and is not as commonly used for
whisky maturation as Quercus Alba or
Quercus Robur.

Quercus Robur
Quaich.

See European Oak.

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Rr
Raw Materials

These are the ingredients that go into

whisky. For Scotch Single Malt Whisky
the raw ingredients are yeast, malted
barley and water. In Scotch Single Grain
Whisky the raw materials are water, yeast
Racked and cereals (including malted and
unmalted barley).
This is a reasonably modern style of
warehousing which involves casks being
stacked in rows. It has become
increasingly popular and casks can be
stacked up to 10 or 12 rows.

Reflux.

Reflux

This happens during distillation. It occurs

when some of the vapour meets a cooler
surface inside the still and returns to
liquid, falls back down the still and is re-
distilled. It is a crucial element in the
creation of each distillery’s unique
character. Theoretically, more reflux
Racked warehouse. means a lighter, more complex spirit.

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Refill cask recognised by the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA) – Highland, Lowland,
Islay, Campbeltown and Speyside.
This name is given to any cask that has
been used for maturing Scotch Whisky
more than once. They can also be referred
Rummager
to as the number of fills i.e. second fill,
This is the scraper used on the bottom of a
third fill etc. These tend to be much less
directly fired still to stop the build up of
active than first fills and will normally be
solids on the bottom of the still.

Ss
vatted together with other fills. Typically,
the number of fills of each cask is
indicated by a different colour of paint on
the cask end.

Saccharification
This is the degradation of starch into
simple sugars.

Saladin box
This is a piece of equipment used to malt
barley, it is a mechanical alternative to
hand turning and involves a trough with a
perforated floor. The malted barley is
filled into the trough and air is blown
through it.

Regions Scotch Whisky Association

(SWA)
This is the trade organisation that
There are five Scottish whisky regions as
represents the Scotch Whisky industry.

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Shell & Tube Condenser Slàinte Mhaith
This is a more modern style of condenser.
This is a toast which means ‘your good
It is made of copper tubes through which
health’ in Gaelic. Sláinte is also a friendly
cold water is piped. See worm tubs.
way of signing off emails and messages in
Scotland.

Single Cask

This is a whisky that has come from only

one cask before bottling.

Spent Lees
The different cask sizes.
This is the residue of the Spirit Still after
Sherry the distillation and removal of foreshots,
potable spirits and feints. Normally these
are treated and then disposed of as waste.
This is a fortified wine made from grapes
grown in Andalusia in Spain.
Speyside
Single Malt
This is one of the five recognised Scotch
Whisky regions recognised by the Scotch
This is one of the recognised styles of Whisky Association (SWA). It is located
Scotch Whisky by the Scotch Whisky in the Highland region although
Association (SWA). A Single Malt Scotch recognised as a region in itself. It has the
Whisky must be made from only malted greatest concentration of malt whisky
barley, water and yeast and distilled at a producers in Scotland.
single distillery from a pot still in a batch
distillation.

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Spirit Safe final stage in the distillation process. It is a
copper tank which heats up and it
contains the low wines that have come
This is a box-shape piece of equipment
from the wash still together with the
made of metal and glass which is
unwanted products from the last run of
padlocked. It connects to the point at
the spirit still itself.
which the spirit exits the still thus
protecting the new make spirit coming off
the still. Inside it there is a hydrometer
and thermometer which lets the operator Still House
calculate the alcoholic concentration of
the distillate without having to open the This is the building where the wash still
safe. There is a handle which can be moved and the spirit still are housed.
from outside the safe to shift the spirit to
the different receivers for the different
cuts – foreshots, heart, feints. Steeping
The first step of malting where the barley
grains are alternated, being soaked in
water and then air-rested for a period of
time to bring up the moisture level and
initiate germination.

Spirit Safe.

Spirit Still
Tt
Tails
This can also be referred to as the low
wines still and is the second and usually See feints.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 24

Tannins Uisge Beatha
These are naturally occurring compounds The Gaelic word for water of life which
which exist in oak. They can add a chewy, was shortened to uisge and then onto
dry mouthfeel to the whisky along with whisky.

Vv
colour.

Toasting

The wood is heated up in a big oven for a

period of time. This splits the cellulose
into wood sugar which caramelises and a
portion of the lignin is converted to a Valinch
number of compounds including vanillin.

Triple Distillation This is a tube which is used to take small

amounts of whisky out of a cask for tasting
purposes. It is normally made of copper.
This is whisky that is distilled three times
instead of the usual two. The additional
still is usually called the Intermediate Still. Virgin Oak

Uu
Underback
This is a cask which has not had any
contents in it before the new make spirit
goes into it.

Volatile Congeners
A vessel used to store wort after it has These are organic compounds that a
drained from the mashtun and before whisky must give off in order for the
transferring it to the washbacks for aroma to be detected.
fermentation.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 25

Ww
Washback

This is the large vessel where fermentation

takes place. They are usually made from
douglas fir or stainless steel.

Water
Warehouse
This is one of the three permitted
This is the building where the whisky ingredients for malt whisky.
matures. There are three different types of
warehouses – dunnage, palletised and
racked.
World Whiskies
This is the collective name given to
Wash whiskies which are not from Scotland.

This is the name given to the liquid that is

produced from fermentation. It has an Worm Tub
ABV of approximately 7-9% and is then
transferred to the wash still for the first This is the other style of condenser to shell
distillation run. & tube and comprises a coil of copper
tubing immersed in a large (normally)
circular tank of water which is usually
raised above ground level. A good example
of this is at Dalwhinnie Distillery where
the large worms, often mistaken for water
tanks, sit outside the front of the distillery.
The spirit that comes from worm tub
condensers is usually a heavier, more
sulphury spirit than that from a shell &
tube condenser. See shell & tube
Washback.
condenser.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 26

Worm tub.
Yy
Yeast
Wort
This is one of the three permitted
ingredients for malt whisky. It is a single-
This is the name given to the liquid drawn
celled micro-organism which feeds on
off the mashtun which contains all the
sugar, producing alcohol and carbon
sugars of the malt.
dioxide in return.

Wort Cooler
To prevent the yeast from being killed by
the high temperature, the wort is quickly
passed through a plate heat exchanger
called a wort cooler, to reduce the wort
temperature to 16°C-18°C, dependent
upon the ambient temperature.

Yeast.

The A-Z of Scotch Whisky Page 27

In 2015, Kirsty McKerrow established the
Edinburgh Whisky Academy to fill a vital gap in
the whisky education market.

With the aim of improving the standard of whisky

education globally, the Academy remains the only
centre of learning for Scotch Whisky and gin that is
approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority
(SQA).

The range of certified courses, both online and in-

person, are created and delivered by industry
experts.

/edinburghwhiskyacademy
@edinwhiskyacad
/edinburghwhiskyacademy
/school/edinburghwhiskyacademy