Just What is Single Malt Whisky?

      I got into whisky back in June of 2012. I've focused my attention mainly on single malt scotch whisky. Since the rise of single malt whisky in Asia, I've heard a bunch of misconceptions regarding whisky. So, I hope that I'll be able to correct your thoughts on some of the misconceptions.

What is single malt whisky?

It is whisky which was distilled and aged by one distillery. It is not just whisky that came from one cask and then bottled. The usual single malts found in supermarkets such as Glenlivet 12, Macallan 12 and Glenfiddich 12 are actually a product of single malt whiskys of different ages which were blended then bottled. When people think whisky that came from just one barrel/cask, they are thinking Single Cask/Single Barrel.

What about the age statements?

Let's say you found a Glenlivet 12. The 12 year age statement merely means that the youngest whisky that was used to fill that bottle was 12 years old. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that the bottle only has 12 year old whisky inside. Distillers also blend the younger whiskys with older whiskys to round off the body and finish.

Why bother blending them?

For the sake of consistency. Because of the mystery of nature, a whisky that came from one batch of distillation aged in the same kind of oak cask then aged for the same amount of time in the same warehouse WILL NOT make those whiskys taste the same. That is why distilleries will have master blenders sometimes.

How is whisky produced?

Because I am not a chemistry major and I don't exactly understand what happens during the process I will just state the process and put a bit of explanation:

Step 1: Malting

Barley is malted warm water for 2-3 days then are spread out onto malting floors or malting houses to be turned regularly. After 2-3 days that barley will start germinating. The germination is stopped by drying the malted barley in kilns.

Step 2: Mashing

The malted barley is put into a Mash Tun with warm water. It is to be stirred in there for several hours. The resulting liquid is called wort. 

Step 3: Fermentation

The wort is cooled down and put into large tank called washbacks. Some washbacks may be made of wood but some distilleries use stainless steel. Then the yeast is added to start the fermentation. It usually takes 48 hours but sometimes distilleries will let it go longer. The product is called wash and can be made into beer by brewing them. That's why when people ask "what is whisky?" the easiest answer is "distilled beer".

Step 4: Distillation

The wash is put into copper stills to be distilled. Scottish distilleries usually distill the wash twice but some do it thrice. Distillation is done to make the alcoholic strength of the whisky stronger. They usually come out at 65%-70% after distillation. 

Step 5: Maturation

The new make spirit is put into oak casks to be stored and matured. Alcohol evaporates even when in the casks. So the lost spirits during the process of aging are called "Angel's Share". That is why older whiskys are more expensive and less available. 

What factors affect the flavor of the whisky?

A LOT. 

Casks:

According to distillers, 60-70% of the flavor comes from the type of cask it was aged in. Majority of whisky are aged in bourbon casks. Bourbon casks are made from American White Oak and used to contain Bourbon. American white oak usually has vanilla, cinnamon, cream and toffee flavors. Bourbon casks are used more often because they are cheaper. Other types of casks that are used are rum casks, port pipes, sherry butts and brandy casks. The number of times the cask has been used also affect the amount of flavor and aroma the whisky will have.

Water:

Distilleries often use water from lochs near the distillery. The lochs are often rich with limestone deposits are used during mashing. It is said to give the wash better flavors. Water from the lochs are also used to water down the whisky when they are to be bottled.

Side note: Whiskys that are usually found in the supermarkets with the ABV of 40%? The whisky didn't come out of their casks at 40%. They were watered down so the distillery can bottle more whisky.

Location: 

Because the oak casks, while contain whisky, breathe, they location of where the cask is being aged in affects the flavor. That is why Islay whiskys like Lagavulin and Caol Ila have a seaweed and salty taste to it because the warehouses they were aged in are near the sea.

Barley:

The type of barley that was used for distillation also affects the whisky. The easiest example is peated barley. Peated barley is usually used by Islay distilleries. Peating barleys give the whisky a vegetal and smokey-like flavor.