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78-460: "Degrees Lovibond" or "°L" scale is a measure of the colour of a substance, usually beer, whiskey , or sugar solutions. The determination of the degrees Lovibond takes place by comparing the colour of the substance to a series of amber to brown glass slides, usually by a colorimeter . The scale was devised by Joseph Williams Lovibond . The Standard Reference Method (SRM) and European Brewery Convention (EBC) methods have largely replaced it, with

156-411: A mashtun , a large vat containing hot water, and is agitated for approximately thirty minutes or more. The water is then drained from the mashtun, which is subsequently refilled with hot water. This procedure is typically repeated between one and three times. Once complete, the resulting liquid, known as wort , which contains the extracted sugars, is separated from the mash, cooled, and transferred to

234-857: A pale lager with an IBU of 30, because the pale lager has a lower flavour intensity. After around 100 IBU, hop utilization is so poor that the number ceases to be meaningful in regard to taste, although continued hop additions will increase bitterness. Light lagers without much bitterness will generally have 8–20 IBU, while an India pale ale may have 60–100 IBU or more. For high throughput applications (as in quality control labs of large breweries for example), automated systems are available. Simple systems work with adjustment data blocks for each kind of beer, while high-end systems are matrix-independent and give accurate results for alcohol strength, extract content, pH, colour, turbidity, CO 2 and O 2 without any product-specific calibration. Latest innovations are packaged beverage analyzers, that measure directly out of

312-450: A pycnometer or oscillating U-tube electronic meter. Water has a SG of 1.000, absolute alcohol has a SG of 0.789. Other density scales are discussed below. The density of the wort depends on the sugar content in the wort: the more sugar the higher the density. The fermented beer will have some residual sugar which will raise the SG, the alcohol content will lower the SG. The difference between

390-608: A Tennessee whiskey is that it must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging, known as the Lincoln County Process . (Benjamin Prichard's, which is not so filtered, was grandfathered in when the requirement was introduced in 2017.) The rest of the distillation process of Tennessee Whiskey is identical to bourbon whiskey . Whiskey sold as "Tennessee whiskey" is defined as bourbon under NAFTA and at least one other international trade agreement, and

468-477: A cask of beer was originally used to indicate that the contents were stronger than legal small beer limits, and were subject to a tax of ten ( Roman numeral X) shillings per barrel tax. Later, brewers added additional (superfluous numeral) X marks to signify progressively stronger beers: "the present quack-like denominations of XX [twenty, but often pronounced "double (letter) X"] and XXX [thirty, often pronounced "treble (letter) X"], which appear, unnecessarily, on

546-420: A controlled temperature range, typically between 10 and 37.8 °C (50 and 100 °F) which is optimal for yeast activity. Distillers ensure consistency by using the same yeast strain to achieve uniformity in the final whiskey product. Fermentation continues for two days or longer until the alcohol content of the liquid reaches between 5% and 10%. Once fermentation is complete, and the yeast ceases to be active,

624-497: A great liking for Scotch whisky, and in 1506 the town of Dundee purchased a large amount of whisky from the Guild of Barber-Surgeons, which held the monopoly on production at the time. The distillation process was still in its infancy; whisky itself was not allowed to age, and as a result tasted very raw and brutal compared to today's versions. Renaissance -era whisky was also very potent and not diluted. Over time whisky evolved into

702-443: A liquid form known as the distilled spirit . This distilled spirit is meticulously monitored during its extraction. The initial and final portions of the distillate are deemed undesirable and are therefore redirected back into the still. Only the middle portion, considered the most desirable, is collected in the spirits receiver . At this stage, the distilled spirit is clear and has an ethanol content ranging from 70% to 80% ABV. It

780-410: A mean average error less than 0.02°P) can be made using the following formula: where the specific gravity is to be measured at a temperature of T = 20 °C. The equivalent relation giving SG at 20 °C for a given °P is: Winemakers, as well as the sugar and juice industry, typically use degrees Brix. British and continental European beer brewers generally use degrees Plato. American brewers use

858-588: A mixture of degrees Balling, degrees Plato and specific gravity. Home wine, mead, cider, and beer makers typically use specific gravity. In some countries, alcohol by volume is referred to as degrees Gay-Lussac (after the French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac ). France, Spain and the United Kingdom use the system to determine alcohol content. Belgium, Norway, and Sweden use a modified table to calculate taxes on alcoholic beverages. The Saint Andrew's Cross

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936-638: A much smoother drink. In 1707, the Acts of Union merged England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain , and thereafter taxes on distilled spirits rose dramatically. Following parliament's divisive malt tax of 1725, most of Scotland's distillation was either shut down or forced underground. Scotch whisky was hidden under altars, in coffins, and in any available space to avoid the governmental excisemen or revenuers. Scottish distillers, operating out of homemade stills, took to distilling whisky at night when

1014-420: A quantity of beer and distill off a spirit that contains all of the alcohol that was in the beer. The alcohol content of the spirit can then be measured using a hydrometer and tables of density of alcohol and water mixtures. A second accurate method is the ebulliometer method, which uses the difference between the boiling temperature of pure water and the boiling temperature of the beer being tested. In practice

1092-576: A rarity value, but are not "older" and not necessarily "better" than a more recent whisky that matured in wood for a similar time. After a decade or two, additional aging in a barrel does not necessarily improve a whisky, and excessive aging will even affect it negatively. The minimum aging period required for whisky varies by country. In the United States, the minimum aging requirement is typically 2 years, while in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, it

1170-459: A standard barrel of 36 imperial gallons of the wort weighed 26 pounds more than a barrel of pure water. The actual measurement was by saccharometer (i.e. hydrometer) correcting for temperature by a calibration scale or else by a special brewer's slide rule . An average strength first running of 1864 would be 30 pounds or 1.083 OG. Two common scales used for measuring the amount of sugars in wort and must are: The oldest scale, Balling (°Balling),

1248-441: A vapour enriched to 40–60% alcohol, a column still can achieve a vapour alcohol content of 95.6%; an azeotropic mixture of alcohol and water. Whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask , so the "age" of a whisky is only the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects how much the cask has interacted with the whisky, changing its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskies that have been bottled for many years may have

1326-517: A view to accurately measure the various values in brewing. Data can be exchanged in formats such as BeerXML to allow for accurate replication of recipes at remote sites or the adaptation of recipes to account for variations in locally available water, mash ingredients, hops etc. Whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash . Various grains (which may be malted ) are used for different varieties, including barley , corn , rye , and wheat . Whisky

1404-733: Is a bitterness scale in which lower values are generally "less bitter" and higher values "more bitter". The scale and method are defined by the European Brewery Convention , and the numerical value should be the same as of the International Bittering Units scale (IBU), defined in co-operation with the American Society of Brewing Chemists . However, the exact process of determining EBU and IBU values differs slightly, which may in theory result with slightly smaller values for EBU than IBU. IBU

1482-551: Is a synonym for original gravity. The OE is often referred to as the "size" of the beer and is, in Germany, often printed on the label as Stammwürze  [ de ] or sometimes just as a percent. In the Czech Republic, for example, people speak of "10 degree beers", "12 degree beers" and so on. Gravity measurements are used to determine the size of the beer, its alcoholic strength, and how much of

1560-418: Is added and the iso-alpha acids shift to the organic layer out of the aqueous wort. This new solution is then placed in a spectrophotometer and the absorbance is read at 275 nm. At this wavelength, the iso-alpha acids have their highest absorbance which allows for the calculation of the concentration of these bittering molecules. This technique was adopted at the same time as another method based on measuring

1638-524: Is additionally designated as straight , e.g., straight rye whiskey . A whiskey that fulfils all above requirements but derives from less than 51% of any one specific grain can be called simply a straight whiskey without naming a grain. US regulations recognize other whiskey categories, including: Another important labelling in the marketplace is Tennessee whiskey , which includes brands such as Jack Daniel's , George Dickel , Collier and McKeel , and Benjamin Prichard's . The main difference defining

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1716-971: Is an anglicisation of the Classical Gaelic word uisce (or uisge ) meaning "water" (now written as uisce in Modern Irish , and uisge in Scottish Gaelic ). This Gaelic word shares its ultimate origins with Germanic water and Slavic voda of the same meaning. Distilled alcohol was known in Latin as aqua vitae ("water of life"). This was translated into Middle Irish as uisce betha[d] , which became uisce beatha ( Irish pronunciation: [ˈɪʃcə ˈbʲahə] ) in Irish and uisge beatha [ˈɯʃkʲə ˈbɛhə] in Scottish Gaelic. Early forms of

1794-449: Is an alternate equation which provides more accurate estimates at higher alcohol percentages (it is typically used for beers above 6 or 7%). A B V = 133 ( O G − F G ) / F G {\displaystyle ABV=133(OG-FG)/FG} where OG is the original gravity, or the specific gravity before fermentation and FG is the final gravity or SG after fermentation. "Original Extract" (OE)

1872-435: Is by measuring the density of the liquid, often performed using a hydrometer , and converting the density measurement to extract, the mass fraction of sugars in the wort or beer. Hydrometers can be calibrated with a number of scales. A common scale is that of specific gravity (SG), that is to say the density of a liquid relative to the density of pure water (at a standard temperature). Specific gravity can also be measured by

1950-440: Is commonly known as a pot still , consisting of a single heated chamber and a vessel to collect purified alcohol. Column stills are frequently used in the production of grain whisky and are the most commonly used type of still in the production of bourbon and other American whiskeys. Column stills behave like a series of single pot stills, formed in a long vertical tube. Whereas a single pot still charged with wine might yield

2028-611: Is generally 3 years. While aging in wooden casks, especially American oak and French oak casks, whisky undergoes six processes that contribute to its colour and final flavour: extraction , evaporation , oxidation , concentration , filtration , and colouration . Extraction in particular results in whisky acquiring a number of compounds, including aldehydes and acids such as vanillin , vanillic acid , and syringaldehyde . The casks used for aging bourbon whiskey are required to be new (and charred ); after being used for this purpose, these casks are typically exported for use in

2106-418: Is not determined by the perceived bitterness of the taste of the beer. For example, the bittering effect of hops is less noticeable in beers with roasted malts or strong flavours, so a higher proportion of hops would be required in strong flavoured beers to achieve the same perceived bitterness as in moderately flavoured beers. For example, an imperial stout may have an IBU of 50, but will taste less bitter than

2184-500: Is provided by compounds such as humulones , or alpha acids from hops used during brewing. During the brewing process, humulone undergoes isomerization to form both cis - and trans - isohumulone which are responsible for the bitter taste of the beer. Hops also contain lupulones , or beta acids; these beta acids are not considered in the initial bittering of the wort as much as their alpha acid counterparts since they do not isomerize through boiling, and therefore do not dissolve in

2262-638: Is similarly required to meet the legal definition of bourbon under Canadian law. Australian whiskies have won global whisky awards and medals, including the World Whiskies Awards and Jim Murray's Whisky Bible "Liquid Gold Awards". By Canadian law, Canadian whiskies must be produced and aged in Canada, be distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain, be aged in wood barrels with a capacity limit of 700 litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for not less than three years, and "possess

2340-665: Is simply called whisky within Scotland. Elsewhere and in the regulations of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) that govern its production, it is commonly called Scotch whisky or simply Scotch (especially in North America). It is possible that distillation was practised by the Babylonians in Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC , with perfumes and aromatics being distilled, but this

2418-615: Is subject to uncertain and disputed interpretations of evidence. The earliest certain chemical distillations were by Greeks in Alexandria in the 1st century AD, but these were not distillations of alcohol. The medieval Arabs adopted the distillation technique of the Alexandrian Greeks, and written records in Arabic begin in the 9th century, but again these were not distillations of alcohol. Distilling technology passed from

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2496-462: Is typically aged in wooden casks , which are typically made of charred white oak . Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port , rum or sherry are also sometimes used. Whisky is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many classes and types. The typical unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, distillation , and aging in wooden barrels. The word whisky (or whiskey )

2574-498: Is typically diluted before being transferred to casks for maturation, though some distilleries sell it as is at 'cask strength'. A still for making whisky is usually made of copper , since it removes sulfur -based compounds from the alcohol that would make it unpleasant to drink. Modern stills are made of stainless steel with copper innards (piping, for example, will be lined with copper along with copper plate inlays along still walls). The simplest standard distillation apparatus

2652-509: Is typically followed by the two additional stages of bottling and marketing. To initiate whisky production, grains are processed to convert their starches into fermentable sugars, which can then be subjected to fermentation and distillation. This process involves malting , milling and mashing the grains. Malt production begins with the soaking of grains in water tanks for a period of three days. The soaked grains are then transferred to large containers where germination occurs, initiating

2730-505: Is used on some beers, and was traditionally a mark of beer strength, with more exes indicating a higher alcoholic content. Some sources suggest that the origin of the mark was in the breweries of medieval monasteries , where the cross served as a guarantee of quality for beers of increasing strength. Another explanation for the saltire marks may be rooted in the duty taxes of alcoholic beverages beginning in England in 1643. The mark on

2808-528: The Annals of Clonmacnoise , which attributes the death of a chieftain in 1405 to "taking a surfeit of aqua vitae" at Christmas. In Scotland, the first evidence of whisky production comes from an entry in the Exchequer Rolls for 1495 where malt is sent "To Friar John Cor , by order of the king, to make aquavitae", enough to make about 500 bottles. James IV of Scotland (r. 1488–1513) reportedly had

2886-514: The Isle of Islay , where there are nine distilleries providing a major source of employment. In many places, the industry is closely linked to tourism , with many distilleries also functioning as attractions worth £30 million GVA each year. In 2011, 70% of Canadian whisky was exported, with about 60% going to the US, and the rest mostly to Europe and Asia. 15 million cases of Canadian whisky were sold in

2964-506: The Prohibition era in the United States lasting from 1920 to 1933, all alcohol sales were banned in the country. The federal government made an exemption for whisky prescribed by a doctor and sold through licensed pharmacies, such as Walgreens. Although specific methods may vary among distilleries, whisky production broadly comprises four primary stages: grain preparation, fermentation , distillation, and maturation (aging). This process

3042-490: The United States , while whisky is used in all other whisky-producing countries. In the US, the usage has not always been consistent. From the late eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, American writers used both spellings interchangeably until the introduction of newspaper style guides. Since the 1960s, American writers have increasingly used whiskey as the accepted spelling for aged grain spirits made in

3120-422: The variety of hop should be considered when targeting a specific amount of bitterness in the beer. To maximize bitterness, hops with large alpha acid concentrations should be used. Such varieties include Chinook, Galena, Horizon, Tomahawk, and Warrior hops, and these contain alpha acid concentrations up to 16% by mass. Since the bitterness is not influenced by beta acids, beta acids are not considered when selecting

3198-507: The washbacks , or fermenting vats. During fermentation, a specific strain of yeast , Saccharomyces cerevisiae (commonly known as "brewer's yeast"), is introduced to the sugary wort, which provides the necessary nutrients for its asexual reproduction . The yeast metabolizes the sugars, producing alcohol , carbon dioxide , and congeners , which can influence the flavor profile of the whisky, either enhancing or suppressing desirable characteristics. The fermenting vats are maintained within

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3276-569: The Plato scale. Essentially the Balling, Brix, and Plato scales are all the same scale, with improvements in accuracy and reliability in the newer versions, since they are all based on mass fraction of sucrose ; the tables for the three scales differ mainly in their precision and in the temperature at which the measurements are to be made. A rough conversion between specific gravity, SG, and either degrees Brix, Plato or Balling can be made by dividing

3354-426: The SG of the wort before fermentation and the SG of the beer after fermentation gives an indication of how much sugar was converted to alcohol and CO 2 by the yeast. A basic formula to calculate beer strength based on the difference between the original and final SG is: A B V = 131.25 ( O G − F G ) {\displaystyle ABV=131.25(OG-FG)} The formula below

3432-496: The SRM giving results approximately equal to the °L. The Standard Reference Method or SRM is a system modern brewers use to measure colour intensity, roughly darkness, of a beer or wort . The method involves the use of a spectrophotometer or photometer to measure the attenuation of light of a particular wavelength, 430  nanometres (blue), as it passes through a sample contained in a cuvette of standardised dimensions located in

3510-468: The US and whisky for aged grain spirits made outside the US. However, some prominent American brands, such as George Dickel , Maker's Mark , and Old Forester (all made by different companies), use the whisky spelling on their labels, and the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits , the legal regulations for spirit in the US, also use the whisky spelling throughout. Whisky made in Scotland

3588-604: The US in 2011. Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality. Malts and grains are combined in various ways: American whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain . It must have the taste, aroma, and other characteristics commonly attributed to whiskey. Some types of whiskey listed in the United States federal regulations are: These types of American whiskey must be distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume , and barrelled at no more than 125 proof . Only water may be added to

3666-415: The United States is partly a result of rum runners illegally importing it into the country during the period of American Prohibition . Denmark began producing whisky early in 1974. The first Danish single malt to go on sale was Lille Gadegård from Bornholm, in 2005. Lille Gadegård is a winery as well, and uses its own wine casks to mature whisky. The second Danish distilled single malt whisky for sale

3744-454: The [I]BU method for beer brewed with fresh hops, the IAAs of beer brewed with old or poorly stored hops, and with certain special hop extracts, can be significantly lower than the [I]BU figure. Additionally, HPLC , mass spectrometry , and fluorescence spectroscopy can be employed to measure the amount of iso-alpha acids in a beer. The European Bitterness Units scale, often abbreviated as EBU,

3822-464: The aging of other whiskies elsewhere. Distillers will sometimes age their whiskey in barrels previously used to age other spirits, such as port , rum or sherry , to impart particular flavours. The size of the barrel also has an effect on the flavour development of the whisky, smaller barrels will contribute more to the whisky due to the higher wood surface to whisky ratio. During maturation, up to 45 litres or 12 US gallons of whisky may evaporate from

3900-443: The alcohol level of the distillation. The minimum bottling proof is 40% ABV. To be exported under one of the "Canadian Whisky" designations, a whisky cannot contain more than 9.09% imported spirits. Canadian whiskies are available throughout the world and are a culturally significant export. Well known brands include Crown Royal , Canadian Club , Seagram's , and Wiser's among others. The historic popularity of Canadian whisky in

3978-415: The aroma, taste and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky". The terms "Canadian Whisky", "Rye Whisky", and "Canadian Rye Whisky" are legally indistinguishable in Canada and do not require any specific grain in their production and are often blends of two or more grains. Canadian whiskies may contain caramel and flavouring in addition to the distilled mash spirits, and there is no maximum limit on

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4056-432: The available sugar the yeast were able to consume (a given strain can be expected, under proper conditions, to ferment a wort of a particular composition to within a range of attenuation; that is, they should be able to consume a known percentage of the extract). Historically gravity was measured and recorded in brewer's pounds (also known as just "pounds"). If a wort was said to be "26 lbs. gravity per barrel" it meant that

4134-465: The background or personal preferences of the writer (like the difference between color and colour ; or recognize and recognise ), and the other is that the spelling should depend on the style or origin of the spirit being described. There is general agreement that when quoting the proper name printed on a label, one should not alter its spelling. The spelling whiskey is common in Ireland and

4212-409: The beer, but rather the amount of iso-alpha acids. There are several methods to measure IBU. The most common and widely used way is through spectrophotometry . In this process, hops are boiled in wort to promote isomerization. Since the iso-alpha acids are slightly hydrophobic , a reduction of the pH by adding acid increases the hydrophobicity of the iso-alpha acids. At this point, an organic solution

4290-470: The cask over a 4 year period. This portion is called the angel's share by distillers. Most whiskies are sold at or near an alcoholic strength of 40% abv , which is the statutory minimum in some countries – although the strength can vary, and cask-strength whisky may have as much as twice that alcohol percentage. Enthusiasts often prefer cask strength whisky for its concentrated flavors and customizable dilution experience. The UK exports more whisky than

4368-472: The casks and in the accounts of the strong-ale brewers". In mid-19th century England, the use of letter "X" and other ones had evolved into a standardized grading system for the strength of beer. Today, it is used as a trademark by a number of brewers in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the United States. Bitterness scales attempt to rate the relative bitterness of beer. The bitterness of beer

4446-468: The concentration (in milligrams per litre; parts per million w/v ) of isomerized α acids (IAA) in a beer, causing some confusion among small-scale brewers. The American Society of Brewing Chemists , in the introduction to its methods on measuring bitterness, points out some differences between the results of the two methods: While the results of the IAA methods are practically identical to those obtained by

4524-606: The darkness hid the smoke from the stills. For this reason, the drink became known as moonshine . At one point, it was estimated that over half of Scotland's whisky output was illegal. In America, whisky was used as currency during the American Revolution ; George Washington operated a large distillery at Mount Vernon . Given the distances and primitive transportation network of colonial America, farmers often found it easier and more profitable to convert corn to whisky and transport it to market in that form. It also

4602-416: The distiller, and each choice affects the flavor profile of the final product in distinct ways. Following the transfer of the wash, the still is heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate the alcohol while remaining low enough to prevent the evaporation of water. Alcohol vapour ascends through the still and is directed to the condenser, which consists of copper tubes or plates, where it condenses back into

4680-490: The final product; the addition of colouring or flavouring is prohibited. These whiskeys must be aged in new charred-oak containers, except for corn whiskey, which does not have to be aged. If it is aged, it must be in uncharred oak barrels or in used barrels. Corn whiskey is usually unaged and sold as a legal version of moonshine . There is no minimum aging period required for a spirit to legally be called whiskey. If one of these whiskey types reaches two years aging or beyond, it

4758-413: The grains are transferred to a dressing machine, which separates the sprouts from the seeds. The grains are then conveyed to a mill for grinding. The extraction of sugars to be converted into alcohol is achieved through a process known as mashing. During mashing, the diastase enzyme is activated, which facilitates the conversion of starches and dextrins into sugars. The ground malt is introduced into

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4836-421: The light path of the instrument. The EBC also measures beer and wort colour, as well as quantifying turbidity (also known as haze) in beer. The strength of beer is measured by its alcohol content by volume expressed as a percentage, that is to say, the number of millilitres of absolute alcohol (ethanol) in 100 mL of beer. The most accurate method of determining the strength of a beer would be to take

4914-505: The medieval Arabs to the medieval Latins, with the earliest records in Latin in the early 12th century. The earliest records of the distillation of alcohol are in Italy in the 13th century, where alcohol was distilled from wine. An early description of the technique was given by Ramon Llull (1232–1315). Its use spread through medieval monasteries , largely for medicinal purposes, such as

4992-408: The metabolic process that converts starches into sugars. This process is subsequently halted by drying the grains with hot air, a procedure also known as kilning , at the end of which the product is malt . In the production of Scotch whisky, the air used for kilning is heated by burning peat bricks in a furnace, imparting the characteristic smoky flavour to the malt. Following the malting process,

5070-404: The most common method used to estimate the strength of a beer is to measure the amount of sugars or "extract" in the wort before fermentation and then again once the fermentation is completed, and to use these two data points in an empirical formula which estimates the alcohol content or strength of the beer. The most common method of (indirectly) measuring the amount of extract in the wort or beer

5148-405: The new Coffey still. The new distillation method was scoffed at by some Irish distillers, who clung to their traditional pot stills . Many Irish contended that the new product was, in fact, not whisky at all. By the 1880s, the French brandy industry was devastated by the phylloxera pest that ruined much of the grape crop; as a result, whisky became the primary liquor in many markets. During

5226-515: The package (glass bottle, PET bottle or can) and give several parameters in one measuring cycle without any sample preparation (no degassing, no filtering, no temperature conditioning). Oxidative deterioration of beer can be measured by way of chemiluminescence or by electron spin resonance . Automated systems exist to determine the lag time of beer related to the antioxidant capacity to resist oxidative spoilage of flavours. Software tools are available to brewers to formulate and adapt recipes with

5304-488: The rest of the world combined. In 2022, whisky exports from Scotland were valued at £6.25 billion, making up a quarter of all UK food and drink export revenues. In 2012, the US was the largest market for Scotch whisky (£655 million), followed by France (£535 million). It is also one of the UK's overall top five manufacturing export earners and it supports around 42,000 jobs. Principal whisky producing areas include Speyside and

5382-415: The resulting liquid is referred to as wash or distiller's beer . Even though the wash is alcoholic it is still organic, which makes it susceptible to contamination by microorganisms that cause rot. Consequently, it is promptly transferred to the still for boiling to mitigate this risk. The decision to transfer either the entire wash or only the most liquid portion into the still is at the discretion of

5460-537: The thousandths of SG above 1 (which is often referred to as gravity points) by 4. So a specific gravity of 1.048 has 48 gravity points, and 48 divided by 4 would be approximately 12 degrees Plato, Balling or Brix. This conversion is an approximation of the relationship between specific gravity and mass fraction in °P by the linear equation: However, the above approximation gives an increasingly larger error for increasing values of specific gravity, deviating e.g. by 0.67°P when SG = 1.080. A much more accurate conversion (with

5538-542: The treatment of colic and smallpox . The practice of distillation spread to Ireland and Scotland no later than the 15th century, as did the common European practice of distilling " aqua vitae ", spirit alcohol, primarily for medicinal purposes. The practice of medicinal distillation eventually passed from a monastic setting to the secular via professional medical practitioners of the time, The Guild of Barber Surgeons . The earliest mention of whiskey in Ireland comes from

5616-410: The variety of hop. Also, the amount of time that the hops are boiled affects the bitterness of the beer. Since heat is needed to isomerize alpha acids, applying heat for longer amounts of time increases the conversion to the isomerized form. The International Bitterness Units scale, or IBU, is used to approximately quantify the bitterness of beer. This scale is not measured on the perceived bitterness of

5694-476: The word in English included uskebeaghe (1581), usquebaugh (1610), usquebath (1621), and usquebae (1715). Much is made of the word's two spellings: whisky and whiskey . There are two schools of thought on the issue. One is that the spelling difference is simply a matter of regional language convention for the spelling of a word, indicating that the spelling varies depending on the intended audience or

5772-426: The wort. However, beta acids can undergo oxidation and slowly contribute to the bitterness of the beer. This bitterness is harsher than the bitterness of the alpha acids, and can be undesirable. The oxidation occurs over time through fermentation, storage, and aging. At the same time, isomerized alpha acids undergo degradation which reduces the bitterness. Since the quantities of alpha and beta acids range among hops,

5850-764: Was Edition No.1 from the Braunstein microbrewery and distillery. It was distilled in 2007, using water from the Greenlandic ice sheet, and entered the market in March 2010. Another distillery is Stauning Whisky , based in Jutland . Nyborg Destilleri, from the island Funen ( Fyn ) in the center of Denmark, produces organic whisky and other organic spirits. The distillery was established in 2009, and in 2020 they launched their first 10 year old whisky. Stammw%C3%BCrze Too Many Requests If you report this error to

5928-583: Was a highly coveted trade good, and when an additional excise tax was levied against it in 1791, the Whiskey Rebellion erupted. The drinking of Scotch whisky was introduced to India in the nineteenth century. The first distillery in India was built by Edward Dyer at Kasauli in the late 1820s. The operation was soon shifted to nearby Solan (close to the British summer capital Shimla ), as there

6006-560: Was an abundant supply of fresh spring water there. In 1823, the UK passed the Excise Act, legalizing distillation (for a fee), and this put a practical end to the large-scale production of Scottish moonshine. In 1831, Aeneas Coffey patented the Coffey still , allowing for a cheaper and more efficient distillation of whisky. In 1850, Andrew Usher began producing a blended whisky that mixed traditional pot still whisky with that from

6084-456: Was developed in 1843 by Bohemian scientist Karl Joseph Napoleon Balling (1805-1868) and Simon Ack. In the 1850s, German engineer-mathematician Adolf Ferdinand Wenceslaus Brix (1798-1870) corrected some of the calculation errors in the Balling scale and introduced the Brix scale. In the early 1900s German chemist Fritz Plato (1858-1938) and his collaborators made further improvements, introducing

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