Whisky Fundamentals
What is an ex-bourbon barrel?
Published 22/07/2020
Ex-bourbon barrels are whisky casks which have been previously used to mature American Bourbon. These casks are prized within the scotch whisky industry and often used until exhaustion. If you enjoy Scottish single malts, you can hardly avoid American Bourbon Whiskey. Because what many do not know: Around 95% of all Scottish single malts mature in ex-bourbon barrels sourced from the USA. We present this type of barrel with its peculiarities and reveal why Scottish distilleries swear by American barrels.
What is an ex-bourbon barrel?
What is the Angels' share?
Published 22/07/2020
The Angels’ share is the romantic term for the annual rate of whisky lost during cask maturation due to evaporation. As the liquid would evaporate into the heavens, it was dubbed the angels’ share. From a scientific point of view, however, it is the volume of the liquid that turns into gas and then leaves the barrel. The amount lost in Scotland amounts to only 1-2%, in contrast with considerably warmer climates such as India or Australia where evaporation can reach as high as 12%.
What is the Angels' share?
Whisky and Water
Published 22/07/2020
An interesting question and common debate on the topic of whisky is water. If you dilute your whisky with a few drops of water, you are not revealing yourself as a bar bully, but as a real expert. The water ensures that a flavor-imparting substance remains on the surface of the drink and thus conveys the smoky character of the whisky to the taste receptors of the drinker. Swedish researchers Björn Karlsson and Ran Friedman from the Linnaeus University Center for Biomaterials Chemistry report this in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
Whisky and Water
Why is Whisky Filled at 40% ABV?
Published 22/07/2020
The minimum ABV, like that of the minimum 3 year maturation was introduced as the result of political wrangling between the distilleries and the prohibitionists of the early 20th century. Despite this distilleries today will often attribute this towards quality control. Most Scottish whiskies are bottled with 40% ABV. This was not always the case: at the beginning of the 20th century, the alcohol content of whisky was usually between 44.
Why is Whisky Filled at 40% ABV?Grain Whisky
Published 17/07/2020
Grain whisky is the most common kind of whisky produced and yet the least heralded. Single malt may capture the imagination but 90% of all scotch whisky sales globaly are blends of single malt with grain whiskies. What is a Grain Whisky? A grain whisky is any whisky not made using 100% malted barley on a pot still. While a grain whisky is generally taken to be any whisky made without malted barley this is incorrect.