How is Whisky Made?.

Step 1. Gathering the grain

At the end of the day, the thing that makes a world of a difference between Whiskies, is the type of grain used. The most common grains are barley, rye, wheat and corn - where malted barley is most common for Scottish Whisky, corn and rye is common in American (Bourbon) Whisky.

In this step, the grains are cooked. For example, for a Single Malt, this would mean soaking, drying then heating the barley.

Step 2. Mashing

This step involves grounding the cooked grain into a fine flour and then mixing it with warm water, which forms 'the mash' (a yellow liquid).

Step 3. Fermentation

This is where alcohol is created. By mixing yeast with the mash, the yeast converts the sugar contents to alcohol. Don't get your hopes up, it's only about 10% alcoholic at this stage, but know that it's known as 'the wash'.

Step 4. DISTILLING

Next up, the wash is heated, which turns the alcohol to vapour. This vapour is collected in a tank and condensed, then condensed again, resulting in 'new-make spirit'.

Step 5. AGEING

This step is where a Whisky's complex flavours develop. The new-make spirit is mixed with water and moved into wooden barrels to age in strictly regulated conditions. It's worth mentioning that the water as well as the barrels used, make a big difference to the final taste!

Step 6. Bottling

As soon as the product has been aged to the Whisky Makers liking, the Whisky is bottled.