How whiskey is made

Physically, we must emphasize that its color is amber-brown, although it may vary depending on the type of whiskey, its production process and the ingredients used. In this sense, it is necessary to say that, depending on the maturation time of the whiskey, its flavor can vary, as can its color and aroma. 

As for the origins of whiskey, we must say that it is a drink that was invented in Scotland and Ireland in medieval times. In fact, the name derives from Gaelic and means “water of life.” Since its invention, this drink has become quite popular and, over the years, it has become the most famous liquor on the entire planet. For this reason, if you are interested in tasting this drink, in this article we are going to show you how whiskey is made. We recommend you continue reading to learn more. 

What ingredients is whiskey made with?

As we have mentioned previously, whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage that is obtained from a mixture of barley and other cereals, such as rye, oats, wheat or corn, which must have previously been malted and fermented. In general terms, these are the main ingredients with which this drink is made, although it also contains water and yeast. All of this must be fermented at an appropriate temperature and distilled in order to obtain the resulting alcohol, which will be the exquisite liquor that we all know. This way, you know what whiskey is made from. 

How is whiskey made today?

Whiskey, as we have seen, is a type of alcoholic beverage made thanks to the fermentation of different types of cereals, such as malted barley malt, water and sometimes other cereals such as rye, wheat and barley. That is, these ingredients undergo a certain fermentation and distillation process from which the alcohol is obtained, which is left to rest in large wooden barrels until this drink is obtained. For this reason, below, we are going to explain, step by step, how whiskey is made today, following traditional techniques. 

The malting process

To make whiskey, the first thing you must do is the malting process, since it is totally necessary for the production of any single malt whiskey. To do this, you must obtain barley grains and spread them on a malting surface so that they germinate and begin to sprout. 

This process usually lasts between six and eight days and, when they have sprouted, you must put the grains in an oven to dry the barley. Later, you must break it in a grinder to extract the sugars and deposit them in a tank of water at an average temperature of about 70ºC. With this, you obtain the sweet must that serves as a base so you can make the whiskey. 

The fermentation process

Once you get the sweet wort, you need to let it cool to be able to introduce the yeast. This is important to keep in mind, since, when adding yeast to a liquid with a Too high temperature, it dies easily. Therefore, you must transfer the liquid to wooden or stainless steel vats. These are large in size and serve as containers to provide the right environment for the fermentation process. Thanks to the action of the yeasts, the sugar in the wort is converted into alcohol, so add them and let them rest for a few days. 

Distillation

A few days after adding the yeasts to the sweet wort, they have probably already converted all the sugar into alcohol, so the time has come to distill it. To do this, you just you must boil the fermented wort in copper stills -there are domestic and industrial stills-. When boiling, the stills distill the liquid little by little, obtaining a thicker liquor.

Fourth, rest and aging

To finish, after distillation, you must pour the resulting liquor into oak barrels or other types of wood to leave it rest and age. This process is the longest, as you must let it age for about two or three years before being ready to consume. In this sense, you should also keep in mind that, if you let it age for longer, the quality of the final product will be much higher. 

How is bourbon whiskey made?

Among the different types of whiskey, one of the most recognized is bourbon. In this case it is a type of whiskey made in a different way and with different characteristics from that made with malt. It is a liquor or spirit made from corn and its name comes from the ancient region of Old Bourbon, in Kentucky. This type of whiskey is characterized by having a caramel flavor and a soft, pleasant aroma. 

But if you want to know how bourbon whiskey is made, we will tell you that the production process is very similar to the one we have seen, but with some notable differences that provide it with well differentiated characteristics and a very personality. marked. Among them, we can say that bourbon whiskey contains a mixture of at least 51% corn, jtogether with rye and malted barley. It is then baked and crushed to add water and make the wort.