How is single malt whiskey made?
Malt whiskey is a variety of whiskey that is made from malted barley grains, water and yeast throughout a process that can even last years. In this way, you can obtain a high-quality or low-quality whiskey depending on how the different steps are carried out, with the distillation process being especially important.Germination of barley seeds with hot water and drying
To produce this highly appreciated drink, it is necessary to follow a process in which barley is soaked in hot water with the intention that germinate as quickly as possible and then allow it to dry to stop the plant growth process.
Grinding of barley seeds
Once we have the dry germinated seeds, they are ground until they obtain a kind of flour and hot water is added to this to obtain the wort of barley seeds. At this point, yeast is added, which is responsible for converting the natural sugars present into alcohol during the fermentation process.How to distill malt whiskey?
Once it has finished fermenting, it must be distilled twice in alembic stills. copper. That is, at this moment, only the part of the liquor that has reached the best quality of distillate is collected and, if it does not reach the desired quality level, it is distilled again in the stills of copper until the liquor reaches the highest possible quality level.
So, if someone asks you how to distill single malt whiskey, you can answer that it is made from malted barley and distilled in copper stills to remove all impurities. The objective is to make it acquire a much finer texture and for the drink to have a more controlled and stable flavor. In short, the distillate provides quality to this drink.
Aging and maturation process
Subsequently, the fermented and distilled liquor is left to age in oak barrels, which helps it obtain that amber color, this characteristic aroma and flavor. the aging or maturation process can last, at least three years. These barrels, which have previously been used to make other types of alcoholic beverages, can influence the flavor, as can the type of wood they are made from.How is grain whiskey made?
Grain whiskey is that which is made with at least one type of grain other than barley, although it may also contain barley among them. Among these, corn, wheat or rye are normally used. For this reason, grains that are not barley do not go through the malting process, but are cooked directly at high temperatures to obtain the alcohol. This is, therefore, what is usually known as Scotch whiskey. These are the only differences that we can find between these two varieties of this drink that is so acclaimed in the vast majority of countries in the world.