Angel’s Share - Whisky lost to evaporation, which is about 2%
per annum.
Amylase - Enzyme used to convert starch into maltose.
Ageing - The maturation of whisky in an oak barrel or cask.
Aroma - The rich fragrance of the whisky after years of
blending.
Barley - An annual cereal grain used as a key ingredient in the
production of whisky.
Barrel - The oak wood vessel in which whisky is stored over the
years to nurture and impart the rich flavor.
Blending -The act of combining one liquid with another to be
used extensively to make all whiskies, except single casks.
Brewing - The adding of mashed cereal grains in hot water
during the early stages of whisky production with yeast to encourage fermentation.
Charring - Burning the inside of a barrel to ‘activate’ the
wood to filter and impart the flavors of the liquid.
Cooper - A highly skilled person who makes the casks for whisky
maturation by perfectly locking staves of wood together to make a watertight container.
Congeners - Substance produced during fermentation of alcoholic
beverages that are said to provide the majority of taste characteristics present in whisky.
Cheers - A must thing to say while enjoying whisky in good
company.
Distillation - Fermented barley liquid heated in copper stills
to allow the alcohol to evaporate and condense.
Dram - A traditional term for small measures (1 tsp or 5 ml) of
any spirit, especially whisky.
Enzymes - These are large biological molecules responsible for
thousands of metabolic processes that sustain life, along with malting to increase the incidence
of enzymes to convert starch into fermentable sugars.
Fermentation -The metabolic process where yeast feeds on sugar
creating acids, gases, and alcohol as by products.
Floor malting - The traditional method used to malt grain on a
malt house floor.
Gorda - Large sherry cask.
Heart - Highly desirable, middle part of second distillation
that contains sweet ethanol, which is perfect for whisky.
Irish Malt - It is the malt whisky produced the same way as
Scotch, but distilled thrice.
Jigger - A term used to describe an illicit distillery.
Kiln - Used to dry green malt, thereby halting germination.
Low Wines - The produce of the first distillation or “wash
run”.
Malting - The process by which barley is first wet and then
spread on the floor of the malting house, allowing a chemical change to take place where the
starch in the grain turns to sugar to produce alcohol.
Nosing - The assessment of whisky by sniffing the aromas before
tasting it.
New Oak - The virgin barrels which are freshly prepared to
store the whisky.
Organic Whisky - Whisky made from barley, which is free of
inorganic fertilizers.
Palate - Refers to the tasting of whisky by the help of our
senses.
Pure Malt - A term used to refer to the blended or vatted malt
whisky.
Quaich - It is a traditional Celtic drinking bowl associated
with whisky drinking.
Rye - A unique grain used in whisky production in the northern
part of America to bring about added characters in the blend.
Rare - A limited variety of whisky, which is of a unique
distillery and is considered superior for its less availability.
Snifter - Tulip shaped glasses made specifically for the art of
whisky tasting, so that the aroma is assessed by the nasal senses first.
Skalk - A Scottish tradition of enjoying a dram of whisky first
thing in the morning.
Tails - It is the last running of a still, weak alcohol.
Uisge Beatha - Traditional Gaelic term which means the water of
life.
Vatting - The blending of malt whisky from different
distilleries.
Vintage - According to the years of distillation, it is
considered by an ascending level.
Whisk(e)y - An alcoholic beverage that is spelled with an ‘e’
in America and Ireland, and without the ‘e’ by the rest of the world.
Wort - It is derived from the malt in solution, and contains
the fermentable sugars.
X waters - An ancient Irish term for distilled spirits.
Yeast - On feeding sugar, this living microorganism of the
fungi family helps in the fermentation process by producing alcohol.
Yield - The pure alcohol obtained in the final output by
calculating from one tonne per 1000 litre.
Zest - The outer colored part of the peel of citrus fruit, used
as flavoring.
