The Whiskey Process (Part – 2)
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To invest in whiskey casks it is very important to have knowledge about the process of whiskey and thus we are here to take ahead the process of whiskey that we started to explain in our last blog. In the last article we had a look at the process of selecting grains and water. We also had a look at how whiskey made from barley goes through malting and how wheat and corn pass that process. Today we are going to go further and have a look at the process of fermentation.
In the older times, the fermentation used to be done in a different way and in today’s time it is conducted differently with the help of the right technologies and equipment. First of all, we are going to have a look at how we used to conduct in the traditional way and then quickly get an idea about the latest method.
The process for Malt Whiskey :[edit]
To invest in whiskey one needs to understand what whiskey is made through which kind of process. The malt whiskey as we saw in an earlier article requires sugar to be extracted. Once the starch is converted into sugar by enzymes, it needs to be extracted from the grain. Before that the lot goes through milling, which means to separate the grains from any objects such as stone that are not meant to be in the mix. Such substances can harm the machine and cause damage to it.
Malt mills grind down the malt into a coarse substance called grist. This grist is not as fine as flour and still contains all the elements of the shell. Thereafter, comes the process of mashing. In the process of mashing, the grist is mixed with hot water so that the sugar is washed out. Three times grist and water are mixed in mash tuns. Mash tun is a brew house vessel used for mixing the ground malt (grist) with temperature controlled water. This process is called mashing and the mixture formed is known as mash. The mash tun is the single vessel where the mashing and the wort runoff take place in the same vessel. We will soon come to the definition of wort.
During these three times the grist and water are mixed, the temperature is increased until 95 degree Celsius. In the last round, the extracted sugar is the least. This last water is used for the next batch in the mash tun. The resulting sweet water is called the wort which goes on to fermentation. The remaining mash is used as animal feed. To invest in whiskey is to know that your asset is going to go through an extremely huge process of transformation.
The Process For Grain Whiskey :[edit]
To invest in grain whiskey or in malted whiskey is purely a choice that needs to be made by the investor. Malted whiskey is considered to be more in demand and holds a high prestigious value. However, that does not reduce the value of grain whiskey on the other hand. Come, let’s have a look at the process of fermentation in case of grain whiskey.
As the grains are not malted, they still do contain starch. In order to make the fermentation process occur this starch needs to be converted into sugar. In order to make that happen, the grains are first milled and then pressure cooked. During this process, two things happen at the same time. Firstly, the starch solutes out of the husks and the long molecules of the starch are cut into shorter sugars. The resulting sugar solution is called wort, just like we saw it in the fermentation process of malt whiskey.
Fermentation :[edit]
This is the process that you will experience when you go to invest in whiskey in today’s time. After many trial and errors and improvements, the method used today differs from the traditional methods. The barley is malted in the big malting companies that produce more efficiently and supply both the whiskey and beer industry. The desired peat level can be specified exactly in this method. To invest in whiskey in today’s times is not as tough as the olden times due to the easy process.
The wort is cooled down to about 20 degree Celsius and yeast is added to it. The solution is then left in wash backs for 48-96 hours during which the yeast works and produces alcohol from the sugar.
So, this brings us at the end of Part -2 of our understanding of the whiskey process. However, what happens after the whiskey is formed and how it is bottled up is also an important part to know. That will be shared in one of our next articles soon.
References[edit]
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