How Is Whiskey Made?
It all starts with a fermented grain mash. In this process, you heat a combined mixture of malted barley, grains and water. The malt enzymes break down the starch in the grains, creating a sugar. This messy liquid, called “wort,” is the liquid from the mash that is eventually fermented into alcohol. This initial process produces a liquid nearly identical to beer, called “wash“.
After this wash is created, the liquid has to be distilled in order to become whiskey. A column still or pot still is used for this and begins a process of boiling and cooling, where the vapor produced is a higher concentrate of alcohol than the initial wash. The more you distill the liquid, the higher the alcohol content. You get the point.
After distillation, the liquid will be placed in casks for a determined amount of time for aging. Whiskey won’t age any further once emptied from the cask, so producers let the distilled liquid age for as long they choose and then bottle it for resale. Bottoms up!
