The distilling whisky is a delicate process and in the first few steps, not unlike beer brewing. The main ingredients are essentially just water and barley. The water and barley are mixed, heated and kept in a tank for a couple of weeks while it germinates.
This process is stopped by placing the barley over an oven. These ovens are often fired with peat, which gives the whisky its smokey flavour. When the barley has dried, it's grinded into a porridge-like substance called grist, which is very rich in sugar. The grist is mixed with water in a tank called a "mash tun" in order to create a mash. It is regulary stirred in order to release the sugars. This creates two products, the wort and the draff. The wort is a liquid which is separated from the draff into a washback (a large wooden tank). The draff is a waste product which is usually used for cattle food. In these washbacks, made from special wood resistant to fungi, yeast is added to the mix in order to start fermentation. The fermentation causes the sugar to convert to alcohol. In this process, the wash is like a beer, with an alcohol percentage of around 8-9%. |
Fun fact: Whisky
can't be called whisky until it has matured for at least 3 years. During these
3 years, about 2% of the alcohol evaporates - this is called The Angel's Share.
So, in essence, the longer a whisky is stored, the lower the alcohol percentage
as evaporation is a continuous process.
The short, but illustrious history of Scottish Whisky
Legend had it, that whisky was introduced to Ireland back in the 5th century AD, and was then introduced to Scotland by Dalriadic Scots in Kintyre around 500AD. Whatever the origin, however, it's known that it was the monasteries that started distilling whisky at a regular pace back in the 12th century in Ireland. Used as a tonic or medicament for various illnesses, the whisky of that age was often extremely potent due to a crude distilling process. As likely to do you harm as good.
In 1505, the Guild of Surgeon Barbers were granted monopoly for distilling whisky by King James IV. The real evolution of the whisky, however, came to light after the dissolution of the scottish monestaries in the 15th century. The monks were then forced to put their knowledge of distilling to good use. |
With the increased popularity of whisky in the population, it started being subjected to taxes. First by the Scottish Parliament, and increasingly with the Act of Union of 1707. England set out to control the rebellious clans of Scotland and in doing so, inadverdently, drove many of the distillers underground.
This underground distillation and distribution continued up until 1823 when it was made profitable to distill whisky legally. Up until that point, there had been a long feud between the British overlords and the Scottish clans. The legalisation was credited to the Duke of Gordon, who incidentally, owned a lot of acres on which some of the finest whisky were produced. He came to the conclusion, that despite over 14.000 illicit stills being confiscated every year, still half the whisky consumed in Scotland didn't contribute anything in taxes. The 1823 Excise Act was passed and it became feasible to produce whisky legally, with an annual license fee of £10. |
In reference to the film: "The Angel Share" (2013) Whisky has become synonymous with Scotland. With their rolling hills and deep lochs. It is one of their biggest exports, one could almost say, that is is their Mona Lisa.. |
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Irn Bru is a classic scottish soft drink and has been prolificly featured in many films that has taken place in Scotland. Originally called the Iron Brew, it was created in the early 20th century in Falkirk. It has the nickname "Scotlands other national drink", besides whisky.
Irn Bru are notoriously famous for their marketing campaigns which have gone above and beyond their competitors. This has helped secure their marketshare in Scotland alongside brands such as Coca Cola and Pepsi. Some of Irn Bru's marketing ploys have been deemed over the line, and as such, were taken down. Nevertheless, Irn Bru is still going strong in Scotland abroad. |
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