Whisky – What is it & how is it made?

Bearing an illustrious reputation as the drink of the sophisticated, whisky possesses a mystique unmatched by any other spirit.

With thousands of bottles of whisky crowding commercial shelves and residential cellars throughout the world, you might be surprised to learn that this infamous spirit is made using three simple ingredients: water, yeast and grain. Whether Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey or one of the many other whisky-producing regions around the world (from Canada to Japan), these three ingredients define the quality of the final product.

Unlike other spirits, where the dominance of the flavour stems from grapes, hops or sugars, whisky actually relies on the quality of the water used during the distillation process to determine the end result. Ideally, the producer uses perfectly clear water; free of impurities that might alter the flavour – iron, for example, can give your whisky a stale taste.

Many American whiskeys are made using water from areas rich in limestone, which helps ensure purified water. Scottish water, meanwhile, still reigns supreme as the world’s best whisky-producing water, although it’s difficult to say whether premium quality or longstanding tradition is the main reason for this achievement.

Every whisky is produced using a different combination of grains, with one exception: every bottle of whisky uses at least a small amount of malted barley during fermentation. Single malt Scotch whisky is the only whisky that uses barley exclusively, while blends complement the barley with some combination of corn, wheat, rye or oats.

The alcohol in the fermented liquid is then isolated during distillation – basically, the process of vaporizing the water so the producer can determine the perfect balance. After distillation, the whisky is barreled and aged for a minimum of three years (but often many, many more) to enhance the flavour and up the alcohol content.

Every step of this process can be tinkered with, which is precisely why a relentless attention to detail is what separates the world’s best whisky producers from the mediocre.