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Types of macallan whiskey3/1/2023 The Macallan: Speyside Scotch or Highland Scotch? These barrels are blended together and then either aged a little longer or bottled for production. Once the whisky has aged for a set amount of time, the master distiller tastes all barrels and determines which are fit for aging. The heart is transferred to oak barrels and aged for several years to several decades in a warehouse kept at specific low temperatures. The “heart” of the distillate is then set aside as the future scotch whisky. The low-wine moves to a second round of distillation in spirit stills where the lower alcohol portions, the head, and tail, are removed. Once this vapor has been fully separated and cooled, the ABV has increased, but it is still called “low-wine.” The wash is transferred to copper pot stills and heated to allow the alcohol to separate as vapor. These yeast further fermentation and create a “wash” of around 8% alcohol by volume (ABV). The wort is transferred to washbacks and combined with yeast. The barley is dried overheat to halt germination in a process called “malting.” The malted barley is then ground in a grist mill and combined with warm water to form “wort.” Barley’s natural enzymes begin early conversion of sugar into alcohol. Harvested barley is soaked in water to germinate. Of course, each distillery makes its own minor changes which sets them apart from everyone else. Thanks to the Scotch Whisky Association’s rules, there is a fairly uniform process for making scotch, blended or single malt. The “malt” portion refers to malted barley as the sole ingredient. Single malts are made from one grain, that assumption is true. Some people assume “single malt” means the scotch is made from a single grain. You may have Macallan 15 or 18 in there as well, but since 12 is the youngest, that’s the age listed. So The Macallan 12 means that the youngest whisky used came from a barrel that aged 12 years. The age marked in any single malt represents the youngest whiskey included in the bottle. And, in Macallan’s case, the coloring looks the same too. This is done to create consistent flavors throughout bottles (since each barrel can taste slightly different.) By blending different bottles, distillers can be certain each bottle of Macallan 12 tastes the same from year to year. Many people assume it means the scotch came from a single barrel or a single cask.Īctually, most single malts are blends of different barrels. Single malt is a somewhat misunderstood term. Single malt simply means this scotch is the product of one single distillery and it is made from malted barley only. The Macallan 12 is technically designated as a single malt scotch, which is even more specific. Have the maturation and bottle years marked on the bottle.Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels.Distilled, produced, matured, and bottled all in Scotland.To be legally defined scotch your product must be: They can get very complicated, so, for now, let’s just focus on the 4 basic rules. In fact, the Scotch Whisky Association created a set of rules to fully define and guarantee quality from all scotch distillers. Scotch, however, is a very specific type of whisky. The distilled liquor is then aged, usually in wood, for a number of years to develop more flavor and color. These grains could include barley, wheat, corn, or rye. Whisky is any liquor made from distilled grains. But I assume you want a little more than that. What is Scotch?īasic definition: Scotch is whisky produced and matured in Scotland. It is closest to the Highland/Speyside style and is full of rich caramel, vanilla, and hot spice notes. Macallan 12 is a Single Malt Scotch that has been aged for 12 years in oak.
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