Glossary of terms for Whisky Investors
From Age of the Youngest Spirit to the difference between Whisky & Whiskey, here are some terms you should know.
Age of the Youngest Spirit
Age of the Youngest Spirit (AYS) is the age of the youngest whisky in a bottle. Suppose 3-year-old whisky is blended with 25-year-old whisky. The age of the bottle will be 3 years.
Alcohol by volume (abv)
Alcohol by volume (ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent).
As per the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 of the UK, Scotch Whisky must be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% abv and distilled below 94.8% abv so that it retains the flavor and aroma derived from its raw materials.
Angels' Share
Angels’ Share is the evaporation of whisky from a cask while it is maturing in a warehouse. Angels' Share is about 2% of the total liquid per year. It reduces as the age of the cask increases.
This amount is affected by multiple factors, including:
age of the whisky,
size of the cask
location of the warehouse.
Example: Small casks stored in warmer temperatures have higher evaporation.
Bulk Litres of Alcohol
Grain spirit is a mixture of alcohol, water, aromatic compounds, and other substances. Since these proportions change a lot over the period of cask maturation, only the alcohol in the cask is measured when samples are taken. This is called Bulk Litres of Alcohol.
Example: A cask is filled with 100 litres of new spirit at 60% abv. The Bulk Litres of Alcohol = 0.60 x 100 i.e. 60 bulk litres of alcohol.
Bottled-in-bond
Bottled-in-bond refers to spirits made at one distillery during one production season, aged for at least 4 years in a US government-supervised warehouse, and bottled at 100 proof (50% alcohol by volume). This label ensures quality and authenticity.
Bung
Bung is the name of the wooden cork that seals a cask once it has been filled. The bung prevents whisky from leaking when a barrel is rolled around a warehouse.
Casks or barrels
Cask refers to all types of oak vessels that are used in the storage and maturation of whisky. As per UK laws, all casks containing Scotch Whisky must be made of oak wood. The oak mainly comes from the US, Spain, France & Eastern Europe.
The names and sizes of Scotch Whisky cases are:
Barrel: 190-200 litres
Hogshead: 225-250 litres
Butt: 475-500 litres
Quarter cask: 45-50 litres
Barrique: 250-300 litres
Puncheon: 450-500 litres
Port pipe: 550-650 litres
Madeira drum: 600-650 litres
Note: The names and sizes of whisky kegs can vary between regions and distilleries.
Charring
Charring converts molecules in the wood of a cask to caramel sugars that flavour and colour the whisky. The inside of a cask is prepared by "charring" it over a fire. Char can be light, medium, heavy, or alligator.
First-fill cask
First-fill refers to a cask that was previously used to age another type of spirit like bourbon or sherry and is now being used for the first time to age Scotch Whisky.
The whisky absorbs strong flavors from the previous spirit, with the influence decreasing each time the cask is reused.
First-fill casks are highly premium as they impart the strongest flavours into the whisky.
Intermediate bulk container
An intermediate bulk container is a storage vessel that keeps whisky stable while it is being transported.
Original Litres of Alcohol
Original Litres of Alcohol is the amount of pure alcohol stored in a cask at the time of first filling.
Refill
Refill is a cask that has previously been used to mature Scotch Whisky and is then refilled again.
Regauging
Regauging ensures that the whisky maturation process is progressing within the expected parameters. A regauge is like a health check-up for your whisky cask to determine the exact ABV and litres of alcohol in the cask.
Re-rack
Transferring whisky from one cask into a new cask of a different size/type is called a re-rack. It gives new characteristics to the whisky.
Scotch Whisky
The term Scotch Whisky is defined in the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 of the UK. Simply put, Scotch Whisky is:
Made in Scotland from only cereals, water, and yeast
Matured for a minimum of 3 years in oak casks
Bottled at a minimum strength of 40% abv
Distilled below 94.8% abv so that it retains the flavor and aroma derived from its raw materials
No flavoring or sweetening is permitted
The UK law defines 5 categories of Scotch Whisky:
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Blended Scotch Whisky
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery from water and malted barley with or without whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals, and which does not comply with the definition of Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
A blend of Single Grain Scotch Whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
A blend of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, and by batch distillation in copper pot stills. Single Malt Scotch Whisky must be bottled in Scotland.
Blended Scotch Whisky
A blend of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Whiskies.
Value of Whisky
The value of Whisky increases as it ages in a cask. Unlike wine, Whisky does not mature in the bottle.
Example: A 3-year-old whisky is bottled and the bottle is stored for 10 years. It will remain a 3-year-old whisky.
Example: The age statement on a bottle of Scotch Whisky reads 10 years. This means that the Whisky spent 10 years maturing in a cask. This "age" will not change even if the bottle is kept for 20 years.
Whisky v/s Whiskey
Scottish, Canadian & Japanese whisky is spelled without an "e".
Irish & American whiskey is spelled with an "e".