There are several things to look for when buying whisky. The amount of aging time, the ingredients in a blended whisky, and whether you prefer single malt whisky are things to be considered. Blended whisky comes in a wide range of flavours and just because you like one type of blended whisky does not mean that you will necessarily like others.

The longer a whisky is aged, the smoother it gets as a general rule, and if it is a blended whisky, it can also determine the flavour by whether the blending or vatting is done prior to aging or prior to bottling. Some whisky drinkers that are connoisseurs consider single malt whisky the purist whisky, while others prefer blended whisky for the enhanced flavouring which can include smoky, honey, fruity and spicy tastes, depending on the malted grains that are used.

The type of wood that is used in the aging cask can also determine flavour, especially for whiskies that have been aged longer. In Scotland, it is not considered whisky until it is aged three years, and some whisky may be aged for over 20 years. Oak barrels or applewood barrels lend a unique flavour to the whisky that is aged in them, for example.

The distilling process is only the beginning of the process in making a fine whisky. Some of the blended whiskies have taken years to achieve the flavouring they desire and once discovered, consistency in the recipe is key to making a good blended whisky. Some flavours of malt whisky and grain whisky go together better than others, and most blending involves the use of caramel for colouring consistency.

To know what to look for when buying whisky, you need to first determine whether you prefer single malt or a blended whisky. Most people have a preference for one or the other. Blended whisky can be a blend of several different types of malt whisky, or can be a blend of malt and other grain whisky. It is not unusual for some blends to have 40 or more different individual types of whisky.

Another thing to consider if you like blended whisky, is the type of flavouring you prefer. If you prefer a fruity flavouring, then you may not like a spicy whisky blend, for example. Also, there are varying degrees of flavours, therefore if you don’t like a smoky taste, then you certainly will not enjoy a blended whisky that has it.

The aging process in number of years and type of vatting can also determine the smoothness of whisky, and some people prefer a longer aged whisky if they are drinking it alone or on the rocks. Blended whisky is typically used when making cocktails, since it is less expensive than a single malt whisky and other flavours in the cocktail would mask the malt flavour anyway.

What to look for when buying whisky is determined by personal taste. Being knowledgeable in the types of whisky there are to choose from can also make it easier to pick the one with the flavouring that you are most likely to prefer.

Makers Mark
The Samuels, like the Beams, are part and parcel of Kentucky’s history. The family has been a distillers since 1780, and their TW Samuels brand was an early classic. One of their ancestors, Rueben Samuels, married Zerelda James, whose sons became better known for a less peaceful way of life. Bill Samuels, current boss of Maker’s Mark, still has Jesse’s and Frank’s pistols hanging on the wall of his office.

A discussion of the human influence on whiskey leads Bill to muse on his father, Bill Samuels Sr, who was something of a visionary in these parts. He bought the run-down Happy Hollow distillery in 1953 and started making a new kind of bourbon his way, in a different, softer style. After consulting another legend of the industry, Pappy Van Winkle, he created a new mashbill using winter wheat instead of rye, aged the whiskey for longer and sold it at a higher price. Not the standard approach in post-war Kentucky.

‘In 1953, Dad was talking of how people were looking for a more refined version of bourbon,’ recalls Bill. ‘He knew the things that he wanted to preserve, the ones he wanted to throw out. He was going to create a bourbon to suit his taste: it had damn-all to do with the market! He just thought bourbon should taste better’.

The industry is full of such purely personal likes and dislikes dictating the taste of a brand. Bill Sr simply didn’t like aggressive whiskey, so he changed everything. His was a gentle crusade. The family may be related to the James gang, but coming out guns blazing just ain’t their style. Bill Sr may have had the vision, but it was his son who took Maker’s Mark across the world, talking up high-quality, premium-priced liquor at the time the industry was at its nadir. Still, the Maker’s Mark crusade must have seemed doomed. Tn the 1960s there wasn’t a nickel’s-worth of difference between bourbon and bourbon-flavoured vodka’, says Bill.

‘The industry was at the end of the road because no-one could afford the $100 barrel. Bourbon can never be a mass-market commodity, because we have that high cost legally built in’. Having to buy new barrels is less problematic when the product is selling for a higher price.

You can list the differences in production that set Maker’s Mark apart: the mashbill; the yeast strain created by Bill’s great-great­grandfather; the double distillation; the charcoal added to the white dog as a filtering agent; the air-dried wood; the way the barrels are rotated in the high-rack warehouses. All these give the product its character, but ultimately Maker’s Mark is about the stubborn Samuels family and the people who work in the distillery.

Bill Sr has been proved right. These days premium bourbon is one of the most exciting areas in world whisky, but Bill refuses to take the credit for this turnaround. Like all great whisky men he realizes he’s part of a team. ‘If I could do one little thing, I’d bring out my ancestors to see that bourbon is finally no longer a wilderness product. The six generations before me did the heavy lifting,’ he says. ‘Dad said he’d change the face of bourbon. When he started no-one gave him a chance, but by the time I retire bourbon will be the talk of the town’.

He believes the new premium sector will be a major factor in restoring pride to the industry. ‘Higher margins fire up the creative juices,’ he says. ‘The industry is improving and the products are infinitely better, because they are high price. Now there’s an opportunity for the talented people in the industry to practise their art and not just produce a low-cost product. The question is whether we have sufficient discipline not to disappoint people’s high expectations … that’s what Dad would have said.’

TASTING NOTES

Maker’s Mark 90°proof Lovely, complex mix of flowers, cumin, cinnamon, marzipan/anise, vanilla and light honey. A soft start, then great interplay between silky-soft honeyed fruit, vanilla-toffee and balanced oak flavours. Some chocolate on the finish. Gentle, easy and complex. *****

… spiced rum is very popular as a mixer, but genuine quality versions for sipping are few and far between ! … this one is for sipping and savouring.

A blended whisky is made when different kinds of whisky are mixed together, typically mixing a 100% malt whisky, with another derivative, which will often be created using different grains and other ingredients to the purer malt. It is not unusual to have anywhere from 15 to 40 different single malt whiskies and grain whiskies in a blended whisky.

Because of blending, it is possible to take several inferior tasting whiskies and come up with a unique whisky blend that is better tasting than any of the individual whisky types it contains. Distilleries can take years acquiring the art of a blended whisky which contains malt and grain whiskies that complement each other and have a unique and palatable taste.

Blending is an art which may involve experimentation to achieve the best flavouring. Blending in no way dilutes the whisky, in fact additional flavour can be achieved through the aging time and type of wood used for the aging cask. It’s important to note that in Scotland, whisky must be aged at least 3 years before it can be classified as whisky. It’s not unusual for some whisky to be aged for more than 20 years, which adds to the flavour, much the same principle as wine.

A single malt whisky is considered the best by purist whisky drinkers and a blend is considered inferior, since blended whisky uses other ingredients which act as fillers for flavouring. Grain alcohol is an ingredient on any bottles that are “blended whisky”, as opposed to “blended Malt whisky” or vatted malt, which means that it is a blend of only malt whisky, in different formulations. Typically, blends may have 65 to 85% grain whisky and 15 to 35% malt whisky.

It’s not unusual to have blended whisky that has a sweet taste of honey, a smoked flavour, a fruity flavour or something else entirely. Many whisky drinkers actually prefer blended whisky because they are sometimes smoother and have better flavours. Blenders also may mix caramel in for colour uniformity.

In blending, the grain whiskies are neutral and the single malt whiskies are what might bring the flavour. Certain malt whisky, such as Island or Islay malts have a spicy rich flavour, while Speyside malts may have a smoky, fruit, apple or sherry character.

Once a successful blend of whisky has been achieved, the blender has to determine demand in the future and has to decide when the different single malt whiskies will be ready to use in a blend versus grain whiskies. In other words, flavour enhancement can come in varying ages, where some might peak at 5 years and others might take 10 or 12 years.

Once they have reached maturity, they will be mixed in a blending vat and returned to the aging cask for the flavours to mingle for months, in order to improve flavor; although there are some distilleries that bring them together in the bottling stage. The process of combining malt whisky with other malt or grain whisky is known as vatting, which is why you may hear blended whisky also referred to as vatted whisky.

Blended whisky is a certain recipe of different whiskies that have a distinct taste, and most whisky drinkers tend to stick with certain blends, once they have found the one they prefer most.

Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo and produced in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.

It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country with yearly sales of over 130 million bottles.

History of Johnnie Walker

Originally known as Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker brand is a legacy left by John ‘Johnnie’ Walker after he started to sell whisky in his grocer’s shop in Ayrshire, Scotland. The brand became popular, but after Walker’s death in 1857 it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the scotch as a popular brand. Under John Walker, whisky sales represented eight percent of the firm’s income; by the time Alexander was ready to pass on the company to his own sons, that figure had increased to between 90 and 95 percent.

Prior to 1860 it was illegal to sell blended whisky. During that time John Walker sold a number of whiskies — notably his own Walker’s Kilmarnock. In 1865 John’s son Alexander produced their first blend, Walker’s Old Highland.

Alexander Walker first introduced the iconic square bottle in 1870. This meant fewer broken bottles and more bottles fitting the same space. The other identifying characteristic of the bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees. The angled label means the text on the label could be made larger and more visible.

From 1906–1909 John’s grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line and introduced the colour names. In 1908, when James Stevenson was the Managing Director, there was a re-branding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker’s Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie Walker Whisky. In addition, the slogan, “Born 1820 – Still going Strong!” was created, along with the Striding Man, a figure used in their advertisements to this day.

Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I. In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, the name originating from the unusual shape of the bottle, which allowed it to rock back and forth.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997.

Johnnie Walker is no longer blended in Kilmarnock, and has not been for many years. The historic bonded warehouses and company offices (now local authority) can still be seen in Strand Street and John Finnie Street.

On 1 July 2009, Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Managing Director for Global Supply Scotland, announced that Diageo intended to cease production of Johnnie Walker Whisky at the historic plant in Kilmarnock. Under a restructuring program across Scotland, production would be moved from the brand’s original home to Diageo plants in Leven, Fife and Shieldhall, Glasgow. The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of Kilmarnock, is intended to close its doors by the end of 2011.

News of the planned closure has had widespread media attention and condemnation from MPs, celebrities, as well as the townsfolk of Kilmarnock and whisky drinkers all around the world. Following the decision, a public campaign started to persuade Diageo as a company to reverse this decision. However on 9 September 2009 Diageo stated that they intended to press ahead with the move away from Kilmarnock and that the matter was “closed”.

The art of making perfectly amalgamated whisky dates back to the ages of the monks in the 15th century. The delicate whiff of the blended whisky has never been explained clearly even today.

“Beatha” an ancient term, which is a Gaelic language for the Latin “aqua vitae” or as, termed “water of life” that was tarnished to “usky” in the 18th century and then transformed to “whisky”.

Making of whisky:

1.Malting: barley is first drenched in water and then spread out on malting floors to sprout. For the prevention of heat build up it is turned up on a regular basis. In the earlier times the barley was tossed in the air by placing barley on the wooden shovels in malt shed flanking to the oven.

During this process the enzymes get activated. The starch is converted into sugar while mashing takes Place. The germination takes place after 6-7 days and then it is called green malt. After the germination is over the green malt goes to the furnace for drying. To keep the enzymes the temperature should be below 70 degree Celsius. To convey flavor from the smoke peat may be added to the fire.

2.Mashing: In this process malt is pulverized into grist and hot water is added to extract the sugar. In 3 stages water will be added starting at a temperature of 67 degree Celsius and rises up to the boiling point.

In a large stainless kettle the extraction takes place, and is termed mash, which is then stirred helping it to convert from starch to sugar. When mashing is done the sweet sugary liquid is formed.

3.Fermentation: The sugary liquid is cooled in this process and is pumped back to washbacks. Sugar is a feeder to the living yeast, which as a result produces alcohol and other compounds called congeners that take out the flavor of the whisky.

Wash froths are produced viciously along with carbon dioxide. After the fermentation the wash generate 6-8% alcohol.

4.Distillation: The alcohol is estranged from water by distillation process. The wash is distilled two times. And other residue will include yeast and pot ale; these residues are also used for cow feeding.

The distilled wash is known as low wines, containing about 20% alcohol content. Then it goes to the spirit still for another distillation. In the spirit receiver only 60% alcohol is collected.

Maturation: Whisky at a matured level becomes smooth, flavor enriched, and achieve a golden flavor from the oak cask. And the other restrained compounds enhance whisky’s idiosyncratic flavor.

The law allows whisky to mature for 3 years as a minimum time. But all single malts are stored in the wood from 8-15 years. The evaporation is allowed for a maximum of 2% from the oak cask strictly controlled by customs and excise.

Bottling: A bottle of malt whisky may only contain whisky distilled from malted barley. Vatted whiskies are those that are produced at more than one distillery. It can be also termed as blended malt or pure malt. Blended whisky can be made by mixing single malt with gram whisky. Single malts are either bottled by the distillary or by an independent bottler.

In meaning, whiskey translates to “water of life”.  Whisky originated from Scotland during the early 1400′s, and is very popular around the world today. Even today, whisky tastes much like it did when it first began.  Manufacturers of whisky are strong on heritage, and therefore do all they can to capture the flavor that whiskey has always been known for.

For any occasion, whisky is truly great.  Whisky is commonly used during weddings and ceremonies, and both the bride and groom will drink it to signify a relationship that will stand the test of time. The drink isn’t only served with weddings, as it is also popular in bars and restaurants as well.  Those wishing to signify friendship can also serve whisky as a gesture of wanting to be friends.

Whisky also makes a great gift for friends, employees, and even executives.  Around the office, whisky is very popular.  When someone has had a tough day at work, few things bring out the best like whisky.  It can help someone relax, and make them feel at ease.  Drink enough of it however – and you will feel as if you are king of the world!

Although it has many uses, one of the best is ice cubes.  If you combine whiskey with ice cubes, the combination is truly inspiring.  People often refer to it as whisky on the rocks, as it is very commonly served in bars and restaurants.  Whiskey on the rocks is also refreshing, as the ice cubes help to take some of the “bite” away from the otherwise strong and potent drink.

There are several variations of whiskey as well.  Scottish whisky, Jack Daniels, and Wild Turkey are among the most popular whiskey’s in North America.  Scottish whisky is very popular in different parts of the world, while Jack Daniels is the preferred brand of whiskey in the United States.  Jack is served at many bars and restaurants, and provides a great mixed drink if you pair it with Coke.

If you’re looking to buy some whisky for your home, you’ll never have to worry about having trouble finding it.  ABC stores are the best source, although if you live in a state such as California you can find it at your local grocery or department store.  Whiskey is one of the best selling forms of hard liquor, with thousands of people around the world drinking it quite frequently.

Easy to find and easy to use, whisky is easily one of the best types of alcohol that you can buy.  You can use it at parties or socials, or just keep it for yourself.  Whiskey is also great for the body, if you drink a shot of it a day.  With various ways to be used and a bold crisp flavor – whiskey is something that you can never go wrong with. Please note Scottish Whisky,American Whiskey,a subtle but important difference which equally applies to the different brands

One of the more intriguing aspects of bourbon’s revival is the way in which its stubborn old guardians have been proved right. None more so than Wild Turkey’s Jimmy Russell. A glance at the Wild Turkey distillery confirms that this place doesn’t abide by convention.

As other firms are tidying up their plants, the iron-clad, black-painted Wild Turkey sits teetering on the brink of a gorge, steam rattling out of various chimneys. It is one of those places which feels alive, as if the plant is humming with the measured rhythm of the staff. And, overseeing it all, is the avuncular Jimmy.

Take a walk with Jimmy through his distillery – it may be owned by Pernod-Ricard, but this is Jimmy’s place – and it comes alive. The swirl and changing colours of the ferment; the wheeze, hiss and whistle of the still – these are not inanimate functions, but part and parcel of a creative, living process.

No surprise, then, that he’s a firm believer in the human touch. ‘People are one of the most important things in making bourbon,’ he says. ‘It’s people who are doing the work here, people with generations of experience. All these proud people feel that Wild Turkey is part of them’.

He talks of understanding the meaning in the weird music of the still. ‘You have to have a stillman there, watching and listening to it. The sound tells him what is going on. We can hear a funny noise and know what’s happening. You can’t have that hands-on control with machines’.

Jimmy is no technocrat. His pride in his distillery and his whiskey springs from the heart. ‘There are things which you cannot prove scientifically. You can’t prove why copper works better than stainless steel, but you sure can taste the difference. So, for me, making whiskey is a craftsman’s process, an artistic process if you like. That artistic element is coming back as bourbon’s image improves, and small batch and single barrel brands appear. People are coming back to an old-fashioned way of making whiskey and old-fashioned flavours’.

This belief in flavour is a crucial factor in making Jimmy’s the tastiest bourbon of all. “Old-fashioned’ is often used in a derogatory sense, but when distillers such as Jimmy Russell use the term, they’re talking of a style of bourbon made before the ‘light is right’ brigade began to throttle the industry to death. These days, people like him have been vindicated, as the whisky-drinking world (re)discovers flavour and complexity. They wanted us to go lighter and lighter, but we never did change,’ he smiles. ‘You’ll see more and more flavoursome, top-end bourbons in the future: but we didn’t have to change anything, we were already there!’

Everything in the production of Wild Turkey is done to maximize flavour. The mashbill is heavy on rye and barley malt, it’s distilled to a lower proof than any other bourbon and aged for longer than average. Jimmy also insists on using ‘the old, natural ageing process’, by rotating the barrels in the warehouses – taking the barrels from the hot top floors and replacing them with those that have started on the cool lower floors. It gives a more even maturation profile for the Wild Turkey brands, though it’s the middle floors which provide the whiskeys that go into the small batch Rare Breed and single barrel Kentucky Spirit.

Superb though they are, it’s Wild Turkey 101° proof, 8-year-old which defines top-end bourbon. Uncompromising yet charming (like Jimmy himself), the fact that Hunter S. Thompson rates it as his favourite bourbon is no surprise, and speaks volumes about what to expect.

TASTING NOTES

Wild Turkey
80°proof Big nose, mixing geranium orange peel and dark fruit. Some smoke on the palate, which is rich with light cinnamon/perfumed notes, then a crisp vanilla/toasty finish. Solid stuff. ***

Wild Turkey 8-year-old
lOTproof Wonderfully rich and complex nose of acacia honey, caramelized fruits/creme brulee, faded roses and dried spices. Starts sweetly then sits heavily in the mouth. Hugely rich, mixing tingling sweet spices, honeyed fruits, vanilla and some red fruit. Succulent, and a meal in a glass. * * * * *

Wild Turkey Rare Breed
108.6°proof Slightly sweeter than the 8-year-old 101 °: more barley sugar/candy notes. Big and honeyed, with a light floral lift. Lovely mix of roses, fragrant spice, plum, nectarine and cigar box. A slow, soft start in the mouth, then a lift of charred wood, honeyed wood and a mix of chocolate and lemon on the finish

Nothing is straightforward in whisky. Here is a distillery which makes the biggest selling malt in the world, but still uses coal-fired stills, a technique most distillers have abandoned for being too expensive and liable to give variable results.

It’s a light dram produced from tiny stills, when industry wisdom maintains that small equals big.
Only Glenfiddich and Springbank make, mature and bottle on the same site. To be the manager of all of that must be daunting, but lan Millar is up for it. With 25 years’ experience in 10 UD distilleries, lan knows how to get the most out of a plant.

As a modern distillery manager he has to balance the need for a plant to be cost-effective, while preserving the tradition which uniquely impacts on the distillery’s character. ‘The lower the cost per litre, the greater the margin,’ he says.

‘So whisky production is all to do with lowering the cost of the make.’ Unromantic? A distillery manager’s job has always been about getting the best possible yield from the malt, without impacting on quality or character.
Bring three managers together in the same room and you can bet that within minutes they’ll be bragging about how high their yield is. Be will be boys. lan is obviously enjoying the challenge! managing such a high-profile place. ‘This i such a diverse site.

We have floor malting Balvenie, we have three distilleries Kininv is also on site, one of which is coal-fired, we’ve a cooperage, we’re maturing all the stocks on the one site and bottling it here” well. Working for a smaller company has enabled me to get involved in areas such as wood purchase, which I’ve been unable to access in the past, so personally there’s a new depth to the job.’
As a new boy, it also means that he relied on the experience of his staff. ‘Work with people is the joy of this job,’ he says

A lot of people here have been brought up in rhe whisky industry. Their fathers, inii It’s and grandfathers have worked here lirli in1 them. They’ve great pride in what they tin .ind are steeped in tradition.

Developing his skills is, he feels, fundamental to developing the Glenfiddich tick. ‘Traditionally, the distillers and brewers haven’t been given enough credit for what they have done. The way things are developing it’s the integrators who are taking more responsibility, whereas in the past they would look up and ask, what to do.

‘We didn’t give them an understanding of the process,’ he adds. ‘If people are more involved and have more responsibility you are more likely to monitor the quality of the spirit. If they’re not involved, it’s down to you.
Glenfiddich is up there to be shot at, but no matter what the rest of the trade or the critics say, it keeps on selling. Its site may be a tourist trap (but then it does give free tours), and it may be seen as a sign of weakness or innocence to say you like a dram of ‘Fiddich, but can millions of consumers be that wrong?

OK, it’s not the greatest malt in Scotland, but it has never claimed to be. In its standard issue it’s a perfectly decent (and mixable) drink – a Strauss waltz rather than a Mahler symphony. The newest expressions, the likes of Solera, Millennium and 25-year-old, point to a degree of substance behind the froth.

TASTING NOTES

Glenfiddich Special Reserve
Hay-like and grassy, with some pear. A sweet start, with a touch of peanut brittle on the finish. * Glenfiddich 12-year-old A malty/oatcake nose with some grassiness. Sweet in the mouth with a mix of white chocolate and gorse. A spicy, creamy little number ivith a tingling finish

Glenfiddich 15-year-old Solera Reserve
A mix of dried fruits and milk chocolate on the nose. Touch of fruit and some walnut/orange sherry notes. Crisp, with a finish of fresh raspberries, chocolate and cream.

Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve 18-year-old
A waft of cereal/bran notes and some sherry wood. A little peat smoke and mocha. The finish has a bint of caramel.
Glenfiddich Millennium Reserve 21-year-old
Lovely nose of fresh flowers, nuts and ripe red plums. Soft and quite chocolatey to start; velvety, with a mix of vanilla pod and coffee bean on the very long finish. Subtly charming.

The production of Scotch whisky takes a considerable amount of time.  It is a tedious process that can last for years.  However, when it is done correctly, the product is one that is worth the wait.  

Barley is immersed in deep tanks of water for approximately three days. As the moisture increases it commences the germination process. After the germination process, the barley is then moved to the malting segment of the distillery where it will be placed into drums also known as the malting floor.

The intention of the germination process is to convert the starch in the grains into fermentable sugars. This will feed the yeast in the fermentation phase. Rotating the barley frequently ensures the temperature will remain consistent. Wooden shovels known as sheils are used to turn the grains on a traditional malting floor. The grains will die if the temperature reaches above 22 degrees, and will halt the entire process as the starch will not be converted to sugar.

The grain is then kilned to stop the continuation of sugar consumption because the kiln will absorb any moisture. In general, a traditional kiln is a building standing two stories tall with the top perforated to allow all heat to escape. The ground floor contains peat bricks that are heated. During this process the grain is dried and absorbs that peat’s smell. The pagoda style roof on a distillery is the most distinct characteristic. The malt must not be heated above 70 degrees or it will certainly be damaged and unusable.

Today, most of the distilleries buy all their malt from a centralized malting company. However, there remain a select few that continue to be traditional and do it all themselves.

The grain is milled into grist and mixed with water in mash tubs to be heated to sixty degrees. During the mashing period the water is changed at least four times to rid the tubs of sediment. The byproduct of this mashing is known as wort. The wort must be cooled before mixing with yeast in what is called a wash back. This large container is never filled completely as the wort froths a lot due to carbon dioxide. By the time two or three days have passed, all the yeast is killed by the alcohol.  The final product of this cycle is called wash. It contains five to eight percent alcohol.

The stills in which the wash is placed are made of copper and are regulated to a particular shape that allows for proper distillation to occur. The still method is usually completed twice, but some companies do it three times or more.

After the entire method is complete the brew is then placed in casks made usually of oak, for a minimum period of eight to twelve years.