The making of whiskey begins with the selection of ingredients. The primary ingredients in any whiskey are water, yeast, and grain almost always barley. The main difference in whiskeys come from whether the barley is malted, unmalted, or a mix of the two, and in the case of malted barley, how the barley is malted. Malting is the process of soaking the grain in water to begin germination, then stopping the germination process by heating it. The selection of the barley is a very important step in the process as this, more than anything else, will determine the quality of the whiskey that will be made from it years, or even decades, later. Frequently a malting plant will produce the barely and supply it to the distillery. One of the main criteria in selecting the barley is the sugar content.

Other variations in the production of whiskey also concern the production of the barley. Pure malt whiskey comes only from malted barley, whereas blended whiskey comes from pure malt whiskey that has been blended with mixed grain whiskey. Single malt is a pure malt whiskey that is distilled in a pot still. The selection of the other two ingredients, water and yeast, also play an important role in the product. The final flavor of the whiskey can depend a lot on the quality and purity of the water used. The choice of yeast is one of the closely held secrets in the production of whiskey.

The next step, for malted whiskeys is the malting process. As stated, this is frequently done in modern times at a malting plant according to the specifications of the buyer, although three are still some traditional distilleries that malt their own barley. Whether malted or not, the barley is then ground in a mill to a course flour that is used in the brewing process. The ground barley, or grist, is then mixed with hot water and then brewed, usually three or four times, to produce the wort, that is used in fermentation.

The addition of yeast is what begins the fermentation process. The yeast reacts with the sugars in the wort and produces alcohol. This process produces what is basically a beer, called the wash, which is then taken on to the distillation process. Distillation separates the alcohol from the rest of the wash. Heat causes the alcohol to evaporate, and this gas is then cooled to produce the spirits. The distillation process is then repeated with the results of the first process.

Finally, the spirit is then aged in casks which finishes and gives the final flavor to the various whiskies. The resulting whiskey is then bottled and put on the market. The making of fine whiskey is an age old tradition, with many subtle differences and nuances only touched upon in this article.

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