General Whisky Terms

• ABV (Alcohol by Volume): The percentage of alcohol in a liquid, indicating the spirit’s strength. For Scotch whisky, the legal minimum is 40% ABV.
• Age: The number of years whisky has been maturing in the cask. Whisky does not continue to age once it is bottled.
• Age of Youngest Spirit (AYS): The age of the youngest component in a blended whisky, legally required to be stated on the label in Scotch whisky. Particularly significant for blended and vatted whiskies, where the blend may contain older spirits.
• Beneficial Owner: The individual who holds ownership of a cask of whisky, enjoying the benefits and control over the asset.
• Cask Strength Whisky: Whisky bottled directly from the cask without diluting to a lower ABV. These whiskies are typically strong, often reaching 60% ABV or more.
• Single Cask Whisky: Bottled from a single cask, without blending with other casks. This provides unique flavors due to individual aging characteristics.
• Single Malt Whisky: Made at a single distillery from malted barley and distilled in pot stills. It’s highly valued for its traditional production methods.
• Single Grain Whisky: Produced at a single distillery but can include other grains beyond malted barley. Distilled in a column or Coffey still.
• Blended Whisky: A mix of grain and malt whiskies, typically to create a balanced and consistent flavor profile.
• Dram: A Scottish term for a measure of whisky, often used informally to describe any serving of the spirit.
• Distillation Date: The specific date when the spirit was distilled and placed into a cask for maturation.
• New Make Whisky: The fresh distillate before it has been aged in a cask. It is essentially the unaged spirit that will eventually become whisky after the required maturation period.
• Maturation: The process of aging whisky in oak casks, legally required for a minimum of three years in Scotland. Maturation length and conditions significantly impact flavor.
• Malt: Refers to barley that has been soaked in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried in a kiln, used in the production of malt whisky.
• Barley: A cereal grain that is commonly used in whisky production. Scotch single malt whisky must be made exclusively from malted barley.
• Wash: The liquid created during the fermentation process before distillation. It contains alcohol and is essentially a beer-like liquid.
• Fermentation: The process by which yeast converts sugars in the wash into alcohol, creating the initial alcoholic liquid before distillation.
• Spirit: An alcoholic drink with an ABV of 20% or more.
• Peat Moss: The material from which peat is made, used in some whisky production to impart a distinctive smoky flavor.

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Cask and Maturation Terms

• Cask: A wooden container used to age whisky, typically made of oak. Casks come in various sizes and influence the whisky’s flavor and color as it matures.
• Angels’ Share: The portion of whisky that evaporates during maturation, typically around 2% per year.
• Bung: The wooden plug used to seal a cask. Bungs are usually made from poplar, and they allow controlled access for sampling or re-racking.
• Char: The burnt inner layer of the cask, helping filter the whisky and impart flavors by breaking down the wood’s natural sugars.
• Cask Sample: A sample taken directly from the cask to assess its progress during maturation.
• Char Levels: The degree of charring inside a cask, typically classified as light, medium, heavy, or alligator char, each impacting flavor.
• Regauge: A process of measuring a cask’s alcohol content and volume over time to monitor evaporation and maturation progress.
• Bulk Litres: The total volume of liquid in a container, without regard to its alcoholic strength. It indicates the physical amount of whisky in the cask.
• Bulk Litres of Alcohol (BLA): Measurement of the pure alcohol in a cask based on its ABV. Calculated by multiplying the total volume by the ABV.
• Original Litres of Alcohol (OLA): The amount of pure alcohol in the cask when first filled, based on initial ABV.
• Regauged Litres of Alcohol (RLA): The current amount of pure alcohol in a cask after subsequent measurements during maturation.
• Duty Suspension: Alcohol in casks held in bonded warehouses is duty-suspended, meaning tax is only paid when it’s bottled or exported.
• Finishing: The practice of transferring maturing whisky into a different type of cask for a short period (typically 3-12 months) to impart additional flavors from the new cask.
• Re-racking: The process of transferring whisky from one cask to another, often to influence the flavor profile by using a different type of cask.
• Delivery Order (DO): A document sent to a warehouse to notify them of a change of cask ownership, signed by the warehouse overseer. It serves as official accreditation of ownership.

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Types of Casks

• Cask Type: The specific kind of cask (e.g., ex-bourbon, sherry, port) used for maturation, impacting the whisky’s flavor profile.
• American Standard Barrel (ASB): A 200-liter cask commonly used in American whiskey and then often repurposed for Scotch whisky aging.
• Hogshead: A 230-250 liter cask often reassembled from American barrels and widely used in Scotch whisky production.
• Butt: A 500-liter cask originally used for sherry, often adopted for Scotch whisky maturation.
• Quarter Cask: A smaller 125-liter cask, often used to speed up maturation due to its higher surface area to volume ratio.
• Octave: A 50-liter cask, popular for experimental or limited-edition releases due to its accelerated maturation effects.
• First-fill Cask: A cask that is being used for maturing whisky for the first time.
• Seasoned Cask: A cask that has previously held another liquid, such as sherry or port, infusing it with characteristics from that liquid.

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Whisky Warehouse and Storage Terms

• Bonded Warehouse: Government-approved storage facility for duty-suspended spirits, where whisky must be stored during maturation to avoid tax liabilities until bottling.
• Dunnage Warehouse: Traditional warehouses with low stone walls and earthen floors, which allow whisky to mature under stable conditions.
• Racked Warehouse: A more modern storage facility with metal racks, where casks are stacked vertically, facilitating airflow and access.
• Palletized Warehouse: Casks are stored upright on pallets, enabling the use of forklifts but with limited airflow.
• IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container): A storage vessel used for whisky when it is not in a cask. IBCs help maintain the whisky’s stability during transportation.

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Whisky Production Terms

• Still: A vessel used to distill alcohol by heating and cooling the wash. Pot stills are typically used for single malts, while column stills are used for grain whisky.
• Pot Still: A traditional, copper still used for single malts. Pot stills operate in batches and help retain rich flavors.
• Coffey Still: A type of continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey, primarily used for grain whisky production.
• Copper Still: A traditional still made from copper, commonly used in the production of single malt whisky.
• Kilning: Drying malted barley using heat, often from peat, which imparts a smoky flavor to the barley and the resulting whisky.
• Master Distiller: The head of whisky production, overseeing distillation and blending to achieve the desired flavor and quality.
• Master Blender: The person responsible for blending malt and grain whiskies to create a balanced and consistent final product.
• Cooperage: A workshop where barrels are made, repaired, and reconditioned by skilled craftsmen known as coopers.
• Cooper: A craftsman who makes and repairs barrels and casks, ensuring proper construction for effective whisky maturation.
• Maltster: A person or facility responsible for malting barley, preparing it for fermentation.
• Feints: Compounds from distillation considered undesirable; typically discarded to maintain quality.
• Excise Tax: A government tax on the production or sale of alcohol, including whisky.
• Distillery Capacity: The maximum amount of pure alcohol that a distillery can produce in a given year.
• Blending: The art and science of combining different whiskies to achieve a desired flavor profile, ensuring consistency and quality.
• Chill Filtration: The process of chilling whisky before filtration to remove certain compounds, often done to prevent cloudiness.

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Regions and Distillery Styles

• Highlands: A diverse region producing a range of flavors, from the subtlety of Glenmorangie to the intense character of Talisker.
• Islay: Known for smoky, peaty whiskies from distilleries like Laphroaig and Ardbeg, thanks to peat-heavy malting processes and local water sources.
• Speyside: Produces lighter, often sweeter malts, with Glenfiddich and Macallan among its prominent distilleries. Speyside boasts the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland.
• Lowlands: Known for lighter, triple-distilled malts, with distilleries like Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie.
• Campbeltown: A small region producing bold, briny whiskies with three active distilleries: Springbank, Glen Scotia, and Glengyle.

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Flavor and Aroma Terms

• Tasting Notes: Descriptive language used to convey the flavors, aromas, and mouthfeel experienced when tasting whisky.
• Nosing: The act of smelling the whisky to assess its aroma.
• Cask Influence: The impact that the cask has on the flavor, aroma, and overall character of the whisky.
• Aroma: The smell of the whisky, which can reveal a lot about its character before tasting.
• Nose: The aroma or scent of the whisky as perceived through smelling. It’s an important aspect of whisky tasting that can reveal a lot about the spirit.
• Palate: The taste of the whisky when it is sipped. This term describes the flavor profile and how it develops on the tongue.
• Finish: The lingering taste and sensation after swallowing the whisky. A long finish indicates a complex and well-crafted whisky.
• Mouthfeel: Describes the physical sensation of the whisky in the mouth, including texture and weight.
• Vatting: The process of blending different whiskies together in a vat to create a final product, often done prior to bottling.
• Phenols: Compounds from peat
• Body: Refers to the weight or thickness of the whisky in the mouth, often described as light, medium, or full-bodied.
• Complexity: A term used to describe a whisky that has multiple layers of flavor, making it intriguing and interesting.
• Aftertaste: Similar to finish, but can refer to the flavors that linger on the palate after swallowing.
• Tannins: Naturally occurring compounds found in wood that can impart a drying sensation in the mouth, often more noticeable in whiskies aged in certain types of casks.

Industry & Regulatory Terms

Scotch Whisky Regulations: The legal framework governing the production of Scotch whisky, ensuring quality and authenticity.

Scotch Whisky Association (SWA): The trade organization representing the Scotch whisky industry, promoting and protecting Scotch whisky.

Whisky Cask Investment: The practice of investing in whisky casks as an alternative asset class, with the expectation of appreciation over time.

Cask Management: The practice of overseeing and maintaining whisky casks throughout their maturation to optimize aging conditions.

HMRC: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the UK government body responsible for tax collection and regulation in the whisky industry. Their guidelines ensure the proper storage, taxation, and authenticity of maturing whisky.

Labeling Requirements: Regulations that dictate how Scotch whisky must be labeled, including details about age, type, and origin.

Miscellaneous Terms

• Valinch: A traditional copper tool for extracting whisky from a cask for sampling.

• Copper Dog (or Dipping Dog): A small, often concealed tube used to steal whisky directly from casks, a tool with a mischievous past among warehouse workers.

• Trading Names: Pseudonyms for distillery-produced whisky casks, used when sold to third parties (e.g., “Whitlaw” for Highland Park whisky).

• Warehouse Receipt: A modern document issued as proof of cask ownership, especially in larger managed accounts.

• WOWGR: Warehousekeepers and Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations, governing the handling and transfer of duty-suspended goods like whisky.