A type of whisky made in Scotland from barley or other grains, water and yeast. It must be aged in Scotland for a minimum of three years in oak casks and bottled in Scotland at 40% ABV or higher.

This designation indicates that malted barley, water and yeast were the raw materials used, and the spirit was distilled in a pot still.

This description stipulates that grain (e.g., wheat, corn, maize or unmalted barley), water and yeast were the raw materials used, and the spirit was distilled in a column still.

Malt whisky distilled at one distillery.

Grain whisky distilled at one distillery.

A blend of single malts from more than one distillery.

A blend of single grains from more than one distillery.

Traditionally, it is a blend of malt and grain whiskies from multiple distilleries at varying proportions; however, it is also possible that the malt and grain whiskies were produced on the same site.

A type of cereal grain.

Barley that was steeped in water and spread out on a malting floor. It is then dried to halt germination. For peated barley, the kiln used for drying is fired by peat to create a smoky flavour contribution. The malting process converts stored starch into soluble compounds that can be used in whisky production.

Partly decomposed organic matter, derived predominantly from plant material, that grows in peatlands at a very slow rate over many years.

A living, single-cell organism which converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide through the process of fermentation.

Where dried malt is turned into a flour-like grist which makes the sugars more accessible for whisky production.

The stage where the grist is moved to a mash tun and hot water is added to facilitate a chemical reaction that creates fermentable sugars. The resulting liquid is called the wort.

The process of adding yeast to the cooled wort and allowing the yeast to eat the sugars and produce alcohol. The subsequent liquid is called the wash.

A separation technique which involves boiling a solution and condensing the vapour to separate components from a mixture based on their boiling points.

A pear-shaped vessel, typically made of copper, used for batch distillation. Two different types are required: wash stills and spirit stills.

A tall, straight cylindrical column capable of continuous distillation. They are much more efficient than pot stills.

The name given to freshly distilled spirit before it enters a cask for maturation.

An oak container used to hold whisky while it matures. Often, the cask previously held another spirit or wine (e.g., Bourbon or Sherry), but brand-new casks, called virgin oak, can also be used. It is widely believed that the cask delivers around 70% of the resulting whisky’s flavour.

The stage where the whisky is left for a minimum of three years in oak casks to develop flavour characteristics from the wood and, sometimes, a darker colour.

The name given to the alcohol (around 2% per annum) which is lost to evaporation during maturation.

This is where multiple maturing casks are mixed together either to be refilled into casks for further maturation or to be bottled.

A term referring to a whisky being transferred from one cask to another for a secondary maturation period.

This label is given to a cask which is being filled with whisky for the first time (but may have previously held something else, such as Bourbon or Sherry).

A term used for a cask which has already been used to mature whisky before.

The age of the youngest component whisky at the time of bottling. Expressions that do not declare their age are called non-age statement (NAS) whiskies.

An optional process used by the majority of Scotch whisky producers which occurs before bottling and involves chilling the whisky to around 0⁰C and passing it through a fine filter. This removes naturally occurring esters and long-chain fatty acids that become a solid form at such a temperature. The rationale is typically to avoid whiskies bottled below 46% ABV forming a haze (which is completely normal, as the aforementioned compounds are insoluble in lower ABVs, but it may be visually off-putting to the drinker) in cool conditions, or with the addition of water or ice. The process guarantees clarity and brightness, but it is widely argued it can remove flavour and texture.

When the whisky inside the bottle is presented without adding artificial colouring (E150a). In these cases, the colour is naturally occurring and has developed over time in the cask.

Shorthand for alcohol by volume, ABV is a measure of the level of pure alcohol, or ethanol, that exists within a liquid.

A person with many years of experience entrusted with blending malt and/or grain whiskies together to make an expression with carefully considered characteristics.