Whisky Vocabulary

Oxen, angels and a virgin - it may sound like a list of those present at the birth of Christ, but the terms actually concern ingredients and processes in Whisky production. A hogshead is a Whisky cask of about 250 litres, which is formed from the disassembled staves of smaller Bourbon casks (~ 200 litres). The name 'hogshead' most likely derives from 'oxhead'. Virgin Oak also refers to Whisky casks, meaning an oak cask that has not been previously filled with another liquid (Bourbon, Sherry). And the Angel's Share is the small percentage of Whisky that evaporates during the ageing process in the cask. It is, so to speak, the portion that flies to heaven and makes the angels happy.

And that brings us right into the middle of our little Whisky vocabulary study. Have you ever stumbled upon terms on Whisky labels that don't mean anything to you at first? You are not alone! You might get the impression that the various terms used to describe Whisky casks are a foreign language in itself. Toasting and chill-filtration suggest that we are talking about a hip breakfast with club sandwiches and cold brew coffee. Not to mention sonorous abstract abbreviations like NAS or ppm. Let's shed some light on the subject.

Let's start with the terms you see on a great many Whisky bottles: 'Natural Colour' and 'Non Chill-Filtered'. The latter means 'without chill filtration', a process during which the Whisky is filtered at temperatures between 2 and +4°C. This prevents the Whisky from turning cloudy when enjoyed on ice or diluted with water. A natural colour is also not a given in the Whisky industry, because many manufacturers add caramel to their Whiskies, so that standard bottlings always have a uniform colour (though this has no influence on the taste). So the two terms on a label indicate a natural Whisky in the bottle. However, before a Whisky ends up in the bottle, it first spends several years in casks. Hypothetically speaking, a label might say something like 'Finished in a First Fill toasted, heavily charred Virgin Oak Cask'. We've already clarified the meaning of virgin oak, so let's unravel the rest: Finish, in Whisky production, means a final improvement (maturation) of the Whisky in another wooden cask. If this cask was filled with Whisky for the first time after the original use (Bourbon, Sherry, ...), it is called a First Fill cask. 'Toasted' in this case has nothing to do with heated bread, but with heating a cask from the inside to at least 150 degrees in order to split cellulose into wood sugar. Due to the heating, the wood begins to 'live' and releases the sweet flavours of caramelized wood sugar and vanillin to the Whisky during the subsequent ageing process. 'Charred' refers to the flaming and deglazing of casks with a bright flame and water to create a charcoal layer. This acts as a filter that removes sharp substances from the Whisky, softening it.

The age on the label tells us how long a Whisky spent in the cask. The age is usually placed very prominently and easily recognizable. But what if a Whisky has no age indication? Then we are dealing with a so-called NAS Whisky, an abbreviation for 'No Age Statement'. Occasionally, the word 'Vintage' can be found on such Whiskies. As with wine, this stands for the year of production, in this case the year of distillation. The year of bottling is not necessarily indicated for these Malts.

What should not be missing on any Whisky label? Of course, the alcohol content. Usually it says something like 46% vol or 46% ABV. The abbreviation stands for 'alcohol by volume', i.e. the percentage of alcohol by volume (not by weight). An older unit of measure to indicate the alcohol content is 'proof'. Particularly on American Whiskeys, this can be found instead of a percentage. Why? Well, 200 years ago, people lacked the equipment to accurately determine the alcohol content. So, they mixed the Whiskey at cask strength with gunpowder and lit the mixture on fire. If the liquid burned quickly with a bright flame, the Whiskey had a 'proof' alcohol content - it had been verified! Which brings us to the next term: Cask strength. If this is written on the label, we are dealing with a Whisky that is bottled directly from a cask without dilution. These natural Whiskies are particularly robust and intense in taste and aroma. Intensive flavor is also indicated by the abbreviation 'ppm', which indicates the peat level of a Whisky. Whisky gets its smoky aroma when the barley used has been dried over peat fire. Peat smoke gives off a very intense aroma, which is ultimately also found in the Whisky. The peat level in Whisky is measured in 'ppm' (parts per million). There are usually three levels: 'lightly peated' (under 15 ppm), 'moderately peated' (around 20 ppm) and 'heavily peated' (over 30 ppm).

Enough vocabulary, now it's time to kick off the weekend! Perhaps with a glass of your favorite Whisky, whose label you will study a little more closely this weekend.