Whisky vocabulary

Oxen, angels and a virgin - it may sound like a list of those present at the birth of Christ, but it is actually about ingredients and processes in whisky production. A hogshead is a whisky cask with a capacity of about 250 litres, which is tied from the dismantled staves of smaller bourbon casks (~ 200 L). The name 'hogshead' most likely derives from the English 'oxhead'. Virgin Oak - the virgin oak - also refers to whisky casks: it means an oak cask that has not been previously filled with another liquid (bourbon, sherry). And the angel 's share is the small portion of whisky that evaporates during maturation in the cask. It is, so to speak, the portion that flies off to heaven and brings joy to the angels there.

And that brings us right into the middle of our little whisky vocabulary lesson. Have you ever stumbled across terms on whisky bottle labels that don't mean anything to you at first? You are not alone! Just looking at the various terms used to describe the whisky casks you might think it's a foreign language. Toasting and cooling filters suggest that we're talking about a hip breakfast with club sandwiches and cold brew coffee. Not to mention the sound of abstract abbreviations such as NAS or ppm. Let's shed some light on this.

Let's start with the terms that can be read on very many whisky bottles: ' Natural Colour' and 'Non Chill Filtered'. The latter means 'non-chill filtered', a process during which the whisky is filtered at temperatures between 2 and +4°C. This prevents the whisky from being too hot when consumed. This prevents it from clouding when enjoyed on ice or diluted with water. The natural colour is also not a given in the whisky industry, as many producers add sugar caramel to their whiskies so that standard bottlings always have a uniform colour. 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 could say something like 'Finish in a First Fill toasted, heavily charred Virgin Oak Cask'. We've already clarified what is meant by virgin oak, so let's unravel the rest: Finish , as we know, means as much as conclusion or end; in whisky production, it means a subsequent improvement (maturation) of the whisky in another wooden barrel. If this cask was filled with whisky for the first time after its original use (bourbon, sherry, ...), it is called a first fill cask. Toasted' in this case has nothing to do with heated white bread, but with the heating of a cask from the inside to at least 150 degrees in order to split cellulose into wood sugar. Through this heating, the wood begins to 'live' and gives off the sweet aromas of caramelised wood sugar and vanillin to the whisky during the subsequent maturation. 'Charred' refers to the burning out 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 has been allowed to spend in the cask. This is usually placed very prominently and is easy to recognise. 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' - in other words, a whisky with no age statement. Sometimes the word 'vintage' is also written on such whiskies. As with wine, this stands for the vintage of the whisky, i.e. the year of distillation. A bottling year is not mandatory for these malts.

Of course, what should not be missing from any whisky label? The alcohol content, of course. Usually it says something like 46% vol or 46% ABV. The abbreviation stands for 'alcohol by volume', i.e. the proportion of alcohol in relation to the volume (not the weight). An older unit of measurement to indicate alcohol content is 'proof'. This can be found on American whiskeys in particular instead of percentages by volume. Why? Well, 200 years ago there was a lack of equipment to accurately determine alcohol content. So they mixed the cask strength whisky with gunpowder and lit the result. If the mixture burned down quickly with a bright flame, the whisky had a 'proof' alcohol content - it was tested! Which brings us to the next term: Cask strength. If this is written on the label, it is a whisky that has been bottled from a cask without dilution. These natural whiskies are particularly robust and intense in taste and aroma. The abbreviation 'ppm', which indicates the smoke content of a whisky, also indicates an intense flavour. Whisky gets its smoky aroma when the barley used has been dried over a peat fire. Peat smoke gives off a very intense aroma, which is ultimately also found in the whisky. The smoke content 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 ring in the weekend! Perhaps with a glass of your favourite whisky, the label of which you will be studying a little more closely this weekend.