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Definition

Jan 16, 2024

Whisky Words: Caramel Colouring

Caramel colouring refers to the addition of E150a, a colour compound, which can be used in the Scotch whisky industry for consistency of colour.

Whisky Words: Pagoda

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers explains: “A pagoda is the roof of a kiln that enhances natural ventilation. It used to be in every distillery, there'd be a kiln and a pagoda roof. It was invented by Charles Doig, and the first one was built at Dailuaine distillery on Speyside.”

Jan 3, 2024

Congeners

Congeners are an important concept to understand if you love Scotch whisky because they significantly influence the flavour, aroma and overall character of the whisky.

What is an aroma?

An aroma (noun) is typically defined as a distinctive, pervasive and usually pleasant or savoury smell. When apprecia...

Whisky Words: Faraday Still

Penderyn's unique Faraday Still, is a single copper pot attached to a column installed with perforated plates. As the...

Aug 16, 2023

Whisky Words: Angels’ Share

The Angels' Share refers to the amount of ethanol and water that is lost due to evaporation during ageing.

Whisky Words: Peat Reek

Peat is decaying plant matter found throughout Scotland and in parts of Europe. It is commonly used as a source of fu...

Whisky words: Age statement

An age statement states the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. A 12-year-old blended Scotch whisky, for exampl...

Good to know: a nip of whisky

You may be familiar with the idea of a nip of whisky but what do we know about the origin of that term? Brewer’s Dict...

Whisky words: charring

Charring is a heat treatment whereby the wood of the cask is ignited. It helps to break down the structure of the oak...

Whisky words: condenser

The function of a condenser is to provide rapid cooling for the vapours coming from the stills.  There are two differ...

Aug 16, 2023

Whisky words: Chill filtration

Chill filtration is a process some blended whisky goes through whereby the temperature is reduced in order to filter ...
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