Coming soon. 

Will be a work in progress.  Please send suggestions for inclusion to uisgebeatha7@hotmail.com or drop a comment below.

Age –

Age Statement – The age (in years) of a whisky as declared on the label.  The contents may be composed of whiskies of varying ages, but the age stated on the bottle must reflect that of the youngest whisky within.

Alcohol By Volume (abv) –

Aldehyde –

Angels’ Share – Refers to the amount of loss by evaporation from a cask of whisky. 

Anorak –

Barley –

Blended Malt – Previously known as a ‘vatted malt’.  A blended malt is composed of single malts from varying distilleries.  This is different from a blended whisky in that it must contain only malt whiskies and no grain whiskies.

Blended Whisky – A whisky composed of both grain whiakies and malt whiskies.  Proportions will vary, but most often grains make up the bulf of the blend.

Bourbon –

Butt –

Caramel – Also known E150a.  This is a coloring additive used to enhance the shade of whisky to a more marketable color. 

Cask-Strength – Refers to whisky bottled at (or near) the abv concentration it is taken from the cask at, without dilution to a lower bottling strength.  Often these whiskies will have odd abv percentages (i.e. 57.3%)

Chill-filtration – A process of filtration used to remove the oils in whisky that cause it to cloud in cooler temperatures or with the addition of ice or water. 

Coffey Still –

Columnar Still –

Congeners –

Continuous Still –

Cooper –

Distillation –

Dram – In whisky a dram is an informal measure for a drink.  Generally between an ounce or two, though not exact.

E150a – An artificial coloring additive used to enhance the color of whisky.

Esters –

Feints –

Fermentation –

Finish –

Foreshots –

Germination –

Grain –

Hogshead –

Independent Bottlings – Whiskies purchased from a distillery by an independent company and, though bottled under the distillery’s name, are done so without that distillery’s branding.  Often bottled at cask-strength.

Iodine –

Low Wine –

Lyne Arm –

Malt –

Malting – Refers to the process of allowing barley to germinate (sprout) by steeping in water, then heating the barley (by kiln) to halt the germination process.

Mash –

Mash Tun –

Middle Cut –

Mothballing –

New Make Spirit –

Nosing –

Peat –

Phenols –

Pot Still –

Rye –

Scotch –

Single Cask –

Single Malt – A whisky composed of malted barley that originates from a single distillery.  It may be married with other malts from the same distillery, and generally is, while still being a single malt.

Valinch –

Vanillins –

Vatted Malt – Aka  ‘blended malt’.  A blended (or vatted) malt is composed of single malts from varying distilleries.  This is different from a blended whisky in that it must contain only malt whiskies and no grain whiskies.

Wash –

Wort –