What does that mean?! - Decoding whisky Jargon and Definitions

[@thewhiskyscribe]

On the chill-filtering, I heard a story at a Bladnoch tasting about how there’s such a movement away from chill-filtered whisky, that when they tried to buy the equipment for that set up, the salesman was trying to talk them out of it.

[@chadwallace3598]

God I hope so. I don’t understand why anyone would want to strip out components that affect flavor and mouthfeel.

[@TheGrailTastings]

Oh interesting!!

[@peterfinucane8122]

Triple distilled Whiskey such as Irish Whiskey can be diluted below 46% without going cloudy. Powers Gold Label is an example.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great info as always! I have always found the cask strength one perplexing that it has no legal definition.

[@TheGrailTastings]

So did we when we found that out!!

[@1nToTh3V0id]

Hey, could you do a deep dive episode into the distillery equipment (washbacks, spirit safe, hlt, cololumn v coffey v pot stil etc) and facilities (dunnage v rick, malting floors etc)?

[@TheGrailTastings]

Hey that's a great idea! That's a few videos right there! Thanks for the idea, I've added it to our list!

[@1nToTh3V0id]

@@TheGrailTastings cool! it would be great to learn more about the differences in equipment and how that impacts the final whisky. E.g. types of stills, shapes of stills, tall vs short stills, angles of the line arms, dunnage vs rick houses for maturation etc

[@DJMJRyder]

Seconded, love learning about the process and hardware involved

[@CulturadelWhisky]

Amazing video! and great topic for a video! 👌🏻Greetings from México

[@TheGrailTastings]

Hey, thanks! Greetings!

[@1nToTh3V0id]

Omg! Blew my mind with the cask strength facts. Ive always wondered the same thing about standardized "cask strength" like Glenfarclas 105 or Aberlour A'bunadh. Ive been into whisky for over a dacade now. Shows theres always so much more to learn. Thanks!

[@TheGrailTastings]

We are always learning every day!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Fun discussion. Thanks for sharing. I may have some questions about cask, batch strength but it is not regulated as I know. For fun, in my climate it is common that whisky comes out stronger than when it went in!

[@TheGrailTastings]

I remember when I first learned this about warm climates! I couldn't get my head around it!

[@craigbutler623]

You two brighten the dreariest day! Love the vids here in Canada , sipping bourbon or scotch they are awesome !!

[@TheGrailTastings]

Aw thanks Craig!

[@jerrydifiore6623]

A very fun experiment would be to purchase a non-chill filtered whiskey then freezing a portion of it at home then chill filtering. This way you can compare the non-chill filtered to the chill filtered whiskey and see the difference side by side.

[@TheGrailTastings]

That is a really good idea! I think we might be up for trying that!

[@jerrydifiore6623]

@@TheGrailTastings Please do....and share the results with us.

[@WasserundMalz]

Thanks for this fact-video. That Cask-Strength-Thing was very interesting!

[@TheGrailTastings]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ashleytierneyprivat5647]

Schön, dich hier zu finden, lieber Olli :-)

[@WasserundMalz]

@@ashleytierneyprivat5647 Hey, ja! Ist auch ein toller Kanal hier! 😎🥃🥃

[@jtf2dan]

very informative...thanks!

[@groovyolhippieunclerandy1102]

Casks or Barrels, did you know that, in America it is against the law for distilleries to put distilled spirits in any anything but ---> white oak

[@TheGrailTastings]

We did know! What would we do without the humble Quercus Alba :)

[@davieislay]

Great summaries,ladies ! 👍 Rachel, thanks for your contributions on Friday night! I hope you enjoyed the drams and the nonsense of The Attic! 😂👍🥃 xx

[@TheGrailTastings]

Thanks for having us, it was a great wee night!

[@bennyfriis601]

Great video, guys! 👌

[@TheGrailTastings]

Thanks! 😃

[@chadwallace3598]

I understand why they water down whiskey, to stretch it out and get more bottles hence more revenue, but more and more people want cask strength and non chill filtered. As far as coloring and additives go, I don’t understand that. They can still have both but I hope these big distilleries are hearing their customers. Slainte ladies! 🥃

[@andrewbutler7681]

Whilst it is true that "more and more people want cask strength and non chill filtered", such 'enthusiasts' still account for less than 2% of whisky sales and even some of us who have been drinking for decades can enjoy filtered, coloured, low proof whiskies...

[@TheGrailTastings]

Exactly, there is something out there for everyone!

[@edcuddy2522]

Fun and edu-macational! I had to look up hyacinth to get a visual on your description of the featured LBD whisky. Today's episode sponsored by synesthesia!

[@TheGrailTastings]

Haha! We are rubbish at plants, I hope we got the right one!

[@jbar6284]

I have a tasting description question for you: what do you mean when you describe something as "orchard fruits"? I mean, lots of different things can be grown in an orchard. It could be bananas or quinces or mulberries or mangoes or... Is there perhaps a geographical assumption hidden inside the term, i.e. that it perhaps relates only to whatever sorts of fruit trees can be grown in a Scottish (as opposed to, say, a Barbadian) orchard? Is it a term used in place of, say, tutti-frutti, or is it when the taster can't quite decide *which* fruit(s) but it's definitely "fruity"? Or does it signify some specific subset of (presumably tree?) fruits such as apples or pears or...? Or maybe a mixture of that subset, like apples *and* pears or some other kind of fruit salad? Hmm, pardon my ignorance of candies, but: I've only just learnt that tutti-frutti is a particular type of (mixed) candied fruit. I'd always thought it was tutti fruity, meaning something like "every-fruit", and not specifically candied, and not a brand.🤔 The things we can learn from whisky.🙄

[@TheGrailTastings]

Yes there is definitely a geographical assumption hidden here! When we talk about orchard fruits we usually mean apples, pears, peaches :)

[@martinsnow2913]

I agree with Pablo, I feel certain people need to know what jobbies are 😁 And I'm wondering what drunk eyes feel like. I must admit you serious whisky folks get much more from a dram than I do. My sniffing and tasting experience is rooted in wine. For me the alcohol in spirits overpowers a lot of my sensory experience. However, I get enough from spirits to really love them.

[@TheGrailTastings]

And that's all you need Martin! As long as you are enjoying them it doesn't really matter what notes you are getting! We're trying to get into wine too! Its so interesting and completely different from whisky!

[@MaLiCeCoLtRaNe]

You said in a much earlier post that you’d someday discuss why Scottish Gaelic pronunciation of “Slainte” differs from that in “Slainte mhath.” I’d be interested in that, if you haven’t already gone over it. Thanks!

[@TheGrailTastings]

I's say our pronunciation of "Slainte" - Slange, is just an anglicisation of the Gaelic pronunciation, not being native speakers although we are trying to learn!

[@MaLiCeCoLtRaNe]

@@TheGrailTastings but then why does it change a bit in “slainte mhath” like “slanche vah”??

[@pierreluna1654]

Amazing review...Very clear your explanation. When someone says : This whisky taste "dry" . What does he mean ?

[@peatbull3426]

Not sweet 😋🥂🙋🏻‍♂️

[@pierreluna1654]

@@peatbull3426 thanks !

[@TheGrailTastings]

We have discussed this "dry" note before off camera and we have found that "dry" in wine = not sweet, whereas in whisky we think it also means not sweet but we feel like it has another note of kind of like a dusty/woody possibly tannic note. Hope that makes sense!?

[@pierreluna1654]

​@@TheGrailTastings Yes it could make sens but you're agree that it's more difficult to share than "orange" "apple" "cinnamome" or " peat" :-)

[@jcabassi]

I’m interested in learning more about the finer points of tasting and appreciating whisky, and the jargon around that. Like, what exactly is a palate? Is it a tongue? :p And what do you mean by “finish”? Is that whatever taste you’re getting after you drink? What’s considered a short, medium, and long finish? What do you mean when you say a certain flavor is forward? That one stands out more? Also, whisky tasters mention so many different flavors and smells. Like burnt popcorn, mediciny rubber, acetone, etc. I’m wondering if you find yourself going around and smelling things so you’ll have a wider range of experience to compare the whisky to?

[@TheGrailTastings]

These are really fantastic questions, we've made a wee note to make a video on this but to give you a condensed reply just now - Palate - the MAIN taste and texture you get from this whisky - the palate. AKA a cask strength Laphroaig would most certainly be peaty and oily Finish - the flavour you're left with and how long it hangs about. Sometimes it vanishes and there is no finish but with some drams you can taste it for a while after and the flavour even evolves with time. Maybe that same peaty, oily Laphroaig leaves you with a subtle floral hint that wasn't present on first inspection/taste Identifying flavours in whisky, especially more obscure ones comes partly from time and experience tasting and examining drams but also being brave enough to say exactly what you can smell regardless of how zany it sounds. And listening to people who also do this! There are also many times one of us has gotten a tasting note the other simply hasn't smelt before and where possible we seek it out to smell!! So yes. . . we do go around smelling things 😅🤣

[@jcabassi]

@@TheGrailTastings Ha ha, love it. Thanks for the thorough answer. Explains a lot. I do now want to explore more flavors and smells in the world just so I can appreciate whisky more. We must keep our priorities straight.

[@jtf2dan]

1) Can a bottle that says unchill filtered...or non chill filtered...or not chill filtered....still be filtered other ways? and 2) Can a bottle that says "natural color" still have color added...as long as the ingredients in the color are "natural"?...and 3) Is there ways to color whisky without adding color?

[@tobiasweber9341]

AFAIK: 1) Close to all whiskies are going to be mechanically filtered in one way or another to remove residue from the casks, but thats all that is going to be removed unless you chill the liquid and additionally remove fatty acid esters. 2) The only coloring allowed by law (in Scotland) is "plain caramel coloring". That should exclusively refer to Class 1 caramel colouring E150a. So legally that is the only colouring you can use (again: in Scotland or for scottish whisky). 3) The cask and the maturation process have lots of influence on the colour but I guess you cannot control or streamline it the way you can with caramel colour.

[@marclambert8596]

1) filtration can be done to a wide range of degrees using different and multiple types and densities of filters, at various temperatures, and even using different flow rates or pressurized force for the liquid passing through the filters, so it’s not just a measure of chilled or non-chilled. Ralfy covers alot of “filtration” methods: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bF7NnqKiodZ1odU

[@jtf2dan]

@@tobiasweber9341 you didnt answer my question...if caramel is considered a natural ingredient, then can they put caramel color in and STILL legally label it "natural color only"?...or "natural color"?

[@tobiasweber9341]

@@jtf2dan As far as I can tell, there is no legal definition whether E150a is natural or artificial. "Natural color" is also not legally defined but in general understood as a signifier for the absence of any coloring component. So, if a distillery would decide that they classify E150a as "natural" and therefore sell their whiskies including it as "natural color", it's at least a grey area. The main question would probably be whether you could call E150 natural just because it's not classified as artificial and I don't think that would hold up legally because it is also not classifed as natural and you can't just make that decision. It would be a risky move as well and might have to include clear violation of other countries regulations, because in some markets you have to declare all incredients and if the would comply it would be found out.

[@TheGrailTastings]

Thanks Tobias and Marc! I think you have answered jtf2dan's questions pretty succinctly! 1) As Tobias said, as far as we know all whisky had to go through some level of filtering before bottling to remove cask sediment. 2)The way we would have understood it is that if they say "natural colouring" this would be the colour the whisky had naturally taken from the cask, any caramel colouring added would be "added colouring" which does not have to be declared on the label in all countries but does in some, for example Germany. We have seen some bottles for sale in Scotland with the same label for the German market stating what would be translated as "sugar-colour added". 3)The only other way of adding more colour to a whisky without adding caramel colouring would be to use a cask that will give more colour naturally for example, a first-fill sherry cask would generally give a darker colour, for the same time of maturation, than a refill bourbon barrel. New oak casks will give lots of colour quickly so combining first-fill sherry casks and new oak will give a relatively dark colour more quickly. Hope that helps!

[@NickVolk]

So well girls, I'm armed and ready with my notebook)))

[@steviestevie6868]

Sorry ladies, but despite rewinding many many times - could not catch the name of the dram you were tasting.. what was it?

[@pablov9212]

I think LBD is Little Brown Dog. Would be their bottling of North British single grain whisky

[@TheGrailTastings]

Thanks for the translation Pablo! That's it exactly!

[@delhatton]

It seems to me that single malts are getting sweeter. Is it just me?

[@TheGrailTastings]

Oh really? Hadn't noticed this. Some of the newer distilleries maybe with their light, fruity new make. Still love a savoury, ashy, peat monster!

[@teebbeeis]

people drink whiskey cold? or with ice? but why?😰

[@TheGrailTastings]

Because they like it! And we don't judge them for it. Because we are whisky geeks, not whisky snobs!

[@pablov9212]

Should throw jobbies on the list for the uninitiated 😂

[@TheGrailTastings]

Oh we really should 😂