| Single Malt Scotch is a type of single malt whisky, | | | | enzymes by providing an optimal temperature for |
| distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the | | | | activity in the grist. The enzymes act on the starch to |
| only grain ingredient in Scotland. As with any Scotch | | | | convert it into sugar, and in the process it produces a |
| whisky, a Single Malt Scotch must be distilled in | | | | sugary liquid, known as wort. |
| Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at | | | | Yeast is then added to the wort for fermentation, in a |
| least three years. | | | | large vessel called a washback. Washbacks are |
| Water is needed in all stages of the production of | | | | commonly made of Oregon Pine or stainless steel. |
| whisky. It is mixed with the barley to promote | | | | The yeast feeds on the sugars and as a by-product |
| germination, it is added to ground barley grist to create | | | | produces both carbon dioxide and alcohol; this process |
| a mash and it is required for diluting most whisky | | | | is called fermentation and can take up to three days |
| before maturation and once again before bottling. | | | | to complete. When the process is complete, the liquid |
| Barley, water and yeast are the exclusive ingredients | | | | contains an alcohol percentage of 5% to 7% by |
| required in the production of single malt Scotch. | | | | volume, and is now known as wash. |
| The barley used to make the whisky is "malted" by | | | | To be called a single malt Scotch, a bottle may only |
| soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then | | | | contain whisky distilled from malted barley produced at |
| allowing it to germinate to produce the necessary | | | | a single distillery. If the bottle is the product of single |
| enzymes required. | | | | malt whiskies produced at more than one distillery, the |
| The malt is milled into coarse flour, and mixed with hot | | | | whisky is called a vatted malt, or a blended malt. If the |
| water to activate the enzymes, which leads to | | | | single malt is mixed with grain whisky, the result is a |
| conversion of starches to fermentable sugars. Long | | | | blended Scotch whisky. |
| starch chains are broken into glucose, maltriose, and | | | | The age mentioned on a bottle of single malt Scotch is |
| maltose, which can be fermented by yeast. | | | | the age of the youngest malt in the mix, as commonly |
| The extraction is carried out in a large kettle called a | | | | the whiskies of several years are mixed together in a |
| mash tun. At first, the hot water activates the | | | | vat to create a more consistent drink. |