Professor Thomson’s Technical Notes
‘As a scientist, I rejoice in the artisan aspect of whisky-making and sincerely hope that the human senses and the human mind will forever be the final arbiter of sensory maturity and sensory excellence rather than some mechanical device. Nonetheless, over the past 50 years especially, science has revealed some of the mysteries of whisky making and exploded some of the unhelpful myths without, I hope, ruining the mystique and the majesty of Scotland’s Single Malts’
This section of Annandale’s website comprises a series of short Technical Notes on various aspects of Single Malt Scotch Whisky production, from barley through to the mature product.
Barley
Scotland produces two types of Scotch Whisky; Scotch Grain Whisky and Scotch Malt Whisky. There are two principal distinctions between...
Chill Filtration
When whisky is chilled, either through storage at low temperatures or the addition of ice in-glass, it may form a...
Copper
It’s effect on Single Malt Scotch Whisky flavour Copper pot stills are the iconic distillation vessels found in all Single...
Kilning
Charles Chree Doig and his iconic pagoda-roof malt kiln ventilators Just as the biological processes associated with germination are triggered...
Single Cask-Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Single Cask-Single Malt Scotch Whisky vs Vatted Single Malt Scotch Whisky In this technical note we consider the differences between:...
Small Casks
We’re often asked why we don’t mature our whisky in quarter casks (125 litres), octaves (50 litres), and firkins or...
STR’s
The Scotch Whisky Regulations (2009) specify that Scotch Whisky can be matured in a variety of different casks provided that...
What is the correct way to drink whisky?
As a distillery owner, I’m often asked…… “What’s the correct way to drink whisky?”… “Should I add water?”… “Do you...
