Black Dog TGR Scotch appreciation session by Andrew Skene - Part 3

Barley grains

I was very eager to share this post with you guys. This post has the actual details how Barley from fields is turned into your favourite Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve blended Scotch Whisky.

Barley in Fields

Copper Pot Still

Barley is a crop grown in abundance in European belt, and its evidence is more felt in Scotland and Ireland. Here is a pic of Barley in its harvested format, but the cover is still visible. Andrew was quite excited to share with us every important detail in making of Whisky from barley. Barley is a soft grain, and its inner material is a white substance. Barley is mixed with water and mashed and fermented. Then fermented barley grains are heated in a copper pot, as Copper is one of the good conductors of heat. The mixture starts producing alcohol.

Raw spirit after Distillation

The alcohol produced should be trapped now. As alcohol is lighter in density compared to water, the alcohol vapours start to rise upwards. This process is carried in distilleries and alcohol vapours are cooled down to get pure alcohol. This liquid got after condensation is close to 80-90% pure. Andrew gave us a glass container which had the distilled alcohol liquid. As soon as I opened the cap, and took the neck of container near my nose, my nostrils experienced burning sensation. Imagine the state of people in those early days when maturation was not even discovered and people consumed whisky in this form. No doubt, maturation of whisky has meant it is received by a wider audience and the taste and nose of whisky is mostly derived from the wood used for Casks.

Bourbon and Oloroso sherry wood

The Black Dog Triple Gold Whisky has these same initial steps mentioned above. The malt and grain whiskies are matured in separate Bourbon casks, then these are married and matured in Sherry casks for a third round of maturation. You can see the different wood materials in the picture. Sherry casks add a lot of flavour and aroma to the TGR as the married liquid breathes through the wood all year long. As the wood expands and compresses due to different seasons, the spirit extracts the properties from the wood. Lets pour ourselves a drink of TGR and enjoy the flavors.

Disclaimer: The above content is meant only for people above 25 Years.
Photo Credits: Nivedith and Hrish