All about whisky

1/ Malting

Barley is steeped in water and then spread on concrete floors to germinate, which will allow the starch to become soluble to enable us to convert this into sugar. At the right moment this germination is stopped by drying the barley over peat fires in the mash kiln.

2/ Mashing

The barley is then ground in the mill and the “grist” as it is known is then mixed with hot water in what is known as the “mash tuns”, to convert the soluble starch into a sugary water known as “wort”.

3/ Fermentation

Yeast is then added to this “wort” for the fermentation process to produce what is the equivalent of a strong beer. This process happens in what we call “washbacks”.

4/ Distillation

This “wash” is then distilled in copper pot stills. There is a double distillation, firstly in a wash still and then in a spirit still. The neutral spirit is then filled into oak casks and stored in warehouses to mature.

5/ Maturation

The neutral spirit is colourless, the whisky taking most of its final colour and some of its flavour from the wood itself. The quality of the wood is extremely important and enormous attention is paid to the selection of the barrels used in the Scotch Whisky Industry.

The taste of the whisky will also be affected by the conditions in which it is stored to mature.

Typically the whisky will be stored in traditional warehouses with earth floors. Other elements such as whether the warehouses are close to the sea can also change the characteristics of the whisky.

6/ Our Ranges

An exceptional, smooth, full flavoured Scotch Whisky bears the name of Mary Queen of Scots.