Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/559

* WHISKY. 473 WHISKY. part of the infusion. Thus rye whisky is made from a mash comiiosi-d ehielly of rye; corn whisky, chictiy from corn or maize; wheat whisky, from wlicat; molt wliisky, from maltcil barU'y, etc. Kach variety has its own peculiar aroma derived from the grain, modilied somewliat by the character of tlio fi'rmcnt used. Kye wliisky, sometimes called ■Monoii^ahela,' is produced lar^'cly in IVnnsylvania ; corn wliisky is eliielly made in Kentucky, and is frcqui'utly called 'Bourbon,' from the county in Ivcntucky of that name. Malt whisky is not extensively produced in the United .States, but a small percentage of malt is used in the mash of all whiskies, in order to secure its diastatie action on the starch of the grains forming the principal part of the mash. As grain, particularly maize, is the cheapest source of cither starch or sugar in the rnitcd States, distilled liquors, including both alcohol and whisky, are principally made from it; coiiscipicnt- ly, the processes and methods of ])roduction for the latter are covered, as to the main features, by descriptions of the ordinary procedure fol- lowed in the manufacture of a strong alcoholic liquor from a starchy or saccharine mastl. (See Dlstilled Liquor.s.) But, while the chief con- stituent of whisky is alcohol, and a large quan- tity of factitious liquor is sold under tliis name which is simply rectified alcohol, colored and flavored to resemble whisky, j'et genuine whisky is very far from being merely a .50 per cent. mixture of alcoliol and water. The pharma- copoeia definition is: "An alcoholic liquor ob- tained by the distillation of the mash of fer- mented grain (usually a mixture of corn, wheat, and rye), and at least two years old." This recognizes one very important distinction between whisky and alcohol, namely, the process of 'age- ing.' to which the former is subjected in order to fit it for beverage purposes. It will be suffi- cient to point out here the other points of dis- similarity between the methods used in the manufacture of the two products. In the first place, the fermentation is not carried to the same degree of attenuation in the production of whisky as in the production of alcohol, where the high- est possible spirit yield is desired. Two different methods of fermentation are in use for whisky, the products of which are known, respectively, as sweet-mash and sour-mash whiskies. In a sour-mash distillery no fermenting agents are used except the spent mash or slop taken from a tub previously fermented, the method being sometimes called "yeasting back.' AVhere this procedure is employed the fermentation is not so complete, and the yield not so great, as in sweet-mash distillation, where beer yeast is used. The usual fermentation period for sweet- mash whisky is 72 hours; for sour-masli. 96 hours. The yield in the one case is about 314 to 4 gallons of proof spirits to the bushel of grain ; in the other, it is from 4 to 4% gallons. Passing to the distillation and rectification processes, the aim in alcohol production is to obtain a highly concentrated alcoholic liquor, freed from all volniile impurities, and. so far as possible, chemicnlly pure: very elaborate rec- tifying stills are used, therefore, and the opera- tion is completed by* filtration throtigh wood or bone charcoal. In the production of whisky the conservation of alcohol is not so important an object, and it is not desirable to eliminate all other volatile constituents, as some of them, when modified and mellowed with age, eventually impart to the iicjuor its fine lUivor; consequently, while the greater part of the fusel oil impurities are re- moved, the rectifying process is not pushed so far, and the char filtration maj- be omitted entirely. Patent stills wherein fractionation is cU'ccted, like the Coll'cy still, produce a whisky which does not give the best results on maturing. This explains also why whisky made by crude and obsolete methods, such as Scotch and Irish 'pot-stiir whisky, often far surpasses in quality the product of the most modern and best c(juipped distilleries. The importance of the operation of aging in the production of whisky has already been al- luded to. an<l constitutes the final and most im- portant dill'erence in the treatment of the two products. xMcoliol is rcad.y for sale and use as soon as it leaves the rectifying still and char filter; it is warehoused in barrels or casks which have been coated with glue or paraffin inside to prevent contact with the wood, and is with- drawn tax-paid as soon as possible after it is warehoused, as it tends to deteriorate in time by dissolving coloring matter from the wood, not- withstantling these precautions. Whisky, on the other hand, is entirely unfit for consumption wlicn first produced, being fier.y and unpalatable; it requires a long period of storage in wooden casks to bring about the changes in the second- arj' constituents which develop its aroma. It is sometimes sent on long sea voyages, stored in the holds of vessels, this being supposed to have a favorable effect upon its maturing. Various quick ageing processes have been devised and some patented, but none has so far proved a satis- factory substitute for the natural method. Chemicall.v, the change which occurs in a ma- tured li([uor is consitlered as a process of oxidation, promoted by the porosit.v of the wooden cask (a liqiior does not age in a glass or metal container), whereby the alcohols pres- ent, amyl, butyl, propyl, etc., are converted into the correspondin.g fragrant ethers, and possibly in part still further oxidized and eliniinated. The liquor also acquires some new constituents from the wood of the cask, which is often charred inside, with the idea of promoting chemi- cal action. Freshly distilled whisky is. of course, colorless, and contains no solid matter whatever; after being stored in wood several years it has the amber tint familiar to every one. and contains perhaps 100 grains of solid matter per gallon — t.annin, extractive and color- ing matter — all derived from the oak wood com- monl}' used in the barrels. The importance of the maturing process is also recognized in the United States laws govern- ing the ]iroduction of whisky, and provided for by the privilege accorded distillers of deferring the payment of the gallon tax until the liquor is 'withdrawn from bond:' the bonded period ma.y be extended as long as eight years with allow- ance for loss by evaporation, during which time the whisky remains in a bonded warehouse undel' Government control. The Government stamp on whisky withdrawn from bond is practically a guarantee of its age and purity, and the act of March 3, ISOT, known as the 'Bottling in Bond