Whisky is made from 3 ingredients;

1) Water

2) Malted Barley

3) Yeast

The fundementals are simple.

1) Malted Barley is ground to open the barley and allow the starch to be exposed.

2) Hot water carries the starch to a fermenting vat.

3) Yeast converts the starch/sugars to Alcohol. This is called beer.

4) The beer is distilled and the Alcohol seperated, this is now new make spirit. After 3 years in an American Oak Barrell this is now whisky.

 

The Maltsers.

Ardbeg receive 90% of their grain from Port Ellen Maltings.

The grain is smoked by Peat to 56ppm ( Parts Per Million) Fenols.

This is the smokiest if all the Islay distilleries.

The Malting process takes the grain   and artificially grows the Malt by steeping in warm water, tricking the malt into growing.

The process is stopped after 3 days when the grain starts to sprout – this is called Green Malt.

The Green Malt is fed onto special floors and peat smoke, from Kilns under the floor, flavours the grain to the required specification.

The Malt is transferred to lorry trailers and taken to the Distillery.

 

The Distillery.mash.

Grain arrives into distillery by lorry, 28 tonnes at a time. This is transferred into “ Malt Bins.” Ardbeg has 4 bins.

Each mash uses 5 tonnes of grain.

5 tonnes are transferred to the mill and ground to a fine mix called Grist.

Grist is made up of 3 component parts – Husk (20%), Grit (70%) and Flour (10%).

This Grist is transferred to a holding bin above the mash tun ready for start of new

 

Mashing in.

 

18,000 litres of hot water at 68 degreesC is mixed with 5 tonnes of Grist and placed into the mash tun.

The floor of the mash tun is perforated which allows the hot water to filter through the grain. The hot water absorbs the starch/sugars in the grain and this is now transferred to a very large wooden fermentation vat, called a wash back.

After 2 hours of draining the watery mix from mash tun, 7,500 litres of even hotter water (80 degreesC) is added. This is to gather as much sugars from the grain as possible.

Yeast is added to the wash back and the fermentation is started. This is a natural process and turns the sugars in the water to Alcohol. It takes 56 hours and when complete the liquid is called “wash” or “beer.” It now has an alcohol strength of 8% abv. (Alcohol by volume.) 

 

Distillation.

 

There are currently 2 stills at Ardbeg but that will double to 4 stills by 2020.

Pot stills work in pairs. A wash still and spirit still.

1st distillation is done in the wash still.

The beer is pumped into the wash still and heated to 80 degreesC. This is the boiling temperature of Alcohol and allows the steam vapour to rise up the still and transfer to the condenser which cools the steam vapour back to a liquid and is collected in a vat. This liquid is now called “low wines” and is approximately 48% Abv. After 4 hours the low wines drop to 1% Abv. This is all the Alcohol that can be collected. The still is turned off and remaining liquid in still is called “Pot Ale.”

The low wines, along with the feints and foreshotts from the previous distalation are put into the spirit still.

The spirit still is boiled at 80 DegreesC and the vapour makes it way up the vapour makes its way up the still and into the condenser which changes it back to a liquid.

The first 10 minutes of spirit run is called foreshots. This is a high % Alcohol and has impurities that aren’t suitable for drinking.

After 10 minutes the flow of spirit is re-directed into the spirit receiver. This is the liquid that will become whisky and is called “New Make Spirit.” It is clear in colour but full of flavour.

The “New Make Spirits” runs for 41/4 hours and ranges from 72% Abv at start, to cut off at 62% Abv.

The remaining liquid in Spirit Still is run off until only 1% Abv, this is called feints. It contains Alcohol but too weak to drink. This will be added to next Low Wines to form the next distillation.

 

Maturation.

All New Make Spirit is pumped over to filling store. It is reduced from 69% Abv to 63.4% Abv by adding water. This is the standard strength for cask filling.

There are 3 different casks used at Ardbeg. A barrel, a Hoggshead and a Butt.

The barrel holds 184 litres of liquid. A Hoggshead holds 236 litres and a Butt holds 580 litres.

After New Make Spirit has been in the cask for 3 years it can legally be called whisky.