#What to drink##Whisky ##威士忌酒 #
In the previous article, we talked about the raw materials needed for whisky brewing, and today we will talk about the substance that is second only to the raw material in the whisky brewing process - peat.
Ever since the introduction to whisky, the word peat, has begun to appear over and over again, peat flavor, peat whisky... What exactly is peat?
Simply put, peat can be said to be a semi-finished product of coal. Peat is a dead heather flower, and plants such as myrtle have formed a black "mud" that can burn after thousands or even tens of thousands of years of accumulation and precipitation.
If it continues to be heated and stressed, after millions of years, peat will be converted to real coal.
Peat is a very cheap and readily available fuel in Scotland, and was once widely used as a material for winter heating.
However, as a heating material, why does the smell of peat appear in whisky?
In the process of whisky brewing, there is a process - drying, that is, after the barley germinates, peat coal is used as fuel, the still wet malt is dried, and then ground into crushed wheat grains, in preparation for the next step of the brewing process - saccharification.
In the process of drying, peat combustion will produce a large number of phenols, into the barley malt, we call peat taste, in fact, is the result of the action of these phenolic substances.
When it comes to peat, there is a place that must be said - Islay Island. Speaking of the representative region of peat flavor, is the island of Ere is indisputable.
Islay is located in southwestern Scotland and is the southernmost island in the Inner Hebli Islands. Isle of Ere is surrounded by the sea, with a year-round sea breeze and abundant rain throughout the year. The temperate climate makes Islay a plentiful producer of peat.
The abundance and low price of peat has led to the use of peat as a fuel for drying malt by wineries in the Isle of Ere region, making Islay a representative region for peat-flavored whisky.
Having said so much about peat, what is the taste of peat?
Using the more familiar taste to describe the taste of peat, some people feel like the taste of disinfectant water, some people think it is very similar to the taste of iodine wine, some people say that it tastes like the horn zhenglu pills, and even some people say that it tastes like morgue... In short, it is a thousand faces, all kinds of strange descriptions...
We have just briefly mentioned the drying link in whisky brewing, and in the next article, we will talk about the brewing process of whisky in detail.
Pay attention and don't get lost! The wine will make you drink, drink good wine and become a real whisky connoisseur!
Here's the cocktail party, the slightly drunk assistant by your side.