Are you debating whether you want a gin or whiskey for your next cocktail? Both drinks are popular spirits, but do you know what differentiates them?
This blog post is here to help settle the debate and provide more insight into these beloved beverages. We’ll cover their ingredients, production processes, flavour profiles, and more.
Whether you’re new to alcohol or an experienced brewer looking to brush up on their knowledge of these two libations-you won’t want to miss this!
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Discerning Factors of Gin and Whiskey
Whiskey is created by distilling fermented barley mash. Depending on the region or type of whisky being made, wheat, barley, rye, or corn can all be used in the distillation process.
Charred barrels are a common way to age them. Juniper berries are the primary ingredient in making gin, a spirit. Gin is a distilled liquor with juniper berry extracts added to it for flavour. Spirit can be distilled from any fermented grain material, including barley, rye, or other grains.
There are several varieties of whiskey, each with its distinct flavour, alcohol concentration, and even base ingredient. Grain whisky and malt whisky are the two most common kinds. On the other hand, grain can be created from any grain, but malt whisky relies on malted barley as its primary ingredient. In malting, the grain is germinated to begin the brewing process.
Barley needs to be soaked for a specific period and frequently turned to achieve even soaking and germination. Whiskies can be broken down even further into:
- A single malt whisky consists of a single distiller and is produced from a mash containing only one malted grain.
- Malt whiskies from multiple distilleries are combined to make blended malt whisky.
- A blended whisky is a whisky that contains a combination of malt and grain whiskies, neutral spirits, caramelised, and flavouring.
- Whiskies labelled as “cask strength” have either not been watered down or have only a tiny amount of water added to them before bottling. In other words, these whiskies are rare.
- You can tell a single cask of whiskey by its cask number, which is printed on each bottle.
Whiskies need to age in barrels to mellow and gain strength. Unlike wine, whiskey does not improve with age in the bottle, so hoarding a bottle won’t make it tastier or more potent. Different regions have different requirements for alcohol and mash content.
Charring the wood barrels gives the whiskies their distinctive brown and caramel colours. Depending on the rules, the alcohol can have other flavours and colours added to it.
The Manufacturing and Distilling Procedure
Distillation can happen anywhere from once to twice for gin, depending on the producer. Instead, whiskey undergoes multiple distillation processes. The distillation process removes impurities and increases the alcohol content of the liquid.
Various techniques, including vapour infusion, steeping, and vacuum distillation, could produce alcoholic beverages. While vodka is typically distilled in a continuous still, whiskey is traditionally distilled in a copper pot still.
Progress of Ageing
Whiskeys have a particular flavour and colour because they are aged in charred oak barrels, while gin gets its flavour from juniper berries. The cask strength and ageing in oak barrels distinguish single malt whiskey from other types of whiskey.
When made with natural botanicals for scent and flavour, neutral spirits like gin, on the other hand, can be consumed immediately.
All whiskeys start with various ingredients; however, there are certain common ones. While malt whiskey is mainly prepared using malted grain (barley), grain whiskey can be produced from any grain (corn, rye, and wheat).
In contrast, gin starts as a grain spirit (often barley or wheat) and gets its distinctive taste from juniper berries added during the second distillation process.