I hated my first whisky and only tried it again at a tasting years later, by which time I had grown up and rather liked it. Today I’m especially partial to a good Royal Salute and like whisky all the more because I’ve never had a hangover from it. The drink has been gaining popularity in the past few years with both young and old singing it’s praises. Today whiskey is made in America and Ireland while whisky can be found in Scotland, Canada, Wales, Japan and wherever else it’s produced.  It was the soldiers of Henry II who named the noble

tipple when they invaded Ireland in the 12th century; they couldn’t  pronounce the Irish words,  uisce beatha, which means water of life and changed it to whishkeyba. The Romans translated this to aqua vitae. To start at the very beginning, we need to go back to Babylon, actually because the Babylonians invented the art of distillation around 2000 BC and passed the knowledge on to the Arabic nations. Later the Moors taught the people of the Mediterranean the art of distillation and then Catholic monks brought it to Ireland in the 6^th century. The Church took it’s first tentative steps into a land that must have been a tad wild, to say the least and probably needed something to calm their nerves. Of course, the missionaries were adamant that it was only being used for medicinal purposes and treated anything from colic to the more serious smallpox with it. That’s what they said but I have my doubts. By the 12^th century, the monasteries had established distilleries throughout Ireland and so the art was taken to Scotland where the locals took to it like the proverbial ducks to water. The only snag was that they didn’t have any grapes, but it didn’t take them long to realize that they could use barley beer and they created the drink we now call whisky. The first records I found dated back 1494 when the Scottish Exchequer granted enough malt to a certain John Friar to make 1500 bottles of the stuff; it was common cause James IV was rather partial to a wee dram or ten!

STEAK BALMORAL

Ingredients

• 4 x 250 g rib-eye steaks
• 80 g butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 100 ml Scotch whisky
• 1 tsp coarse grain mustard
• 150 ml beef stock
• 150 g sliced mushrooms
• 300 ml double cream
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, removed from the stalk and finely chopped
• 8 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
• 100 g fresh parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Pan fry the steaks to taste and keep warm – when cooking steaks, always make them a little more underdone than you like to eat them because, during the resting period, they continue the cooking process.
• Sauté the chopped shallot in butter until they are soft before add the whisky to the pan and setting it a light – take care here.
• As soon as the flame goes out add the grain mustard, the rosemary, the cardamom seeds, the stock and the mushrooms and stir a few times before adding the cream and bringing to the boil.
• Simmer this gently until the sauce has reduced by half, stirring from time to time – add the chopped parsley just before serving.
• Season to taste and pour over the steaks to serve.

It wasn’t only the king that drank whisky, by the end of the 1500′s farmers were well acquainted with it and were drinking healthily. The Scottish weather was cold and wet and the principal crops of oats and barley couldn’t be stored for a long time so they did the next best thing – they made beer; because that could be kept for a too long, they soon realized that whisky would be a better idea since it lasted longer and it made more sense to them. When the infamous Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the late 5130’s, whisky production moved into private homes and farms because the monks had to make a living somehow. Making whisky was as good an occupation as any. In those days it was nothing like the stuff we drink today and raw and brutal by comparison. Often the Renaissance era whisky was so strong that it could be dangerous if not properly diluted. It was possibly only when someone had resorted to drinking a bottle that had accidentally been forgotten somewhere and loved it, that whisky became smoother and more palatable but even then there were problems. When England and Scotland merged, whisky was taxed to high heaven – so much so that when the English imposed their much hated Malt Tax in 1725, most of the Scottish distilleries were either closed or forced to be hidden. The resulting product was hidden in churches, crypts and coffins. Distillation took place at night to hide the smoke (it was here that the name moonshine originated) and about half of Scotland’s entire production was illegal.

ORANGE WHISKY FLAPJACKS

Ingredients

• 110 g oats
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 110 g self-raising flour
• 110 g caster sugar
• 1 large, un-waxed orange, grated zest only
• 100 ml whisky
• Sunflower oil

To serve

• Orange segments,  fresh mint leaves and whipped cream

Method

• Combine the oats, the flour, the sugar, the eggs and the zest and shape into patties – the size is entirely up to you.
• Pour in the smallest drop of oil and fry them for a couple of minutes on each side until they are just done – a couple of minutes  as in around 2 or 3.
• Pour the whisky into the same pan, warm it with care and set it alight to flambé for a few seconds only.
• Serve them on a warm plate with the orange segments,  sprig of mint and a dollop of whipped cream.

During the American Revolution, whisky became a form of currency and was so highly valued that the imposition of an excise tax drove the men of America into the famous Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. When Britain legalized distillation in 1823, the era of moonshine production ended. It cost a few pounds, but the risk went out of the door and 11 years later the Coffey still was invented and distillation became cheaper and more efficient. Shortly after that Andrew Usher made the first blended whisky when he combined some of the traditional whisky with the whisky from the Coffey still. The Irish insisted that it wasn’t whisky, but something else entirely but it  didn’t take long for the art of whisky to be welcomed in countries throughout the world – when the French brandy production came to a complete halt as a result of phylloxera, whisky seemed to be the way to go and soon it was even popular there – so much so that they even exported it.

HOW IT’S MADE

There are five steps:

• MALTING - barley is turned into malt – it’s steeped in water and drained before being spread out on a malting floor so that it can germinate; this takes about a week and during this time enzymes are released that will convert the starches into maltose (a sugar); then the malted barley is dried by using the smoke from a kiln (an underground furnace underneath the barley) which  is usually stoked with peat; this gives the smoky peat taste to some whiskies.
• MASHING - here the dried malt is ground into a kind of rough flour with the consistency of oatmeal; it’s called the grist and  is mixed with hot water and pumped into a container called a mash tun; the water and malt mixture is briskly combined inside the mash tun so that it can steep and the malt sugars can be released into the liquid – this is called wort.

• FERMENTATION - at this stage the wort is drawn off and pumped into large wooden or steel containers known as washbacks (image above) where it’s combined with yeast and allowed to ferment; the time it takes to ferment depends entirely on the environment but it usually takes about 2 days; the living yeast will feed on these sugars and produce alcohol and congeners (a small variety of compounds) that will contribute to the taste of the whisky; the  liquid is known as the wash and is about 5 – 8% alcohol by volume.
• DISTILLATION The wash is distilled twice with the grain whisky in a Coffey still and the single malt in a pot still and works as follows:

1. The wash still is used to separate the water from the alcohol by boiling the wash and collecting the evaporated alcohol that condenses at the top; this is collected in a condenser and the liquid is known as the low wine and contains about 20% alcohol by volume.
2. The low wine is now sent through the second still (the spirit still) using a much slower process that must now be carefully monitored; a well qualified stillman will throw away the first and the last part of the distillate, known as the foreshots and feints respectively because both contain undesirable and awful tasting higher alcohols.
3. It is the centre part of the distillation, still colourless, that is used and matured.

• MATURATION – finally the incomplete whisky is put in oak barrels so that maturing can begin; the whisky will become smooth and turn into the familiar coppery golden colour we know and develop it’s own particular taste.  At one time sherry barrels were preferred to age whisky but today bourbon barrels are all the rage. Some manufacturers even use wine, cognac or port barrels to create their own traditional taste. The word Scotch may only be used if the whisky has been aged in Scotland for at least 3 years but most of them are aged from between 8–20 years;  obviously the longer they are aged, the better (and more expensive) they are.

WHISKIED LANGOUSTINES

Ingredients

• 8 whole langoustines, shells on, split in half down the middle
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1kg  langoustines, heads and shells removed, de-veined
• 2tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp malt whisky
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Cooked basmati rice

Method

• Preheat a grill to high and put the split whole langoustines, cut-side up, onto a grill pan.
• Combine the garlic and half the butter, spreading it evenly over the langoustine flesh – season to taste with the salt and pepper and put them under a preheated grill, cooking until the langoustines are just cooked – do not overcook!
• In a rather large frying pan, heat the other half of the butter and the olive oil and add the shelled langoustines, stir frying for 4 – 5 minutes.
• Now pour the whisky into the pan and, taking care, light it and flame for a minute or so before allowing the flames to die away.
• Add the crème fraîche, the turmeric and the parsley and stir well, season to taste and set aside to keep warm.
• To serve, place a portion of rice in the centre of each of the warmed plates and put about a spoonful of the sautéed langoustines on top, spooning over the whisky sauce.
• Put two grilled langoustine to the side and serve with a green salad.

TYPES OF WHISKEY

• Malt whisky is made from malted barley and is distilled in an onion-shaped pot still.
• Grain whisky is made from both malted and un-malted barley as well as other grains in a continuous “patent” or “Coffey” still.
• Single grain whisky can be found on the shelves today.
• Pure malt (sometimes known as blended malt)– is a vatted malt whisky (malt whiskies from different distilleries).
• Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery but usually from many casks so that the blender can create an original flavour – if it specifies that it’s a single cask, of course.
• Pure pot still whiskey is just that and is made from a mash of mixed malted and un-malted barley – it’s only made in Ireland.
• Blended whiskies are always made from a combination of malt and grain whisky – anything described as Scotch Whisky or Irish Whiskey is probably always a blend – in this way the blender can produce his own original flavour typical to his particular label but there is on single exception – Jameson Irish Whiskey that is made from one distillery only.
• The rarest and most expensive whiskies are known as cask strength whiskies and are bottled, undiluted from a single cask undiluted.

Because whisky doesn’t mature in a bottle and only in the cask, a whisky that has been lying in a bottle for many years won’t be a better whisky – so don’t be fooled. What count’s in whisky aging is the amount of time it has spent in the cask.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

There are strict regulations when it comes to American whiskey – it’s not only spelled differently, it has a completely different taste – well known and well loved throughout the world today:

• Bourbon whiskey (mash consisting of a minimum of 51% maize).
• Rye whiskey (mash consisting of a minimum of 51% rye).
• Corn whiskey (mash consisting of a minimum of 80% maize).
• Straight whiskey (charred in new oak for a minimum of 2 years and distilled at no more than 80 % alcohol by volume and derived from no less than 51% of any one grain).
• Blended whiskey is a combination of straight whiskey with un-aged whiskey, grain neutral spirits, flavourings and colourings.
• Tennessee whiskey – here Jack Daniel’s probably the best example – while distillation is identical to bourbon the differences lie in the fact that Tennessee whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before it’s aged in the barrel and the barrels are re-used.

Australia, Canada, Finland, England, France, Germany, India, Japan (who produce excellent quality whiskies today), South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Wales also produce whisky today and then there are the Irish! We will dedicate an entire post to these countries at some time in the future.

FILLET STEAK IN WHISKY AND MUSHROOM SAUCE

Ingredients

• 4 x 175g fillet steaks, cut in half
• 200g fresh porcini mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 3 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground, sieved, dust discarded
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50g butter

For the whisky sauce

• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 50ml whisky
• 50ml fresh beef stock
• 50ml double cream

Method

• Coat all sides of the steaks with the Dijon mustard and then press the crushed black peppers on the steaks – make sure that the whole steak is coated with the pepper – set aside for 15 minutes.
• Season the steaks with salt and fry in very hot olive oil for a minute or two, turn once and brown the other side as well – remember not to move the steaks around otherwise the crest will fall off – you need a crust on each side.
• Put the butter into the pan and allow it to become a very light brown colour (they call it nut brown) and take good care that it doesn’t burn – now add the mushrooms and allow them to absorb as much of the pan juices as possible – cook the steak for another 2 – 3 minutes (to your liking) and then remove and allow to rest.
• To make the whisky sauce, pour the whisky into the pan that you used for the steaks, and cook over very high heat for a minute to remove the alcohol – take care, whisky can catch fire.
• Pour in the stock and reduce the liquid until thickened, before adding the cream and the lemon zest – reduce the heat again, scraping to loosen the bits that are stuck to the bottom of your pan.
• Now pour any of the juice that may have been released from your steaks into the sauce, stir well and serve over the steak with the mushrooms and whatever potatoes you feel like making.

IRISH WHISKEY

Irish whiskeys are distilled three times with few exceptions; it’s still distilled in the traditional way using a pot still; however, nowadays a column still is used to produce grain whiskies for use in blends. By law Irish whiskey must be produced in Ireland and aged in wooden casks for a minimum of 3 years although it usually lasts much longer, 3 or 4 times longer. Except for Connemara Peated Malt Whiskey, unpeated malt is standard.

Types of Irish whiskey:

• Single malt,
• Single grain
• Blended whiskey