Age: The numbers of years a whisky has been matured in casks. The age stated on a bottle is that of it's youngest component.

Angel's share: It's a part of alcohol that evaporates from the cask during maturation. The whisky loses about 2% volume alcohol a year.

Aqua Vitae: Latin term for "water of life".

Austere: Seemingly stern, severe, and unadorned in character.

Balanced: One flavour or aroma element does not dominate.

Barrel: A cask containing 180 litres (47 Am. gallons).

Big: To be contrasted with "subtle".  Bold, dominant, hard to ignore flavours and presence in the mouth.

Blending: Term used for mixing malt or pot still whiskey with grain whiskey

Blended whisky: A mixture of grain and malt whiskies from several different distilleries. The quality of the blend depends on the percentage of malt whiskies used.

Body: Refers to mouth feel.

Bourbon: Whisky produced in the United States from a mash of not less than 51% corn grain. Because regulation requires only the use of new oak barrels, it's a nearly inexhaustible generator of used barrels.

Brewing: The process of producing alcoholic liquids aided by yeast from the sugars present in a solution of fermented grains.

Butt: A cask containing 500 litres (132 Am. gallons).

Cask: Wooden Barrel into which whiskey is stored in order to mature

Cask strength: Normally whisky is reduced to 40% or 43% volume alcohol before it's bottled. A whisky of cask strength is bottled at the alcoholic strength as it is taken from the cask. According to its age and the evaporation that took place during maturation it may have 65% to 45% Vol. alcohol.

Cerealy: Evocative of grain associations.

Cerebral: Complex and begging careful attention and analysis.  Frequently also implies that such analysis is difficult.

Cold-filtering: A method of filtering the spirit when chilled to freezing point or below prior to bottling to avoid the risk of the whisky becoming cloudy when cold. Unfortunately, it also removes many of the natural fats, oils and flavours, thereby affecting the individual character of the whisky.

Coffee Still: Patent still invented by Irish man Aeneas Coffee, a former Government Excise Official. His invention allows the continuous distillation of wash.

Complex: Seeming to possess many layers of flavour, for which time is needed to examine and characterize all of them.

Creamy: Possessing the mouth feel of, say, half & half.

Dark flavours: Reminiscent of flavours like molasses or Vegemite.

Dignified: This is hard to describe.  It reflects that it does not taste cloying or youthful.  Usually clear, resonant flavours.

Draff: Spent solids of grain left over from the brewing process. Removed from the mash tun these "wastes" are normally sold as livestock feed.

Dry: Astringent and not sweet.  In extreme cases the spirit can feel as if it contains no moisture.

Estery: Aroma contains chemical esters.  These are generally light, fruity, floral scents.

Ethanol: The particular alcohol that we are referring to when we say "alcohol".

Feints: Term applied to the impure spirit produced from the end of the second distillation.

Fermentation: Active period during the brewing process when yeast reacts with the sugar rich wort.

Fermenters: Also referred to as wash backs in Ireland, these are huge containers that hold the fermenting liquid as it changes from wort to wash.

Fillings: The term applied to "new" whiskey that has been filled into casks prior to being matured.

Finish: The time period in malt tasting after one has swallowed the spirit.

Firm: Refers to mouth feel.  Contrast with "soft".

Foreshots: Term applied to the oily spirit produced at the start of each "run" from the stills.

Gauger: Old name given to an excise man whose job was to assist in the prevention of illicit distillation notably poteen in Ireland.

Gill: Old Scots measurement, still used in whisky measures today.

Grain Whiskey: Whiskey produced from column stills, normally made from wheat or maize wit a small quantity of malted barley to aid fermentation.

Grassy: Aldehydic, reminiscent of grass.

Grist: Name given to the crushed grains mixture of malted and unmalted barley in the making of Irish pot still whiskey.

Harsh: An unpleasantly aggressive or caustic flavour or feeling to the mouth or nose.

Herbal: Reminiscent of kitchen herbs such as thyme, basil, lavender, or chamomile.

Hot: Reminiscent of physical warmth, like freshly-brewed coffee.

Late Palate: The time period in malt tasting after the spirit has been in the mouth for a while but has not yet been swallowed.

Malt, Malty: Refers to the aroma and flavour of malted barley.  "Malt" can also be an abbreviation of "Single Malt Scotch Whisky".

Malt whisky: Whisky produced from malted barley and distilled in a Pot Still.

Marrying: Term given to the process of mixing whiskeys from more than one distillery in order to form a blend or vatting.

Mashing: The process of adding the Grist to hot water in order to dissolve the fermentable sugars.

Mash Tun: Large container holding Grist and hot water for mashing process. The product of which is known as wort.

Maturation: Process of leaving whiskey in casks to react over a period of years with the chemicals within the wood of the cask. The longer whiskey is left at the maturation stage the greater influence the chemicals within the wood will have.

Medicinal: Evocative of memories of liquid medicines.

Mouth-coating: Giving the impression that it has coated the inside of your mouth, as with syrup.

Mouth feel: The tactile feel of the malt in the mouth.  Largely a reflection of the physical qualities, but can also be significantly affected by flavour elements.

Nose: Aroma. When used as a verb, means to sample the aroma.

Nutty: Evocative of the taste of nuts, or reminiscent of the alkaloid qualities of some nuts.

Oakey: Influenced by aging in an oak cask.  Implies a woody, spicy, astringent character.

Orange, Orangey: Reminiscent of the citrus fruit of that name.

Palate: Two meanings.  Means either the taste components of the malt, or the time period when the spirit is in one's mouth.

Peat, Peaty: Peat is a fuel formed of compacted vegetative layers harvested from the moors. A peat fire has traditionally provided the heat to dry the malted barley used in scotch whisky production.  A significant flavour element in many types of malt, this heavy, smoky, somewhat vegetative flavour is imparted by the distillery water having run over peat, the peat smoke used in the drying process, or both.

Peppery: Reminiscent of black pepper or hot chilli peppers.  Contrast with "spicy".

Phenolic: Aroma contains chemical phenols.  These are generally heavy, thick, tar-like scents.

Poteen: Irish term for illicit spirit made form malted barley occasionally from potatoes but more commonly made today from molasses.

Pot Still: Copper container in which the distillation process is carried out. The heating of the contents of the still produces vapours containing the alcohol which is separated from the water.

Pot Still Whiskey: Traditional name for Irish Whiskey produced from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley.

Rich: Possessing robust, highly-flavoured elements, usually with a thick mouth feel.

Run: Clear alcohol rich liquid produced by the distilling process.

Rye Whiskey: Whiskey produced in the United States and Canada from a grain mash of which not less than 51% is rye grain.

Salt, Salty: Whether or not the spirit actually contains NaCl, this term denotes the perception of salinity.

Scotch: A malt whisky which is produced and matured for at least three years in Scotland.

Sherried: Influenced by aging in a sherry cask.  Usually implies a sweet, somewhat winey character.

Sherry: Reminiscent of the fortified wine of that name.

Single barrel: Also known as single-single, it's a whisky taken from only one cask.

Single Malt: Malt whiskey made by a single distillery and unmixed with either grain or pot still whiskeys.

Smoke, Smokey: Evocative of the flavour of smoke.  Sometimes this is peat smoke, but other times the smoke is reminiscent of bonfires, leaf fires, log fireplaces, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, or something else.

Soft: Refers to mouth feel.  Like a marshmallow.  Contrast with "firm".

Spicy: Reminiscent of spices such as cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg.  Contrast with "peppery".

Spirity: Denotes the obvious presence of ethanol.

Subtle: The elements of interest are not obvious on the palate.  Contrast with "big".

Sweet: Either sweet in itself, or reminiscent of sweetness.  Frequently implies a "wet" feeling in the mouth (contrast with "dry".).

Uisce Beatha: Celtic for "water of life".

Vatted Malt: Also known as Pure malt, it's a blend of several whiskies from different distilleries. In contrast to a single malt, of which the quality and character may vary according to vintage or season, this produces a product which is more consistent and has it's own stable personality.

Vatting : The mixing together of identical whiskeys from a single distillery but from different casks in order to maintain continuity of character for a particular brand of whiskey.

Vegetative: Reminiscent of green plants, especially grasses.

Viscous: Refers to mouth feel.

Wash: The term given to the fermented liquid prior to being pumped into the wash still for the first distillation.

Wash Backs: Also referred to as fermenters in Ireland, these are huge containers that hold the fermenting liquid as it changes from wort to wash.

Worm: Apparatus in which the vaporized alcohol forms the stills condense and are separated from the water. Normally a coiled copper tube.

Yeast: Organism which feeds of sugar forming alcohol as a by product, added to the wort in the mash tuns to aid the fermentation.

Youthful: Full of vibrant, volatile, light characteristics.  Flavours may not be well integrated, although they may be.  Think of a young wine.

Warm: Similar to "hot", but to a lesser degree.

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