Whisky glossary

How to use this glossary

These are orientation definitions. Whisky vocabulary crosses laws, technical files, producer language, and tasting shorthand, so a short term rarely carries every rule by itself. Follow the complete label wording and the relevant jurisdiction when a definition affects what a bottle legally claims.

The entries below come directly from this page’s structured frontmatter. They are sorted for display here and can be reused by search without maintaining a second set of definitions.

Terms A–Z

ABV

Alcohol by volume: the percentage of the liquid's volume represented by alcohol under the stated measurement convention.

age statement

A label declaration of maturation age; how the stated age applies to combined whiskies depends on the jurisdiction and category.

angel's share

An informal name for spirit and water lost from a cask through evaporation during maturation.

blended whisky

Whisky made by combining eligible whiskies; the permitted components depend on the complete category name and jurisdiction.

bourbon

A defined United States whisky category with rules for its grain recipe, distillation, new charred-oak storage, and permitted additions.

cask finish

An additional period in a different cask after a principal maturation, subject to the rules of the whisky's category.

cask strength

A trade description generally used for whisky bottled near the strength at which it left the cask; it is not one globally standardized ABV.

chill filtration

Cooling and filtering spirit to reduce compounds that can form haze at lower temperatures or strengths.

column still

A still arranged for repeated separation in a continuous or semi-continuous column system rather than one simple pot batch.

distillery

The production site where fermented liquid is distilled; the distillery, brand owner, blender, and bottler may be different businesses.

first-fill

In common Scotch cask language, a cask's first use for maturing Scotch after its earlier contents; not necessarily newly made oak.

grain whisky

A category-dependent whisky type that may use several cereal grains and often column distillation; single grain does not mean one grain species.

mash bill

The recipe or proportion of grains used to make a fermented mash, especially common in United States whisky discussion.

maturation

The period in which spirit rests in a permitted wooden vessel and changes through extraction, transformation, oxidation, and evaporation.

NAS

No age statement: the label does not declare a numerical maturation age; the abbreviation is not a quality grade.

new make

Spirit newly collected from distillation before it has completed any maturation required for its intended whisky category.

peat

Partly decomposed plant material that can be burned while drying malt to contribute smoky and earthy aroma compounds.

pot still

A vessel-shaped still normally operated in batches; shape, charge, heating, condensation, and cut choices affect the spirit.

proof

A strength scale; on current United States labels, proof is twice the numerical ABV, while historical systems used other relationships.

refill cask

In common Scotch cask language, a cask that has already matured Scotch at least once after its previous non-Scotch use.

rye

A cereal grain and, in some jurisdictions, a regulated whisky category word; the full label establishes which meaning and rules apply.

single malt

A category-dependent term commonly pointing to malt whisky from one distillery, with permitted grain, still, and location rules set locally.

small batch

A producer or trade description for a selected batch size; without more detail it does not identify one universal volume or quality level.

toast

Controlled heating of a cask's interior to transform wood compounds, distinct from the more intense carbonized layer created by charring.

virgin oak

Oak that has not previously held another liquid; this does not by itself state species, origin, seasoning, toast, or char.

Reading a term in context

Category words should lead you to primary rules, not end the research. Current starting points include the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, the official Irish Whiskey Technical File, U.S. standards of identity in 27 CFR § 5.143 and age-statement rules in § 5.74, and the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association’s voluntary Japanese whisky standard.

For example, “single malt,” “grain whisky,” and “blended whisky” gain precise requirements only within a named system. “Small batch” and “cask strength” may be useful producer descriptions, but without supporting details they do not establish one worldwide batch size, bottling method, or quality level.