How do Bushmills whiskey

Author: Julia Davydova
Source: bigpicture.ru/?p=192954

46 photos + text





Bushmills - near the village of Moyle County Antrim in Northern Ireland. A small and very well maintained settlement, which is not like the countryside in our understanding.



The village population is about 1,200 people. And if you go out on the street at night, it seems that in general the village no one lives.



The bookstore.



Downtown - this intersection of two streets, where the square with a monument to soldiers of the 1st World War.



Houses in the village are all different and very comfortable. So it seems that now because of the angle will be old Miss Marple



Bushmills Inn Hotel, where the multinational company has stopped all participants of the competition "Make it 2 Bushmills".



Bushmills distillery is open to visitors and is one of the most visited attractions of the north coast of Ireland. In 1608, King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips - the landowner and the governor of the territory of Ireland, a license for distillation "Acqua Vitae", that later marked the beginning of the production of whiskey. In 1784 the Old Bushmills Distillery has become a registered trademark, and considered the oldest or only in Ireland, but also in Europe.



What we see now - is the buildings, erected in 1885, after a fire that destroyed the former building of Bushmills.



Pipes - in the Scottish style. Such pipes can be seen in every distillery in Scotland, as it is due to the peculiarities of whiskey production.



Before you go to the production itself, we familiarized with the safety precautions given vests (Visitors go distillery in orange vests, workers - in light green), and also said that the territory of the plant can only walk along the paths in which man is drawn.



Colum Egan - Master Blender distillery Old Bushmills.



Here is the raw material for the production of whiskey.



Distillery is located near the river Bush, from which water is taken for the production of whiskey.



In such a tank charged with malt, which was previously only dried, not frying, as is done in Scotland and obtained a must.



Each tank holds 10 tons. The resulting waste going to animal feed.



Knives milled malt flour with hot water, then all this is held for a few hours and get a sweet liquid.



Scheme production process of whiskey Bushmills.



The fermentation process.



When looking into the vat, the smell of home-made beer is very hit in the nose.



The fermentation lasts 60 hours and resulting in a 10% alcohol.



Here there is a distillation of the mash. Bushmills whiskey is distilled three times.



Taste whiskey depends on the form of a distillation apparatus. Each form has its own distillery apparatus. This - an elongated, similar to the shape of the retort apparatus can be seen only in Bushmills.



After the first distillation step produces a liquid strength of 25-30%, after the second distillation drink strength below 70%.



Moreover, during the second distillation step does not take liquid obtained at the beginning and at the end, and take only the middle. The remaining liquid is sent to a third distillation.



If due to the aging need to replace the old distiller to the new, the new do exactly repeating the old, until dents, as it defines the specific taste of whiskey.



Alcohol goes through the pipes into the shop for bottling the barrels.



To maintain the whiskey used oak barrels of bourbon, sherry and Madeira. Each barrel is 96 dollars.



One barrel can be used 3 times - 5, 10, 15 years.



After an accidental fire in America, it was observed that the fired barrels get more delicious whiskey. Therefore, before bottling barrels burned inside.



Barrels are transported to the factory in disassembled form.



The barrel is sealed without nails. Whisky matures into contact only with wood.



In each barrel turns your taste. To improve the taste of whiskey, it can withstand the first in a vat of bourbon, and then in a barrel out of Madeira.



Each year, 2% alcohol evaporates, they are called "angel's share".



Since the production of noisy, use earplugs.



We got married on the barrel, which will withstand the whiskey. Maybe it will be able to try.



Bottling of whiskey bottles.



We were told specifically that these boxes are packed for export to Russia.



The main exports of whiskey goes to America.



Probably the most enjoyable part of the tour - tasting.



...



Tired of the tourists are offered not only to drink, but also to eat.



...



The gift shop at the plant of our guys photographed this postcard with the words "the Russian national team," forgive me, soccer fans for such



And this is a more complex wine. All tried to add water. From left to right:
1) alcohol, 0 years of aging, 83.5%;
2) 10 years of aging in the barrel of bourbon, 53%;
3) 10 years of aging in the barrel of the kind of sherry, 53%;
4) a new crystal whiskey, special processing of raw materials, not yet commercially available (like most);
5) a mixture of the second and third whiskey, with aging in barrels of port wine for another 6 months.

That's all.



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