GB428518A - Method of ageing whiskey - Google Patents

Abstract

Charcoal for improving the colour and flavour of whisky is produced by heating white oak in an externally heated muffle furnace to about 700 DEG C. for one or two minutes. The charcoal is regarded as divided into three layers, of which the inner two only contain appreciable amounts of alcohol soluble constituents and are utilized for treating the whisky.ALSO:Whisky is aged by catalytic hydrogenation, the liquor being subjected to an atmosphere of hydrogen or treated by bubbling hydrogen therethrough in the presence of platinum, nickel, chromium, iron, copper oxide, or other hydrogenation catalyst until the undesired odours are removed. Platinum black and nickel reduced in hydrogen at 300 DEG C. are the preferred catalysts. The treatment may be carried out at super-atmospheric pressure, especially in the case where a nickel catalyst is used, and the liquor may be agitated during the process. The deodorized whisky is preferably subjected to a subsequent treatment with charcoal obtained by heating white oak in an externally heated muffle furnace at about 700 DEG C., for one or two minutes. The outermost charcoal layer thus formed is not employed, the liquor being heated at 60 DEG C. with a mixture of the two inner layers into which the remainder of the charcoal is regarded as divided, and which contain alcohol soluble constituents.