Whiskey Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. During whiskey fermentation, what does yeast primarily do?
Extracts tannins and color from oak
Converts fermentable sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide
Separates the spirit into heads, hearts, and tails
Removes oils that could make the whiskey cloudy
2. What distinguishes blended Scotch whisky from blended malt Scotch whisky?
Blended Scotch must come from one distillery, while blended malt must come from several
Blended Scotch contains no malt whisky, while blended malt contains some
Blended Scotch can combine malt and grain whiskies, while blended malt contains only malt whiskies
Blended Scotch is always younger than blended malt
3. What does “cask strength” generally mean on a whiskey label?
The whiskey was matured only in unusually thick casks
It contains the maximum alcohol concentration possible after distillation
It was bottled near the strength at which it left the cask, usually with little or no dilution
Its stated strength measures oak flavour rather than alcohol
4. A shopper assumes that the darkest whiskey on a shelf must be the oldest. Why is that conclusion unreliable?
Maturation never affects whiskey color
Every whiskey has the same color before bottling
Dark color always indicates a high-rye recipe instead of age
Cask type, previous cask use, climate, and permitted coloring can also affect appearance
5. You want to concentrate a whiskey's aromas while leaving room to swirl it gently. Which glass shape is generally most suitable?
A very wide, shallow glass with no inward curve
A tulip-shaped glass with a bowl and narrower opening
A tall straight-sided glass filled to the rim
A sealed container with no space above the liquid
6. How can peat used while drying malted barley influence a whiskey?
It can contribute smoky, earthy, or medicinal aromas
It automatically makes the mature spirit darker
It ensures that the whiskey tastes sweet
It prevents the spirit from taking flavour from oak
7. When a distiller separates heads, hearts, and tails, which portion is commonly selected as the main spirit for maturation?
The heart
The heads
The foreshots alone
The tails alone
8. A whiskey becomes slightly hazy after it is chilled or diluted. Which process is specifically used to reduce this kind of haze?
Chill filtration
Double maturation
Sour mash fermentation
Cask charring
9. You are arranging a tasting flight containing a delicate lower-strength whiskey, a rich full-bodied whiskey, and a heavily smoky high-strength whiskey. Which order generally makes comparison easiest?
Smoky high-strength, delicate lower-strength, then rich full-bodied
Rich full-bodied, smoky high-strength, then delicate lower-strength
High-strength first, followed by the other two in any order
Delicate lower-strength, rich full-bodied, then smoky high-strength
10. Two bourbons have similar age and maturation, but one uses rye as its secondary grain while the other uses wheat. Which comparison is most plausible?
The wheated bourbon must contain more residual sugar because wheat is sweet
The rye-recipe bourbon may show a spicier or more herbal profile
The rye-recipe bourbon must have matured in used oak
The wheated bourbon must leave the cask at a higher alcohol strength
11. A whiskey spent much of its maturation in a sherry-seasoned cask. Which flavour family would be especially plausible?
Dried fruit, nuts, and baking spices
Strong peat smoke created by the cask itself
Fresh cucumber and cut grass only
Neutral grain with no influence from the wood
12. A whiskey label shows 100 proof under the standard United States proof system. What is its alcohol by volume?
100% ABV
40% ABV
75% ABV
50% ABV
13. Which description correctly defines single malt Scotch whisky?
Malt whisky combined from several Scottish distilleries
Whisky made from malted barley at one distillery in Scotland
Whisky made at one Scottish distillery from barley and other cereal grains
Any malt whisky placed in a cask previously used in Scotland
14. A high-strength whiskey's alcohol intensity is masking its aromas. What is the most useful first comparison to make?
Chill the entire pour until its aromas are suppressed
Warm it strongly so the alcohol evaporates quickly
Add a few drops of water, then nose it again
Swirl it continuously and nose from inside the glass
15. What does an age statement on a bottle of Scotch whisky indicate?
The average age of every whisky in the bottle
The age of the oldest whisky used
The number of years since the bottle was filled
The age of the youngest whisky used
16. Four otherwise compliant distillers plan to make whiskey in the United States. Which plan meets two core bourbon requirements?
A mash containing 49% corn, matured in used charred oak
A mash containing 60% corn, matured only in a used port cask
A mash containing 60% corn, matured in new charred oak
A mash containing 80% corn, matured in new but uncharred oak