Which are the main secrets that a distiller uses to make the best possible whisky?
The main secrets that a distiller will use to make the best possible spirit at a particular distillery are to use the best materials that are available, namely the best malted barley, fresh yeast and of course the water which needs to be clean and from a tried and proven source. A lot has been written about how the water is that makes a good whisky. The story about water is somewhat of a myth, that it has to be spring water and soft at that, when this is not true . What is probably true is that different waters give different whiskies and I know from experience that most water sources change over a year as the water table alters and the chemical composition will therefore change. An example of this is where Glenmorangie, arguably one of the best malt whiskies around, is made with hard water compared to, say, the soft water of Islay. I remember well that companies buying new spirit for blending would spread their fillings over a distillation year to cover the minor variations that took
