Whiskey casks – what you need to know
Whiskey cannot be officially classed as ‘whiskey’ until is it ‘laid down’, or stored, in a cask for at least 3 years. So what is a cask? A cask is a wooden barrel that is used to store whiskey as it matures. Casks are typically made of oak. They vary in size, from 50 litres […]
The 2023 Grain Harvest and the Factors That Shape It
Curraghmore Estate has been at the forefront of agricultural innovation and dedication since 1167. Our farmyard was the first industrially designed agricultural complex in Europe built in 1840 focusing on grain production and milling. This year, despite the challenges posed by unpredictable weather patterns, our team led by Ned & Eamon Morrissey have made significant […]
Is this oak tree suitable to make a whiskey cask?
Here Richard, Curraghmore Whiskey MD, meets with Paddy Purser, Forest Consultant, to discuss the possibilities of using a 200-year oak tree that fell in a recent storm, as a potential cask for maturing whiskey. What makes a tree suitable for cooperage? Paddy chats about 2 key elements: Straight Fissures Absence of Knots We would love […]
How moisture and protein levels in barley affect distillation
When malting barley is harvested, the moisture content in each grain will be around 15%, sometimes higher, depending on the conditions. The priority then is to dry the barley, to get the moisture level in the grain down to below 14%. Why is this important? Well, if you store barley with higher moisture content, you […]
How malting works
The Malting Process Barley malt is the cornerstone of Whiskey production. However, newly harvested barley grains can’t be processed into Whiskey straight away – The starch contained within the barley grain must first be converted into sugar before the yeast can start fermentation; this breaking down of starch into sugar is called ‘Malting’. Malting consists of 3 main steps: Steeping the Barley Germinating the Barley Kilning th
What does ‘Cask Strength’ mean?
Cask strength is a term used by whiskey producers to describe a whiskey that has not been substantially diluted after its storage in a cask for maturation. The level of alcohol-by-volume strength for a cask-strength whiskey is typically in the range of 52 – 66% ABV. So ‘Cask Strength’ has become a byword for high […]
Malting Barley Harvest at Curraghmore Estate – 2022
The conditions were just perfect for our malting barley harvest last weekend, as we cut the Curraghmore Whiskey barley grown here on Curraghmore Estate. This is Gangway variety of barley, and we’re really happy with how it went – the yield here in the May field was 3.75 tns per acre @ 14/15% moisture. This […]
So what makes great malting barley?
This is our Gangway Spring Barley, which we think is great malting barley, and it’s coming along really nicely – it’s turning a lovely golden colour and it’s filling nicely… you can see each ‘bud’ is getting nice and plump as it fills with nutrients. We anticipate that this will be ready to harvest in […]
