Whisky words for beginners, from dram to expression

Words for what is in your glass

Dram. A Scottish word for a measure of whisky. It has no fixed volume. In practice it means a modest pour, usually 25 to 35 ml.

Peg. The Indian measure: 30 ml for a small peg, 60 ml for a large one.

Neat. Whisky on its own, at room temperature, with nothing added. On the rocks means over ice. With a splash means a few drops of water, which can open up the aroma. Our guide to adding water to whisky explains why.

Highball. Whisky topped with soda in a tall glass over ice. Common in India and Japan.

Words for how it was made

Malt. Barley that has been soaked, sprouted and dried so its starches can be turned into sugar. Single malt is whisky made only from malted barley at one distillery, distilled in pot stills when it is Scotch.

Grain whisky. Whisky made from other cereals, such as wheat or maize, usually in a column still. Blended whisky mixes malt and grain whiskies.

Mash bill. The recipe of grains. Bourbon must be at least 51% corn. Rye whiskey in the US must be at least 51% rye.

Pot still and column still. A pot still is a large copper kettle that distils in batches. A column still runs continuously and can reach a higher strength. The column still most whisky drinkers hear about is the Coffey still, patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1830.

Peat. Partly decayed plant matter dug from bogs. Burnt to dry malted barley, it gives whisky its smoky character. Peat levels are often quoted in ppm (parts per million) of phenols in the malt.

Words for the cask

Cask. The oak barrel the whisky matures in. Scotch must mature for at least three years in oak casks in Scotland.

Ex-bourbon and ex-sherry. Casks that previously held bourbon or sherry. Ex-bourbon tends to give vanilla and coconut. Ex-sherry tends to give dried fruit and spice.

Finish or finishing. A second, shorter maturation in a different cask, such as port or wine, to add a layer of flavour. Confusingly, finish also means the aftertaste.

Angel's share. The spirit lost to evaporation from the cask each year. In Indian heat it runs far higher than in Scotland.

Words on the label

Expression. One particular whisky in a distillery's range. A distillery might sell a 12 year old, a sherry cask and a peated bottling: three expressions.

Age statement. The age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. NAS stands for no age statement.

Cask strength. Bottled without being diluted, often 50 to 65% ABV. Most whisky is reduced with water to 40 to 46%.

Single cask. Bottled from one cask only, so each batch differs.

Non-chill filtered. Not chilled and filtered before bottling, a step some producers use to prevent haze when the whisky gets cold or has water added.

Words for strength

ABV. Alcohol by volume, the percentage of the liquid that is pure alcohol. Scotch must be at least 40% ABV.

Proof. An older way of stating strength that differs by country. In the US, proof is simply double the ABV, so 80 proof is 40%. The old British system was different: 100 degrees proof was about 57.1% ABV. That is why some Indian labels still show 75 degrees proof, which equals 42.8% ABV.

Bottling strength. The ABV the whisky is reduced to with water before it goes into the bottle. Cask strength whisky skips that step.

Words you will hear at a tasting

Nosing glass. A small tulip shaped glass that narrows at the top to gather aroma. Far better for tasting than a wide tumbler.

Legs or tears. The streaks that run down the inside of the glass after a swirl. They tell you a little about strength, not quality.

Flight. A set of small pours tasted side by side, usually three to five.

Spittoon. A cup or bucket for spitting, used at serious tastings so the palate stays sharp.

Words for how it tastes

Tasting notes usually follow three stages. Nose is the aroma. Palate is the taste and texture in your mouth. Finish is what lingers after you swallow, along with how long it lasts.

You will also hear mouthfeel (oily, thin, creamy), heat (the burn of alcohol) and balance (whether no one flavour shouts over the rest). These are judgements anyone can learn to make. Putting a precise word to a smell is harder. It is the part a structured sensory course speeds up.

Your first step

Pick up the bottle you have at home and read every word on the label. Use this guide to translate each one. Then pour a small dram, note the nose, palate and finish in a line each and compare it with the label's own description. Our guide to writing whisky tasting notes shows how to keep going.

Common questions

What does dram mean in whisky?

A dram is a Scottish word for a measure of whisky. It has no fixed volume but usually means a modest pour of around 25 to 35 ml.

What is an expression of whisky?

An expression is one particular bottling in a distillery's range, such as its 12 year old or its sherry cask release.

What does cask strength mean?

It means the whisky was bottled without being diluted with water, so it is usually much stronger, often 50 to 65% ABV.