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THE LADYBANK DISTILLERY
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LADYBANK SINGLE MALT WHISKY PRODUCTION

Central to our philosophy in creating Ladybank Single Malt Whisky is the pursuit of excellence. Only the finest expertise, ingredients, methods and equipment will be employed in the production and maturation of this remarkable and individualistic whisky, and quality will never be compromised.

Read on to discover more about our unique product, how it is made, and why The Club can be justifiably passionate about Ladybank Single Malt Whisky.

· Fermentation, Distilling, & Maturation at Ladybank

FERMENTATION, DISTILLING & MATURATION AT LADYBANK

Wood tests
Wood tests

Knowledge & Quality
Ladybank engaged the foremost specialist analytical chemists, for recipe trials and advice on spirit quality. Our focus will be to maximise the quality and consistency of the fermented wort or wash ahead of distilling. This aspect of whisky-making is increasingly recognised as exerting a major influence over final spirit quality.

Recipes
Today there are a number of analytical parameters which can be used to define the tastes and fragrances that are imparted into ‘new make’ spirit (spirit before it matures in the cask) and the all-important characteristics (flavour and sensory congeners) that come from the oak used in cask maturation.

The Club has been working closely with the analytical chemists to establish the recipes and production procedures for our three spirit styles. Trials were conducted during May and June to create a peated (‘island’ style) spirit and the results were so favourable that we have already legally protected the recipe details.

Flavour
Expert spirit analysis
Expert spirit analysis
Many Scotch whisky producers continue to insist that the use of local water and other geographical factors have a major influence on making good whisky. It is widely acknowledged, however, that identifying barley varieties which impart flavour rather than a high alcohol yield, and returning to traditional 4-5 day fermentation cycles, help optimise the more desirable and complex flavours that produce an ‘old-fashioned’ profile in the new make spirit.

Most alcohol is produced during the first 36-48 hours of fermentation, so in many distilleries the process is stopped at that point in the interests of yield maximisation. If the process is allowed to continue for upwards of 96 hours, however, lactic acid bacteria are created, and aromas and flavours such as pear-drops, apple and banana will develop.

Maturation
As leading experts in wood chemistry, the analytical chemists recognise the need to invest in the very best oak casks in order to obtain the optimum results of spirit maturation. The Club will shortly be exploring sources of oak for coopering into the casks that are best suited to our needs. With only a small quantity of casks (between 150 and 200) required for each year of production, the Club will be able to hand pick the choicest oak, usually reserved for the wine and furniture industries. This is considered too expensive for the bourbon trade, which uses the casks for their first filling before they are sold on to Scotch whisky distillers. Having produced the finest new make spirit possible, however, we feel at Ladybank that it deserves to be matured in the highest quality wood available.