Why Wash Matters for Whisky

When people think about whisky-making, the focus is usually on cask type and how long the whisky has matured for. But before the spirit reaches copper or oak, whisky begins its life as something we’ve got over a decade of experience with.

It starts as beer.

In whisky-making, the liquid that is distilled is known as wash. In simple terms, wash is an unhopped beer made from malted barley, yeast and water. It is brewed, fermented and handled in much the same way as beer and just like in brewing, this is where flavour is first created.

Where flavour really begins

Decisions made during brewing and fermentation directly influence the character of the new make spirit, before cask maturation begins.

The choice of malt is one of the most important factors. Pale ale malt can create bright, fruity and cereal-led notes, while malts such as crystal or chocolate bring deeper, richer flavours. These malts are more commonly associated with brewing, but they play a vital role in shaping the flavours of the spirit we produce.

Yeast selection is just as influential. Different yeast strains produce different aromatic compounds during fermentation, contributing fruit, spice, sweetness or complexity to the wash. Fermentation time and temperature also matter. Longer, carefully controlled fermentations allow flavour compounds to fully develop, creating a more flavourful base liquid.

Brewing experience in a whisky context

As the team behind Loch Lomond Brewery, we bring over a decade of brewing experience to our distilling process. That background gives us an understanding of how malt, yeast and fermentation interact and how small changes can have a significant impact on flavour.

Rather than aiming for a neutral wash, our focus is on creating washes packed with flavour. By treating wash with the same care and attention as we give our beers, we ensure the spirit entering the still already carries depth, texture and character.

From wash to new make

Once the wash is distilled, it becomes new make spirit. The character developed during brewing and fermentation carries through to the new make, in addition to the flavours gained from distilling, to give the backbone of the whisky that will eventually mature in cask.

This is why we place such importance on our new make spirit and why we believe it deserves to be tasted and appreciated in its own right. It offers a clear insight into the style of whisky we are laying down for the future before oak has its influence.

Beer and whisky, closely connected

At its heart, whisky is not just about stills and barrels. It is also about malt, yeast and fermentation, a trio that lies at the core of brewing. Every Levenbank whisky begins life as a carefully crafted beer, with brewing knowledge guiding each step of the journey.