Science of Scotch: How whisky is made

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Science Radio, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Science, Medicine, Life Sciences, Technology, Health & Fitness, Naked Scientists

4.6 • 893 Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this special episode of The Naked Scientists, join Chris Smith on a journey from farm to whisky tumbler, as he witnesses the intricate processes behind producing high quality Scotch. Richard Broadbent leads a tour of Bairds Malt's site in Witham, explaining how British barley is prepared for its transformation into the delicious spirit, before Alistair McDonald of the Clydeside Distillery in Glasgow walks us through the five hundred year old craft of distilling malt whisky... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	All engine running.
0:04.6	Absolutely genius.
0:05.4	Welcome.
0:06.3	Welcome.
0:07.2	This is the show where we bring you science.
0:09.0	What that essentially means is...
0:10.5	Discovery is...
0:11.2	Advances.
0:11.6	Research.
0:12.8	Technology.
0:13.8	Unbelievable.
0:14.7	Without further ado.
0:15.6	This is The Naked Scientists.
0:18.2	Hello, welcome to the Naked Scientists, the show where we bring you the biggest breakthroughs
0:22.0	and talk to the major movers and shakers in the worlds of science, technology and medicine.
0:27.4	I'm Chris Smith, and today we're raising a glass in honour of Burns Night with a very special
0:32.7	show on the Science of Scotch production.
0:43.6	Music on the science of Scotch production. The origins of malt whiskey distilling in Scotland are shrouded in ancient history
0:47.8	dating back to monks probably in the 15th century or earlier.
0:51.5	Now while the craft of distillation has been practiced for centuries, the intricate
0:55.0	aromas and flavours of the drink remains something of a dark art, even today. So this week,
1:01.2	we are going to give you the inside story and lift the lid on the ton of the whiskey making process,
	...

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