Off to the Bottling Company
Whisky bottle labels include the content of alcohol by volume (ABV). The concentration varies from cask strength of more than 60 per cent down to 40 per cent when diluted, as is more commonly the case. Other information on the label includes the cask type and sometimes a number for exclusive or premium vintages.
To dilute the cask-strength whisky, bottling plants usually add filtered tap water from the municipal supply. Some connoisseurs see this oft-hushed practice as being at odds with the advertised use of pure spring water in the initial mashing.
Various distillers use chilled filtration to remove fine floating particles at the bottling stage. Otherwise, the almost invisible suspension could cloud the whisky when stored at cold temperatures.
Labelling the Whisky Bottles
Finally, a few independent companies buy casks of Make New Spirit from distilleries and then store them themselves. When it matures, they bottle the finished product directly from the barrel, thus creating a pure, undiluted, unique whisky. Firms that produce these sought-after editions include Douglas Laing, Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage.
