HOW ITS MADE - WHISKEY PRODUCTION PROCESS

First the grain is crushed into a powder containing the husks called 'Grist'. This is added to hot water, which at Bushmills is 63º C (145º F) and at Midleton a slightly cooler 60º C (140º F), in a metal vessel called the mashtun and then slowly stirred by mechanical means.

The natural sugars present in the grist and other solubles dissolve into the water which is then drained off. This process is repeated twice before the spent solids, called 'draff', are removed.

The liquid containing the dissolved sugars and grain, called 'Wort', is then pumped into a set of vessels called wash backs, or at Midleton, the 'fermenters'. At this point yeast is added which reacts with the sugars to produce a beer like liquid, orange-brown in colour at about 8.5per cent alcohol by volume. When the fermentation process has run its course and the liquid quietens from a foaming, frothing cauldron to a tranquil, murky lake, it is then pumped through to the stills.