Master Distiller's Blog

Field notes on whisky craft from our master distiller

July 1, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.10 — The Three Waters of the Mash

How three carefully judged water temperatures turn the starch in malted barley into fermentable sugar By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter, Business Whisky Guide…

July 1, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.09 — How Many Bottles Does a Cask Make?

Using cask volumes and the angel’s share to work out how many 700 mL bottles a cask actually yields By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter, Business Whisky Guide Podcast…

June 25, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.08 — Scotch Whisky’s Cask List

Reading the SWA’s cask rules — why some casks may legally mature Scotch and some can only carry the word Spirit By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter, Business Whisky…

June 24, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.07 — The Golden Ratio of the Grist

From roller mills to the 2:7:1 grist split — how the milling step quietly sets the rest of the whisky in motion By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter, Business Whisky…

June 18, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.06 — Walking Into a Whisky Distillery

A distiller’s day, with mashing, distilling and cask-filling all running at once By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter, Business Whisky Guide Podcast Adapted from…

June 17, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.05 — The Kilning Curve

Where beer malt and whisky malt part company — a distiller’s look at the drying step that decides what the enzymes leave behind By David Hsieh — Master Distiller, Tankyu Distillery | Presenter,…

June 11, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.04 — The Science of Peat

What it is, where it comes from, and why it ends up in whisky — on the chemistry of carbon-rich sediment, the global geography of peat-fields, and the meaning of ‘peatiness’ By David Hsieh — Master…

June 10, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.03 — The Truth About Malting

Why the grain must germinate before it can become whisky, and whether floor malting really does make a difference in the glass — a distiller’s view of the process By David Hsieh — Master Distiller,…

June 4, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.02 — Why Barley?

The four physical facts behind Scotch single malt — from starch, husk and enzyme, through a delivery note and a single PSY figure, to what actually drives a distiller’s choice of grain By David…

May 31, 2026David HsiehPinned

Master Distiller Blog No.01 — The Truth About Oak Casks

Why the ‘sherry casks’ in Scotch whisky are, almost never, what the name suggests — from oak species and cask formats to the Spanish export ban that quietly rewrote a whole supply chain By David…