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Whisky
 Scotch
whisky is one of Scotland’s most important and successful
exports to the world market, in fact, it is the world’s
leading spirit drink.
Whisky is essentially made of barley and water by malting
barley, extracting the sugars from the malt with hot water,
fermenting the "sweet worts" to form „wash"
and distilling this twice or three times. Then it has to
be matured for at least 3 years before it can be called
Scotch whisky. Most commercially available whisky contains
of malt whisky blended with grain whisky.
The word whisky derives from Gaelic "uisge beatha"
(= water of life, which reminds of the Latin equivalent
"aqua vitae" = distilled spirits of various kinds)
or "usquebeaugh". Irish and American "whiskey"
is always spelt with an "e".
The earliest documentation of whisky produced in Scotland
occurred in 1494. The monasteries were the first large-scale
producers of malt spirit. From early on, whisky was appreciated
for its medical properties and was believed to preserve
health, prolong life, relieve colic, palsy and smallpox.
While Scotch Whisky has been defined in the UK law since
1909, the current UK legislation relating specifically to
Scotch Whisky is
The Scotch
Whisky Act of 1988.
It defined the
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ingredients
(water and malted barley to which
only whole grains of other cereals may be added) |
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process
(it must to be produced at a Scottish
distillery in Scotland, processed at that distillery
into a mash and fermented only by the addition of yeast) |
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alcoholic strength
(distilled by volume of less than
94,8%) so that it retains the flavour of the raw materials
used in its production), |
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period of maturity
(not less than 3 years of maturity
in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres) |
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colour, aroma and
taste
(derived from the raw materials
and to which no substance other than water and spirit
caramel/caramel colour (E 150) may be added) |
for a spirit to deserve the label “Scotch
whisky”.
Barely 5% of the malt whisky produced in Scotland today is
bottled as single malts, the rest going into blends. Although
appreciation of malt whisky has grown significantly in recent
decades, it is the sale of blends which accounts for most
of the industry’s income at home and overseas.
The "Famous
Grouse" has been the leading brand in the UK for
over 20 years, while "Johnnie
Walker Red Label" is the world best-seller.
These days "Glenmorangie"
is the largest selling single malt in Scotland while "Glenfiddich"
is the largest selling single malt worldwide.
The approx. 100 working distilleries
in Scotland belong to about 17 predominantly global companies.
A great deal of the barley used to produce Scotch whisky is
coming from England or South Africa, since there's no legal
obligation to use Scottish barley to produce Scotch whisky.
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| What
is... |
Single Malt |
A Single Malt Scotch Whisky is distilled
entirely at one specific distillery and has neither been mixed
with whisky from any other distilleries nor blended with grain
whisky. The greatest concentration of malt whisky distilleries
can be found in the Speyside region of north-east Scotland,
with Highland, Lowland and Islay being the other main malt
whisky producing areas.
Whisky from one cask only is called “Single Cask”.
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Single Grain |
A Single grain whisky is the product
of one distillery and is usually made from wheat, corn or
unmalted barley. Grain whisky is more smooth than the intensive
Mal whisky. There are about 8 operating grain distilleries
in Scotland, the majority being in central Scotland. |
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Pure Malt / Vatted Malt |
A Vatted Malt is a blend of single malt
whiskies that have been skilfully mixed together or "married,"
to create a consistent whisky with its own distinct, identifiable
character. Such a malt can also consist entirely of malt whiskies
of various ages from the same distillery. However, vatted
malts will never contain any grain whisky. The age of the
youngest whisky in the bottle is the one used on the label. |
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Blended Whisky |
A blended Scotch whisky may contain a
combination of whiskies from over 40 or 50 different malt
and grain distilleries. The normal ratio of malt to grain
is 60% grain 40% malt. The percentage of malt used will determine
the quality and smoothness of taste and character. Each whisky
used in the blending process will normally have been matured
for about 5 years, however there are a number of higher aged
blended scotch whiskies available. Again, the age of the youngest
whisky in the bottle is the one used on the label. |
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| What
type of glass to use? |
 A
whisky tumbler is widely thought of as traditional whisky
kit, and it is fine for mixing a whisky into a long drink
or with a lot of ice, the ideal glass for Bourbon or some
blended whiskies.
Anyway, you are only allowed to put two things in your Single
Malt Whisky: Water or more whisky. The addition of ice wil
completely kill the aroma.
Experts highly recommend a tulip-shaped glass, which gets
narrow near the top, like a Sherry glass, as it focses the
aromas towards the nose.
(Above you see the beautiful Glenmorangie
nosing glass and another so-called "whiskysnifter",
both of which are very suitable for enjoying a dram)
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| >> proceed to The
whisky manufacturing process / glossar
>> proceed to Whisky
facts
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