WHISKY – THE SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND

"The best Scotch whiskies taste of the mountain heather, the peat, the seaweed. They taste of Scotland, more obviously than even Cognac tastes of its region, or the best Tequila of its mountain soil" – Michael Jackson, Complete Guide to Single Malt Whisky

Scotland, sitting in the northwest of Europe and sharing a land border with England to the south, has a temperate climate that's just perfect for producing whisky and this the Scots have been doing for hundreds of years.

In the ancient Gaelic language, "usquebaugh" meaning "Water of Life", phonetically became "usky" and then "whisky" in English.

It is not known exactly when distilling came to Scotland but it is believed that it was started by monks who used distilling for medicinal purposes and in fact the first written reference in 1494 states:

"Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae"

This was sufficient to produce almost 1500 bottles, and it is clear that distilling was already a well-established practice in the 15th century.

With the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, the monks were thrown out into the country and local farmers were quick to learn from them. From then on, distilling became commonplace throughout the Glens of Scotland.

In the 18th century the importance of whisky to the country was not lost on its most famous son, the poet Robert Burns, who wrote:

“Let us toast John Barleycorn, Each man a glass in hand; And may his great posterity Ne’er fail in old Scotland!”

The mid 1800’s saw the pioneering of Blended Whisky, which enabled Scotch whisky to first penetrate the English market and then the world!

Today, over 1 billion bottles of Scotch Whisky is produced and 90% of this is exported overseas to over 200 countries worldwide.

THE INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Indians are serious whisky drinkers, downing over 500 million litres, which is 40% more than the second largest consumers the United States. But of all the Scotch Whisky produced in the world, under 2% of it is consumed in the world's largest market, proving that there is real potential for Scotch Whisky in India!

What makes Scotch Whisky?

It must be made at a Scottish distillery.
It must spend at least three years maturing in an oak cask.
It must be matured in Scotland.

What is a 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.

What is Grain Whisky?

Single grain whisky is the product of one grain distillery and is usually made from wheat, corn or unmalted barley.

What is Single Malt?

The product of one specific distillery and has not been mixed with whisky from any other distilleries. Scotland’s

Whisky Producing Regions

Speyside – Contains more than half of Scotland’s whisky distilleries and is situated around the town of Elgin & the River Spey. Some of the most famous Single Malts in the world are produced in this region, such as Macallan & Glenlivet . Speysides can genuinely be broken down into 2 categories – big rich, fruity sherry cask whiskies or lighter, complex sweet & foral malts.

Highland – Is the largest of the malt regions of Scotland comprising most of the Scottish mainland, north of an imaginary line between the forth & loch Lomond. Due to it’s sheer size, it produces the widest range in styles of whiskies from some fairly coastal & peaty whiskies in the North to the softer fruitier whiskies in the South.

Lowland – describes the Scottish mainland south of an imaginary line between the Forth & Loch Lomond. Only three lowland distilleries are now in production in what was once a busy distilling region. They produce a much lighter, delicate style of whisky but full of character.

Campbeltown – consists of the most southern area of the west coast known as the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown malts are usually rich and full bodied, with a good coastal feel and occasional on a par with Islay for peat.

Island – describes all of the whisky producing island with exception of Islay, namely Mull, Skye, Orkney, Arran & Jura. Due to their location, these whiskies often have a coastal feel to them and often use a high degree of peat. Generally however the peat in these whiskies is softer and sweeter than the pungent peat reek of Islay malts.

Islay – is one of the western Isles of Scotland, situated furthest to the south. The island is very flat and consists largely of peat. Most of the distilleries use a high proportion of peat when malting the barley used for production. This along with their coastal location produces powerful single malt whiskies which are very often smoky with peaty and seaweedy characteristics.