For the whisky lovers
(and the whiskey lovers!)
The basics
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic
beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be
malted) are used for different varieties, including
barley,
corn,
rye, and
wheat. Whisky is typically aged in
wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
The “e” or lack thereof in the word’s spelling is purely orthographical.
Whisky is whiskey is whisky. Certain countries favor
one spelling over the other—for example, Scotland and Canada always use
whisky, while Ireland and the United States tend to favor
whiskey.”
Read more
Scottish whisky regions and flavours
Geographically, the world of single malts is divided into four regions. These regions are protected in UK law, to ensure that a Scotch that's labeled with a certain region is actually made in that region. The four regions are the Highlands, Speyside, Islay and the Lowlands.
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Highlands
The Highlands encompass a huge region and a lot of distilleries, including the islands near the Scottish mainland (excluding the island of Islay). Drams are produced here in many different styles, and so it's difficult to generalize about a "Highland style." Flavours range from creamy and well-balanced to rich, heavy and smoky malt. -
Speyside
The region with the most distilleries, Speyside is located geographically in the center of Scotland. Flavor and character in these malts depends more on house style than any regional characteristics. -
Islay
Here we go, the peat bombs. All but one bottling distilled on Islay is peated; Bunnahabhain is the exception, a sweet and nutty whisky that should appeal to any Scotch drinker. Beyond that, the other distilleries on the island all produce whiskies with varying ranges of peat, from mid-range to heavy. -
Lowlands
Whiskies from this region are traditionally triple-distilled, making them smooth and light in character, much like Irish whiskies. (Malts from other regions are generally double-distilled, giving them richer character and a thicker body.) For this reason, Lowlands malts are often a good place for Scotch novices to begin.
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