Scotch Whisky
Whisky made in Scotland, referred to as Scotch, is one of the most popular types of whisky in the world. By law, it must be distilled to no more than 189.6 proof and produced from a mixture of water, cereal grains, and malt, with the only allowed additives being water and caramel coloring. Scotch must be aged in oak casks in Scotland at a licensed warehouse for a minimum of three years, but, unlike bourbon or rye, those casks can, and almost always are, used barrels instead of new ones. Scotch is separated into five categories, one of which is required to be displayed on the label: Single Malt (100% malt barley from a single distillery), Single Grain (all grain spirit from a single distillery), Blended Grain (grain whiskies from multiple distilleries), Blended Malt (a blend of single malts), and Blended Scotch (a blend of malt and grain whiskies). The malt used to make Scotch can be dried by fire from with compacted vegetation called peat, which imparts a unique flavor on the final product. (This type of Scotch is most common on island regions, particularly Islay.) There are five whisky-producing regions in Scotland, each with its own style and character: Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown.
Top Scotch Whisky Posts:
A Tour of Scotland: Understanding Scotch Whiskies
Touring Scotch Whisky Distilleries in Speyside, Scotland
Drinking Scotch with The Dalmore’s Richard Paterson
Whiskies of Glen Grant with Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm
Like the versatile portfolios of Loch Lomond and Bruichladdich, Springbank’s beauty can be found in options suitable for most palates, delivered through a variety of distillation processes. Longrow is Springbank’s double-distilled peated offering, aged in ...
Talisker single malt can be enjoyed in a variety of expressions, from a smattering of no-age-stated offerings, including the annual Distiller’s Edition, to the occasional Diageo, end-of-year limited edition offerings we see from time to ...
Surprisingly, it has been quite a bit — 12 years — since we last evaluated the 12-year single malt from The Glenlivet. So with the arrival a freshly minted partnership with luxury golfing line Malbon, ...
With 2020 finally about to kick itself to the curb, it’s time to look back on the year that was — at least in terms of whiskey. While 2020 will be reviled for just about ...
Although overshadowed among Campbeltown whiskies by the more widely known Springbank distillery, Glen Scotia has been drawing greater attention in recent years with a solid line of distinctive whiskies. Their core lineup includes the Double ...
Four years after its acquisition by Brown-Forman, Speyside’s BenRiach has relaunched its entire core lineup — and dropped the capital R. It’s formally “Benriach Distillery” now. That’s hardly the most interesting thing about the relaunch, ...
One whisky a day pulled from an Advent calendar during December? Well that’s one way to make the holidays go by more quickly, if that’s your jam. You’ll find lots of these kits to choose ...
At this point it feels safe to say that the 2020 holiday season will be unlike any other in our lifetimes. And while in-person gatherings may not be possible, it doesn’t mean that you’re going ...
Highland Park recently inaugurated a new line of “batch releases” intended to expand its core range, the promise being that “each batch shares the same underlying character in the whisky but with different flavours coming ...
Diageo has been dropping 12 year old cask strength versions of Lagavulin for as long as I can remember, and nothing much has changed this year — it’s still aged in refill bourbon barrels — ...
