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
Next up for the 2020 Diageo Special Releases is a bottling from Cragganmore, unique because a 20 year old expression has never before appeared as a distillery bottling. (It’s not nearly as unique as the ...
Last year’s Dalwhinnie (which wasn’t available in the U.S.) was also a 30 year old. This one, drawn from refill hogsheads (mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry refills, though predominantly ex-bourbon) filled in 1989, carries an ...
Normally Diageo’s Special Releases — its annual release of ultra-rare cask strength Scotch whiskies — don’t arrive until Christmas or beyond. But now we’re in the time of Covid, so anything goes, I suppose. To ...
Western Highlands’ Loch Lomond has quite a few brands under its care. Aside from eponymous releases, the distillery serves as home Inchmurrin, Inchfad, Glen Douglas, Craiglodge, and Croftengea, amongst others. Over a dozen stills crafted ...
It should come as no surprise to long time readers of the site that we enjoy a sturdy Dalmore. With an average grade over the last decade of an A-, the Highland distillery consistently delivers ...
Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project is taking its second trip to Scotland, and this time it hasn’t come back with a single malt. Muckety-Muck is rather a 24 year old single grain whisky made at the ...
The movie The King’s Man may be eternally delayed due to Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean a whisky to honor it isn’t hitting the market from GlenDronach. (You may also remember a GlenDronach release for Kingsman: The ...
Keeping track of Aberfeldy’s single malt releases — “the golden dram” — can be tricky, as there are two separate ranges of whiskies, a core range comprising 12, 16, and 21 year old malts and ...
For the rapidly aging Generation X jet set clinging to inane pop from the ’80s, the phrase “Easy Lover” conjures up memories of a duet between Earth Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey and that one ...
The latest Octomore release is here, and our friends from Islay’s Bruichladdich, Head Distiller Adam Hannett and Production Director Allan Logan, recently took the time to walk us through the lineup — or, at least, ...
