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
Glen Ord (or The Singleton of Glen Ord depending on whom one asks) quietly stations itself as one of the major producers of single malt in the world: behind only Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenfiddich, Roseisle, and ...
John Walker opened his first grocery store in 1820, and would eventually (over 40 years later, in fact) dip his toe into whisky making. This bottling celebrates the 200th anniversary of that grocery store and ...
Staoisha releases originate from Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery (write that down), and are an often-utilized pseudonym by the company for independent bottling purposes. A store pick for Chicago-based chain Binny’s, this Signatory release recently made its ...
It feels as if Ardmore is popping up this year with greater frequency on the independent bottling circuit. That is most certainly all conjecture based on nothing at this point, but perhaps Beam Suntory is ...
GlenDronach is hitting the market with a new full-time expression as well as four new expressions from its single cask Cask Bottlings line, denoted as Batch 18. Up first we have GlenDronach Port Wood, which ...
Glenburgie is not a name widely recognized in America. It does not carry a celebrity endorsement or acclaim from the mass market, and it only makes occasional appearances on menus of the most specialized whisky ...
In 2019, The Balvenie dropped three inaugural entries into The Balvenie Stories series, a line of whiskies that “tell the story” of various key figures at the distillery. Recently, a fourth Story has arrived, a ...
Opened on January 1, 2017, Torabhaig is the first new distillery on the Isle of Skye (where Talisker is the main offering) in nearly 200 years. The distillery is part of the Mossburn mini-empire, which ...
The second release — or book, I guess — in Laphroaig’s collectable Ian Hunter Story series has arrived. Like the 2019 Book One, it’s a 30 year old whisky, though this one is completely aged ...
Islay’s iconic Bowmore is adding a new whisky to its lineup, a 30 year old bottling which will be sold as an annual release. This 2021 bottling was distilled in 1989, aged for three decades ...
