A brief, biased and lopsided introduction to the magic, mystique and often outright terrible lies surrounding Scotch Whisky.

What is Scotch Whisky?

Whisky is a spirit made from cereal grains. Generally speaking the most sought after whiskies are made from malted barley. Whisky can also be made from other cereal grains (malted or not) like corn, wheat and rye but these aren't as widely sought after in Scotch whisky circles and not as commonly available on the shelf at your local bottle shop or drinking establishment.

Scotch whisky is whisky made only in Scotland. What this actually means though, is all stages of production (besides the growing of the barley) must be carried out in Scotland. Oh, and it has to be at least three (3) years old (whisky 'age' is measured by how much time its has spent in an oak container of some type, usually a barrel or hogshead) and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. There are a heap of other conditions too but we will get into those another time.

Are there many types of Scotch

Yes, quite a few. Some of the common ways of differentiating between types of Scotch is by how it was made, who made it and where it was made. Some of these distinctions are more useful than others.

As mentioned earlier in the article, Scotch whisky has to be made, aged and bottled in Scotland. The way it’s made can vary (to some degree) resulting in our first bunch of terms you will most likely encounter and have to decipher.

What ways is it made?

Tall stills (2).jpg

(This is the way)

These are the most common varieties of Scotch whisky as defined by the way they are made - and indeed these definitions apply to almost all other countries who make whisky to some degree so are not unique to Scotch, bar the fact they were made in Scotland.

Single Malt (the one everybody bangs on about! not the be all and end all of 'good' whisky as some might have you believe). Made from 100% malted barley grains and all at a single distillery. This means a single malt can be a combination of different barrels made at different times (sometimes years or decades apart!) from the same distillery (as long as it was all made from 100% malted barley.

Single Malts are generally held in higher regard than other types of whisky, which is fine except when it leads to the exclusion of other varieties, as even though they can be amazing, there is no inherent guarantee of quality or superiority magically conferred on single malts. They also often attract a premium price, sometimes purely because of the perceived superiority, and sometimes because people pay it.

Grain Whisky - This is whisky made from malted barley and any other cereal grain/s, typically corn or wheat but sometimes rye or other cereal grains. Grain Whisky can also be found as a Single Grain Whisky which means it was all made at the one distillery and as Blended Grain Whisky which means a blend of Single Grain Whiskies from 2 or more distilleries.

Not commonly seen on shelves as a Scotch whisky, on its own in a bottle (but definitely a thing - typically bottled by Independent Bottlers - see below), most often found in the next type of whisky discussed, Blended Whisky. Grain whiskies generally have a more delicate and less complex profile than their Single Malt brethren.

Blended Whisky- the vast majority of Scotch bottled, sold and consumed is Blended Whisky. Blended whisky is not a terribly descriptive term on its own. A Blended Whisky is typically made of whisky from a handful of distilleries and contains a mix of Single Malt and Grain Whiskies. Common examples include Johnnie Walker Red, Chivas Regal and Famous Grouse.

Blended whiskies were originally created to help bring consistency to whisky consumers in the early days of whisky retail and allowed grocers to offer customers a reliable, tailored flavour profile and drinking experience.

Blended whiskies are often unfairly derided by more 'advanced' whisky drinkers but there are some blends that are excellent whiskies in their own right and can be had for far less money than a comparable spec single malt.

Blended Malt - pretty self-explanatory - a whisky made from two or more Single Malt Whiskies i.e. Single Malts from multiple distilleries - Naked Grouse is a popular and easy to come by example, made of malt whisky from Highland Park, Macallan and Glenturret (correct as of time of writing). Generally, more 'robust' than a blended whisky due to the absence of grain whiskies.

Single Cask - Whisky from a single barrel. 99% of the whisky you will see in a typical bottle shop, Single Malt or otherwise, will be the product of many barrels being 'vatted' or mixed together, sometimes in their hundreds and thousands. Single Cask releases are much less common as its a larger risk to find barrels that are balanced or deemed of sufficient quality on their own, but can be outstanding - they can also be boring or just plain bad. The trick is knowing which is which - the only sure-fire way is to try if possible. Another method is to guess by looking at who chose the cask and why they chose it. Good luck!

Cask Strength - most whisky is watered down before it is bottled for sale, usually to 40%-46% ABV. Cask strength whisky is not diluted. Some cask strength whiskies have been bottled at over 75% ABV! The final alcohol content of a barrel of whisky is dependent on a lot of things but the main factors - how strong was the whisky when it was barrelled (whisky fresh off the still is usually mixed with a little water to bring the ABV to a consistent level - typically in the range of 63% to 69% before its filled into barrels), how long has it been in the barrel (whisky loses alcohol or water over time depending upon...), the humidity and conditions of the warehouse where the barrel was stored (more humid conditions tend to result in more alcohol loss. Drier conditions tend to see more water lost. Water lost = ABV goes up. Alcohol lost = ABV goes down. This loss occurs because barrels are made of oak which, although pretty good at keeping stuff in, are porous, and so do 'breathe'. This loss of liquid via evaporation is called the Angel's Share. The bit that remains soaked in the wood of the barrel after its been emptied is called the Devil's Cut).

Who makes Scotch?

The who of Scotch whisky breaks down into three main categories. Distilleries, Independent Bottlers and Blenders. Once again this is by no means unique to Scotland.

Distilleries: Scotland has many whisky distilleries - some well know examples include Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Laphroaig. Most distilleries these days are owned by large multinational companies, but some remain independent or even family owned.

This means there are many different 'house styles' of Scotch whisky being produced (as not everyone wants to make the same stuff as everyone else) covering a broad spectrum of flavour profiles. Some distilleries specifically produce or chase certain flavour profiles while others experiment, leading to even greater choice for consumer (us!).

Even the way the distillery is owned can influence what type of Scotch it ultimately produces. Smaller, independently and family owned distilleries tend to produce more premium, single malt whisky vs say a multinational which literally has distilleries specifically designed to fill a recipe check list for a blend.

Independent Bottlers: Scotland also has many independent bottlers - these are people and/or companies that buy whisky either on the open market or from distillers and bottle it under their own label. They may or may not own distilleries, as sourcing from multiple distilleries means they may not need any of their own. The more common independent bottlers include companies like Gordon & MacPhail, Adelphi, Cadenhead and the SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society).

Blenders: Blenders are generally brands that have their own identity not tied to a single distillery, instead sourcing their whisky from distilleries and combining it in various ratios to produce a (blended) whisky. Johnnie Walker is a good example of a Scotch blender as there is no such thing as the Johnnie Walker distillery. Johnnie Walker is a blend of multiple other distilleries, which varies for each Johnnie Walker product.

There are a massive amount of blends and blending houses and most are in fact owned by larger companies who own multiple distilleries which are used to make up their blends. Some independent bottlers also make blends but this is far less common. People who oversee blend creation and blend consistency (Master Blenders) are some of the most highly respected and talented people in the whisky industry.

Where is it made?

Scotland also has a few officially designated whisky regions - these are geographical areas - the most well-known being Speyside, Islay, the Highlands and the Lowlands (although the best is Campbeltown).

Distilleries often refer to their region when talking about their whisky as certain regions are associated with specific profiles
Speyside whiskies are generally marketed as more fruity and floral in nature
Islay whisky is most often thought of as big, bold and smoky
Highlands whiskies tend to be more popular with old school Scotch drinkers
Lowlands whiskies are often recommended for people beginning their whisky journey (not a theory we subscribe to here) as they are touted as being more gentle

These are general rules of thumb though and are becoming less useful as time goes by and as distilleries branch out in their product range or new distilleries open that don't fit the regions 'traditional' profile. Read further below as we dive deeper in the Scotch Whisky Regions with a few brand examples.

Why?

Why is there so much whisky in/coming out of Scotland?

Have you met the Scots?
Ever live above really boring but bossy neighbours?
The Irish weren't going to be having all the fun to themselves...
It's perfect for long, cold, wet dates/weeks/months....

But seriously, whisky seems to have blossomed in Scotland thanks to a combination of factors (even some of the above tongue in cheek ones). Three of the many, many reasons we like are;

Lack of access to grapes to make wine, and an abundance of cereal grain crop land. Purely speculation but a lot of historical anecdotes (and basic agriculture) back up the theory that with the spread of monasteries (and those pesky, but clever monks) throughout the British Isles, the methods of wine and spirit making became more commonplace. Due to the lack of optimal grape growing conditions, spirits made from grains gained traction quite quickly.

Add in the fact that making whisky is relatively simple, and soon many farmers and families were making it too. The origins of many Scotch whisky distilleries can be traced back hundreds of years (sometimes rather fancifully) to just such a time and often a particular farm or location. A lot of the stories seem to involve tax fraud and evasion and annoying the British which, being Australian and having a ridiculous excise regime means we can sympathise with.

Plentiful water supply also definitely helped as whisky production uses A LOT of water and Scotland usually has an abundance (falling from the sky most of the time it seems) - the concentration of distilleries around the Spey river show how critical this aspect is.

In more modern times Prohibition in the US helped a lot - America is the largest consumer of Scotch whisky (and the Scots being the helpful people they are want to make sure their friends in the US can have what they want). The popularity of Scotch in such a large market in part stems from prohibition in the US. During prohibition local production of whiskey was almost impossible thanks to pesky law enforcement, leading to demand needing to be fulfilled from elsewhere. Scotland were well placed to service this demand and capitalised on it to great (and lasting) effect.

Why are my whisky drinking mates obsessed with it? Why are they always banging on about or trying to convert me to Scotch?

The main reasons seem to be:

It has the most colourful history and stories - The Scots love a good yarn (and are damn good at spinning them) and certainly Scotch whisky has more than its fair share of these.
It has the widest and most varied flavour profiles in whisk(e)y - thanks to the sheer number of distilleries, the varying house styles and regions, Scotch typically has something (or several somethings) for anyone (yes even rusted on Bourbon drinkers).
It has some of the most widely recognisable brands and is fairly proactive at promoting them around the world. Whisky drinker see, whisky drinker do.
It's pretty amazing - which means you're friends aren't completely nuts, or wrong (well not entirely).

Bonus Question: Does it all taste like smoke/band aids/hospital/pure evil?

No - but some of it definitely does. Generally, whiskies that taste like this are what are known as 'peated' whiskies. This refers to the practice of using peat (which is old decayed and compressed organic material) to dry out the barley that is being malted.

The use of peat as a heat source in Scotch whisky was traditionally out of necessity and thrift (due to a lack of easy or cheap access to other fuel like wood or coal etc). Peat, being made of old, dead stuff (like most political parties) does have a rather pungent odour (also like most political parties) and smoke when burned (if only), and some of this makes its way into the finished whisky via the barley that was dried with it. It's an acquired taste for sure, but if you have not yet acquired you aren't trying hard enough. Also It's okay to be wrong ;)

The more famous peated Scotch whiskies are made on the tiny island of Islay, but they can also be found being produced at a few distilleries on the mainland and other islands of Scotland. The majority of Scotch is smoke/medicine/ free.

The only real downside to peated whiskies is the rabid fans who won't shut up about peated whisky.

Now to test your paying attention skills - a random photo of a bottle of peated, single cask, single malt, cask strength Scotch whisky - from an Independent Bottler! (and a super good one at that).

Quick Guide to Scotch Whisky Regions

Scottish whisky distilleries are grouped into five geographical regions, largely based on common characteristics and distilling processes within each region. However, it is common to find whiskies within each region that are quite different while other regional characteristics are more easily identifiable.

When starting your journey into Scotch Whisky, it's often encouraged you try one or two whiskies from each region to get a general feel of which regional style you prefer. We've listed below a small starter list of distilleries from each of the 5 regions worth trying. How many have you tried?

Scotland Map of Whisky Regions

Highlands

Highland region is the largest in terms of land mass. It is also the place where you will find the biggest variety of flavours and notes across the distilleries. Macallan, GlenDronach, Glenmorangie and Aberlour are some of the most famous Highland malts that come highly recommended. Part of the Highlands is what is classified as the Islands, which include distilleries like Highland Park, Arran, Tobermory and Talisker.

Speyside

Speyside is a region in the East of Scotland, where you'll find Scotland’s largest concentration of distilleries, over half of the overall number found across the country. The malts distilled in Speyside are generally considered the lightest and sweetest in Scotland. Many of the distilleries here mature their product using a combination of Bourbon and Sherry casks, which creates balanced and refined flavours on the drink. Glenlivet, Balvenie, Glen Grant, Glenfiddich and BenRiach.

Lowlands

In the early 1800s the Lowlands was Scotland’s most active whisky producing region. It was here that industrial scale whisky production first began. The area was famous for triple distilling their whiskies, instead of twice distilling like most of Scotland’s distilleries. Today there are only 3 major distilleries left in the area. The malts produced here today tend to be quite a bit lighter, softer and more delicate than those found in the other areas of Scotland. Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie and Rosebank.

Campbeltown

Once upon a time there were at least 30 distilleries on this relatively small stretch of land that juts out from Scotland’s West Coast. Much like the Lowlands, only three distilleries remain today and this is also a result of the economic depression of the early 1900s. An element of smokiness gained from the use of peat is a common theme. They also sport warming, wintery flavours including toffee apples, plumb and chocolate. Glengyle (Kilkerran) is the sweetest of the three, lying between the more delicate Glen Scotia and the fuller, slightly richer Springbank.

Islay

Islay (pronounced EYE-la) is a whisky producing island off the West coast of Scotland. Some of the most famous whiskies in the world are produced here and visitors flock to the island every year to visit distilleries and have a dram with the locals. Islay whisky is know for it's peaty, smoky flavours and its strong dry finish. Bruichladdich’s experimental Octomore, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and the odd one out, Bunnahabhain.

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