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Scotch Whiskey Scotch Malt Whiskey 
Whenever the word whiskey is used people instinctively think of Scotland. However, it is more likely that it originated in Ireland, and the first whiskies to be recognised internationally were certainly Irish. Two major events were to change all that forever. The first being the 1823 Excise Act, in which the British government removed the crippling taxes which had previously forced Scottish whisky production to be of an illicit nature. This allowed the industry to take shape, distilleries popped up all over the place, and Robert Stein was busy inventing the continuous still. The second event took place in the 1870's, when phylloxera (an insect whose larvae burrows into the roots of grape vines) destroyed the Cognac vineyards. This left a huge gap in the world market, a gap that was about to be filled by Scotch. Initially it was blended whisky that became popular. This was due to the fact that it could be made in greater quantities due to the continuous still method, and because it has a lighter style and the consumer at large was not yet ready for the individual and very distinctive flavours of single malts. However, whisky had arrived and was here to stay. 
Malt whisky is produced in several different regions of Scotland, and much like the wines and brandies of France each area exhibits subtle differences. There is much argument over the classification of malt producing districts, but where ever the lines are drawn the main regions include: Highland - The majority of Scotch whisky distilleries are classed as highland. Speyside - This area produces some of the finest malts in Scotland, this is due to the outstanding natural resources found in and around the area. Lowland - These are the lightest in style, and make excellent blending bases. Islay - The distilleries off the west coast produce some of the most fully flavoured and peaty malts, often with hints of iodine and tar. This reputedly comes from the local peat created from marine vegetable matter. Cambeltown - Home to probably the first distilleries in Scotland, however only two remain, they are traditionally smoky in style. Island - This includes all the other islands scattered around the coast of Scotland, including Mull, Skye and the Orkneys. Island malts sometimes take on a salty or seaweedy edge, due to their proximity to the sea. In order to make malt whisky, barley is first soaked in water and left to germinate, it is referred to as green-malt at this stage. At a critical point, when the starch has turned to sugar, the germination is stopped by drying the barley, traditionally over peat-fuelled fires which gives scotch is distinctive smoky flavour. The amount of peatiness, or peat reek as it is known, is gauged in phenolic parts per million ( PPPM ). A lightly peated malt such as Speyside's the Macallan, only has two phenolic parts per million, whereas an Islay malt such as Laphroaig contains over thirty PPM. The dried barley is called malt and is milled to produce "grist", and is mixed with hot water in a large vat with rotating paddles known as the "mash-tun" to complete the conversion and extract the sugar. The resulting sweet liquid is known as "wort". This is then drawn off into large fermenting vats, generally made of varnished pine, called "wash-backs". Here the wort ferments to make a beer known as the "wash", which is then distilled twice in copper pot stills. Two different stills will be used for this process. The larger of the two, called the wash still, is used first, this converts the wash ( 12% approx. ) into "low-wines" ( 30% approx. ). The low-wines are collected and re-distilled in the smaller spirit still. This produces raw whisky ( 70% approx. ) known as "British plain spirits", which is the middle part of the distillate left after removing the "foreshots" ( heads ) and the "feints" ( tails ). 
To be called Scotch the distillate must then spend at least three years ageing in oak casks in Scotland, it will of course usually be matured for much longer than this. Casks are very important in the flavouring of malts, and although they must be made of oak there are still several decisions to be made by the producers. The most commonly selected casks are ones which have been previously used for either sherry or bourbon production. Ex-bourbon casks endow woody characteristics that allow a whisky's subtleties to show through. Casks previously used to hold sherry on the other hand lend sweetness of flavour and aroma to existing oak and whisky elements. Both types of wood create complexity in a mature whisky, but sherry wood adds body and texture. Wood management is a tricky business, as casks may be used up to three times, each re-use making for subtler influences. Also Sherry wood can be used to "finish" a whisky, for example, a bourbon-matured malt can be put into a sherry cask for final ageing. In order to gain "single malt" status a whisky must be the product of one distillery only. This whisky can be a blend of different casks and ages in order to maintain consistency of brand, but all the whiskies must be from the same distillery. Any age statement on the bottle will give the age of the youngest whisky included. A "vatted malt" on the other hand is a blend of malt whiskies from a number of different distilleries. Do not to confuse these with �blended whisky�, as blended whisky is a mixture of both grain and malt whiskies, however that is a different story. Blended Scotch Whiskey Scotch whisky first came to the fore in the 1870's, when a large gap was created not only in French vineyards, but also in the world spirit market by phylloxera. Scotland was equal to the challenge, in no small way helped by the invention of the continuous still of course. But the world was not yet ready for the challenging variety of tastes offered by single malts. Instead it was the lighter taste of blended scotch that stirred the taste buds of the world. At the time Irish whiskey was more recognised globally, but their refusal to embrace the continuous still cost them dear. The Irish whiskey producers held firm until the 1909 Royal Commission's verdict that continuous stills were of a standard that allowed them to be compared to pot stills. It proved to be a costly mistake, as by then it was too late, Scottish blenders were taking the world market by storm, and the Irish have never been able to catch them since. Blended whiskies are an amalgamation of single malts and a plain base alcohol known as "Grain whisky". Grain whisky is produced using continuous stills rather than the pot stills used to produce malt whiskies. The main raw material used is maize, which is ground to form a flour and then cooked under steam pressure to release the starch. A small quantity of malted barley is added and the enzymes in the barley convert the starch into sugar. The wort produced from this is of a lower strength than for malt whiskies. Grain whisky is distilled to a high level of purity. The resultant spirit is generally less flavoured than from a pot still, and matures more rapidly. Also, because place of origin has no influence on the character of grain whiskies, there are no specific regions, thus allowing production to take place virtually anywhere. Like malt whiskies grain whiskies are available as "singles", namely being from one distillery, and one distillery only. These, unlike malts, are extremely rare, instead they are used as a base for blending. A good standard blend will contain around thirty to forty malt and grain whiskies, with a malt content of about 40%. Standard blends usually carry no age statement, but again any blends that do, have to give the age of the youngest whisky in the blend. Age statements on blended whiskies are generally reserved for the Deluxe brands. Because grain whiskies require less time to mature, it can be assumed that the average age of the malts contained within the blend is much higher than the stated age.  |
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