The first written reference for Scotch appeared in 1494, when the Exchequer (Royal treasurer) recorded that “eight bolls of malt” were sent to Friar John Cor to make about 1,500 bottles of whisky. For the first 400 years, Scottish barley was malted and dried out by burning peat (a mass of partially decayed plant matter) that gave Scotch its distinct smokey character.
However, the industrial revolution helped to create new methods of malting barley, in which whisky makers dropped the smoke and used indirect heat to dry the barley. In 1830, Aeneas Coffey patented his continuous column still, allowing Scotch distillers to create a new, lighter style of whisky. Merchants would then bottle this lighter whisky with heavier pot still whiskies to create Blended Scotch. Since then, Blended Scotch Whisky has become the world’s most popular style of whisky.
Scotch whisky can only be produced and bottled in Scotland. There are five official Scotch whisky regions and one unofficial region: Lowlands, Campbeltwon, Islay, Highlands, Speyside and the Islands. At one time, it was believed that different whiskies from the same region had similar characteristics. Today, however, each distillery has such an individual character that it is difficult to group by geography.
While many countries have copied the Scottish process for making whisky, they cannot copy its unique climate, which is perfectly suited for slow and even maturation. Scotch distillers tend to take wide cuts during the distillation process, which results in a very complex distillate that initially can seem harsh; however after a decade or more of slow maturation, the harsh and long chain congeners are broken down by oxidation into smaller and more pleasant flavors compounds, adding depth to the character of the spirit.
A spirit fermented from a mash of 100% malted barley, pot distilled at one distillery, and aged for a minimum of three years in an oak cask in Scotland. The color of the whisky may be adjusted with the addition of spirit caramel (E150a).
A spirit fermented from a mash of malted barley and other grains, column distilled at one distillery, and aged for a minimum of three years in an oak cask in Scotland. The color of the whisky may be adjusted with the addition of spirit caramel (E150a).
A mixture of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies. The color of the whisky may be adjusted with the addition of spirit caramel (E150a).
The Gaelic word for a distilled spirit. Uisge Beatha literally translates as water of life and over time was transmuted into the English word whisky.