The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting Highlands vs. Islay -or- The First Installment of a Three-Year Tour of Scotland’s Distilling Regions The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting Scotland is divided into six whisky-producing regions; Speyside, Lowlands, Highlands, Campbeltown, Islands and Islay. Although each whisky is unique, the malts produced in each region have some common characteristics which separate them from whiskies from other regions. These differences are the result of several factors as for example the use of different raw materials, climate variations and different production techniques. Islay Islay is a small island west of the Scottish mainland and is the home of many well-known malt whiskies. Although a few milder versions exist, Islay whisky in general is smoky, peaty and salty and has quite a bit of tang and tar thrown into the mix. The island once had 23 distilleries operating at the same time but the number of active distilleries is now down to eight. Islay is a centre of "whisky tourism", and hosts a "Festival of Malt and Music" known as Fèis Ìle each year at the end of May, with events and tastings celebrating the cultural heritage of the island. The whiskies of the distilleries along the southeastern coast of the island, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, have a smoky character derived from peat, considered a central characteristic of the Islay malts, and ascribed both to the water from which the whisky is made and to the peating levels of the barley. The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting Lowlands As the name suggests, the Lowlands is a flat region without mountains. It is also the southernmost part of Scotland. Whisky from the Lowlands is single malt whisky traditionally triple distilled giving it a smooth and slightly fiery taste. It is also very light in salt, peat and smoke as opposed to many other whiskies. Any Lowland whisky is a fine aperitif. Speyside Speyside boasting the highest concentration of distilleries in Scotland, is the undisputed center for whisky in Scotland. Speyside is geographically part of the Highlands but is considered a separate region because of its size and the different characteristics of Speyside whisky as opposed to other Highland whisky. The region has received its name from the river Spey which cuts through the area. Many of the distilleries use water straight from the river Spey in their production process. The malt is considered to be refined, sweet and elegant. If you wish to introduce a friend to the world of whisky, a Speyside is a good choice with its rich flavour, complexity and relatively mild character. Highlands The Highlands is the largest of the whisky producing regions in Scotland. The whisky is often powerful, has a rich flavor and is quite smoky although slightly less so than whisky from the Islands. Compared to the Lowlands, Highland whiskies often taste very different from each other. This is partly due to the size of the region which allows for greater differences in the microclimate, but variations in raw materials and productions techniques also play an important part. The word ‘glen’ is commonly used in the name of both Highland and Speyside distilleries and means ‘valley’. Campbeltown The region Campbeltown was once a flourishing whisky region and the city of Campbeltown was considered to be the whisky capital of Scotland. In 1886 there were no less than 21 distilleries in and surrounding the city. Today only three distilleries remain. Campbeltown is still referred to as a separate whisky producing region, but today the reason is mostly historical. The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting Islands It is not uncommon for this region to be confused with Islay but Islands is in fact a separate production region which consists of the islands Mull, Orkney, Jura, Arran, Shetlands and Skye. It is a source of constant debate whether Orkney belongs to the Islands or in fact should be counted as part of the Highlands region. Whisky from the Islands may be described as a milder version of Islay whisky and is often appreciated by those who have enjoyed whisky for a few years. The well-known whisky Talisker is produced on the beautiful Island of Skye. The Blackwood Distillery is the most recent addition to Scotland’s family of distilleries and is currently being built on one of the Shetland Islands. The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting Making Scotch Whisky A Brief Explanation of the Traditional Method The Scotch Whisky production process has changed little in the last two hundred years, Scotch is still produced using traditional methods although modern production and quality control are now used to ensure that the quality of the finished product has never been better. How then is it made? Scotch Whisky Ingredients The ingredients of malt whisky are essentially just barley and water. Barley is a crop that is highly suited to the Scottish climate. In our temperate climate summers are cool with temperatures seldom rising much above 20C. We also have lots of summer rain ensuring conditions that are just right for healthy barley crops. This rain also ensures that we always have a plentiful supply of clear, clean water. The source of the water has a significant effect on the taste of the final product. The Whisky Fermentation Process The barley grains are the seeds of the plant and they are steeped in water until they germinate or sprout. At this stage the germinating barley is spread on the floor of a malting house where it continues to develop over the next week or two. During this period the grains are turned over regularly using a “paddle” to allow air to get at The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting them and encourage even development. The starch in the barley turns to sugar and at the optimum time the germination is stopped by placing the barley in an oven or kiln. Traditionally the heat for this oven was peat fired and it was from here that malt whisk acquired its peaty, smoky taste. Nowadays more conventional forms of heating are used and some distilleries retain the peaty flavours by burning peat and blowing the smoke over the grain during the process. When the barley is dry it is then milled to produce a floury substance known as “grist”. This grist, which is rich in sugar at this time, is then placed mixed with hot water to create a “mash”. It is then placed in a large metal vessel or container called a “mash tun”. The contents of the mash tun are stirred regularly to encourage the release of the sugars. When this process is complete the resulting liquid, now known as “wort”, is drawn off and transferred to large wooden “washbacks”. The remaining solids are called “draff”, which is commonly used as cattle feed. The washbacks are like giant wooden pails commonly made from Oregon pine or Cypress both of which have a high resistance to fungi. It is in these washbacks that the yeast is added to start the fermentation process during which the sugar in the wort turns to alcohol. Fermentation is a vigorous process, the solution bubbles and foams furiously before gradually slowing down as the sugar is converted over a period of two to four days. At this stage the “wash” smells and tastes similar to beer. It is still quite weak with an alcohol content of no more than about 8% or 9%. The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting The Scotch Whisky Distilling Process OK, we now have our liquid wash, which will ultimately become the finished product. The next step is to distil this down to the required alcohol content. The distillation takes place in copper pot stills which have a distinctive, swan-neck shape. The character of the final product is influenced by the shape of the stills and the length of the neck. Conventionally there are two stills involved in this process, the wash still and the spirit still. The wash still is used to produce the first distillation, which is called “low wines”. This is then distilled for the second time in the spirit still before being collected as the strong distilled spirit. This spirit is not yet useable. As it is produced the first part, the “foreshot”, is too strong and contains undesirable components. The next part, the “middle cut” is what we are looking for. This is diverted into a receiving tank. The final part of the second distillation, the “feints” is too weak to be used but it is saved to be added to the next batch of low wines so that nothing is The Third Annual Richmond Rotary Scotch Tasting wasted. Testing of the spirit as it leaves the pot stills takes place in a “spirit safe” sealed by HM Customs and Excise, (pictured right). No tasting is done at any time and all testing with the hydrometer takes place within this sealed spirit safe. When the final spirit has been collected in the receiving tank it is ready to go into barrels for the next stage of the process, which is maturation. These oak barrels have often been previously used in the production of American Bourbon whiskey. While Scotch whisky benefits from being stored in barrels that have been previously used the Bourbon industry requires that only new barrels are used for this purpose. The second hand bourbon barrels are therefore purchased by Scotch whisky distillers. Sherry, Rum and Port casks are also used. All of these impart their own, unique characteristics into the final product.