Scotch Whiskey

The Gaelic "usquebaugh", meaning "Water of Life", phonetically became "usky" and then "" in English. However it is known, , Scotch or Whisky (as opposed to whiskey), it has captivated a global market.

Scotland has internationally protected the term "Scotch". For a whisky to be labeled Scotch it has to be produced in . If it is to be called Scotch, it cannot be produced in England, Wales, Ireland, America or anywhere else. Excellent are made by similar methods in other countries, notably Japan, but they cannot be called Scotches. They are most often referred to as "whiskey". While they might be splendid whiskies, they do not captivate the tastes of Scotland.

"Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae"

The entry above appeared in the Exchequer Rolls as long ago as 1494 and appears to be the earliest documented record of distilling in Scotland. This was sufficient to produce almost 1500 bottles, and it becomes clear that distilling was already a well-established practice.

Legend would have it that St Patrick introduced distilling to Ireland in the fifth century AD and that the secrets traveled with the Dalriadic Scots when they arrived in Kintyre around AD500. St Patrick acquired the knowledge in Spain and France, countries that might have known the art of distilling at that time.

The distilling process was originally applied to perfume, then to wine, and finally adapted to fermented mashes of cereals in countries where grapes were not plentiful. The spirit was universally termed aqua vitae ('water of life') and was commonly made in monasteries, and chiefly used for medicinal purposes, being prescribed for the preservation of health, the prolongation of life, and for the relief of colic, palsy and even smallpox. There were monastic distilleries in Ireland in the late-12th century.

Scotland's great Renaissance king, James IV (1488-1513) was fond of 'ardent spirits'. When the king visited Dundee in 1506, the treasury accounts record a payment to the local barber for a supply of aqua vitae for the king's pleasure. The reference to the barber is not surprising. In 1505, the Guild of Surgeon Barbers in Edinburgh was granted a monopoly over the manufacture of aqua vitae - a fact that reflects the spirits perceived medicinal properties as well as the medicinal talents of the barbers.

The primitive equipment used at the time and the lack of scientific expertise meant that the spirit produced in those days was probably potent, and occasionally even harmful. During the course of the 15th century, along with better still design, the dissolution of the monasteries contributed to an improvement in the quality of the spirits produced. Many of the monks, driven from their sanctuaries, had no choice but to put their distilling skills to use. The knowledge of distilling then quickly spread to others. The increasing popularity eventually attracted the attention of the Scottish parliament, which introduced the first taxes on malt and the end product in the latter part of the 17th century. Ever increasing rates of taxation were applied following The Act of Union with England in 1707, when England set out to tame the rebellious clans of Scotland. The distillers were driven underground.

A long and often bloody battle arose between the Excisemen (an officer who collects excise taxes and enforces excise laws), or Gaugers, as they were known, and the illicit distillers, for whom the excise laws were alien in both their language and their inhibiting intent. Smuggling became standard practice for some 150 years and there was no moral stigma attached to it. Ministers of the Kirk made storage space available under the pulpit, and the illicit spirit was, on occasion, transported by coffin - any effective means was used to escape the watchful eyes of the Excisemen.

Secret stills were cleverly organized and hidden in nooks and crannies of the heather-clad hills, and smugglers organized signaling systems from one hilltop to another whenever excise officers were seen to arrive in the vicinity. By the 1820s, despite the fact that as many as 14,000 illicit stills were being confiscated every year, more than half the whisky consumed in Scotland was being swallowed painlessly and with pleasure, without contributing a penny in duty.

This breaking of the law eventually prompted the Duke of Gordon, on whose extensive acres some of the finest illicit whisky in Scotland was being produced, to propose in the House of Lords that the Government should make it profitable to produce whisky legally.

In 1823 the Excise Act was passed, which sanctioned the distilling of whisky in return for a license fee of £10 (about $20 US today), and a set payment per gallon of proof spirit. Smuggling died out almost completely over the next ten years and, in fact, a great many of the present day distilleries stand on sites used by smugglers of old.

The Excise Act laid the foundations for the Scotch whisky industry, as we know it today. However, two further developments put Scotch whisky firmly on the world map.

Until now, we have been talking about what we now know as . But, in 1831 Aeneas Coffey invented the Coffey or Patent Still, which enabled a continuous process of to take place. This led to the production of , a different, less intense spirit than the Malt Whisky produced in the distinctive copper pot stills. The lighter flavored Grain Whisky, when blended with the more fiery malts, extended the appeal of Scotch whisky to a considerably wider market.

The second major helping hand came unwittingly from France. By the 1880s, the phylloxera beetle had devastated the vineyards of France, and within a few years, wine and brandy had virtually disappeared from cellars everywhere. The Scots were quick to take advantage of the calamity, and by the time the French industry recovered, Scotch whisky had replaced brandy as the preferred spirit of choice. Since then Scotch whisky has gone from strength to strength. It has survived Prohibition, wars and revolutions, economic depressions and recessions, to maintain its position today as the international spirit of choice, extending to more than 200 countries throughout the world.

Types of whisky Malt whisky must contain no grain other than malted and is traditionally distilled in pot stills. Grain whisky may contain unmalted barley or other malted or unmalted grains such as wheat and maize (corn) and is typically distilled in a continuous column still, known as a Patent or Coffey still, the latter after Aeneas Coffey who refined the column still in 1831. While there are scores of malt whisky distilleries, only seven grain distilleries currently exist, most located in the Scottish Lowlands.

Malting Malt whisky production begins when the barley is malted - by steeping the barley in water, and then allowing it to get to the point of germination. Malting releases enzymes that break down starches in the grain and help convert them into sugars. When the desired state of germination is reached the malted barley is dried using smoke. Many (but not all) distillers add peat to the fire to give an earthy, peaty flavor to the spirit.

Today only a handful of distilleries have their own maltings; these include Balvenie, Kilchoman, Highland Park, , Bowmore, Laphroaig, Springbank and Tamdhu. Even those distilleries that malt their own barley produce only a small percentage of the malt required for production. All distilleries order malt from specialized malters.

Mashing and fermentation The dried malt is ground into coarse flour called "grist." This is mixed with hot water in an insulated brewing vessel with a false bottom used in brewing called a “mash tun”. The grist is allowed to steep.

This process is referred to as "," and the mixture as "mash". In mashing, enzymes that were developed during the malting process are allowed to convert the barley starch into sugar, producing a sugary liquid known as "wort".

The wort is then transferred to another large vessel called a "wash back" where it is cooled. The yeast is added, and the wort is allowed to ferment. The resulting liquid, now at about 5-7% alcohol by volume, is called "wash" and is very similar to a rudimentary beer.

Distillation The next step is to use a still to distil the wash - which will result in a purer form of alcohol. There are two types of stills in use for the distillation: the pot still (for single malts) and the Coffey still (for grain whisky). All Scotch whisky distilleries distil their product twice except for the , which retains the Lowlands tradition of triple distillation.

For malt whisky the wash is transferred into a wash still. The liquid is heated to the boiling point of alcohol, which is lower than the boiling point of water. The alcohol evaporates and travels to the top of the still, through the "lyne arm" and into a condenser - where it is cooled and reverts to liquid. This liquid has an alcohol content of about 20% and is called "low wine".

The low wine is distilled a second time, in a spirit still, and the distillation is divided into three "cuts". The first liquid or cut of the distillation is called "foreshots" or “heads” and is generally quite toxic due to the presence of the low boiling point alcohol methanol. These are generally saved for further distillation.

It is the "middle cut" or “body” that the stillman is looking for - it is the middle cut which will be placed in casks for maturation. At this stage it is called "new make". Its alcohol content can be anywhere from 60%-75%.

The third cut is called the "feints" or “tails” and is generally quite weak. These are also saved for further distillation.

Just keep in mind that the “heads and tails” of the batch are put back in for further distillation and what is kept can be referred to as “the body” or “middle cut”.

Maturation Once distilled the "new make spirit" is placed into oak casks for the maturation process. Historically, casks previously used for sherry were used (as are expensive, and there was a ready market for used sherry butts). Nowadays these casks previously contained sherry or bourbon, but more exotic casks such as port, cognac, calvados, beer, and Bordeaux wine are sometimes used. Bourbon production is a nearly inexhaustible generator of used barrels, due to a regulation requiring the use of new, North American white oak barrels.

The ageing process results in evaporation, so each year in the cask causes a loss of volume as well as a reduction in alcohol; anywhere between 0.5–2.0% which is known as the “angel's share”. Many whiskies along the west coast and on the Hebrides are stored in open storehouses on the coast, allowing the salty sea air to pass on its flavor to the spirit. However, most so-called "coastal" whiskies are matured in large central warehouses in the Scottish interior far from any influence of the sea.

The distillate must age for at least three years to be called Scotch whisky, although most single malts are offered at a minimum of eight years of age. Some believe that older whiskies are better, but others find that the age for optimum flavor varies drastically from distillery to distillery, or even from cask to cask. Older whiskies are inherently scarcer, however, so they usually command significantly higher prices.

Color can give a clue to the type of cask (sherry or bourbon) used to age the whisky, although the addition of legal "spirit caramel" is sometimes used to darken an otherwise lightly colored whisky. Sherried whisky is usually darker or more amber in color, while whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks is usually a golden-yellow/honey color.

The late 1990s saw a trend towards "wood finishes" in which fully matured whisky is moved from one into another one that had previously aged a different type of alcohol to add the "finish".

Bottling With single malts, the now properly aged spirit may be "vatted", or "married", with other single malts (sometimes of different ages) from the same distillery. The whisky is generally diluted to a bottling strength of between 40% and 46%.

Occasionally distillers will release a "" edition, which is not diluted and will usually have higher alcohol content, maybe around 10-20% higher.

Many distilleries are releasing "Single Cask" editions, which are the product of a single cask which has not been married with whisky from any other casks. These bottles will usually have a label which details the date the whisky was distilled, the date it was bottled, the number of bottles produced, the number of the particular bottle, and the number of the cask which produced the bottles. This batch will also bear higher alcohol content.

Chill filtration Many whiskies are bottled after being "chill-filtered". This is a process in which the whisky is chilled to near 0°C (32°F) and passed through a fine filter. This removes some of the compounds produced during distillation or extracted from the wood of the cask, and prevents the whisky from becoming hazy when chilled, or when water or ice is added.

Chill filtration also removes some of the flavor and body from the whisky, which is why some consider chill-filtered whiskies to be inferior.

Whisky regions Scotland is divided into five regions: The Highlands, Lowland, Islay, Campbeltown and newly recognized Speyside.

Lowland: • Only three distilleries remain in operation: Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, and Glenkinchie. Highland: • Some Highland distilleries: Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenmorangie, Oban, and Aberfeldy. • The Islands, an unrecognized sub-region includes all of the whisky producing islands (but excludes Islay): Arran, Jura, Mull, Orkney and Skye — with their respective distilleries: Arran, Isle of Jura, Tobermory, Highland Park and Scapa, and . Campbeltown: • Removed as a region several years ago, yet was recently re-instated as a recognized production region. • Once home to over 30 distilleries currently has only three distilleries operating: Glengyle, Glen Scotia and Springbank. Islay: • This region as eight producing distilleries: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. A new small distillery, Kilchoman, has recently begun production, but is not yet selling whisky. Speyside: • Encompassing the Spey river valley in north-east Scotland, once considered part of the Highlands, has almost half of the total number of distilleries in Scotland within its geographic boundaries; consequently it is officially recognized as a region unto itself. • It has the largest number of distilleries, which includes: Aberlour, Balvenie, Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet and The Macallan

Types of Scotch whisky There are two major categories:

Single Malt • is a 100% malted barley whisky from one distillery. • Single grain whisky is a grain whisky from one distillery (it does not have to be made from a single type of grain). o The majority of grain whisky produced in Scotland goes to make blended Scotch whisky. The average blended whisky is 60%-85% grain whisky. Some higher quality grain whisky from a single distillery is bottled as single grain whisky. As of 2006, there are only seven grain whisky distilleries in Scotland. Blended • Vatted or is a malt whisky created by mixing single malt whiskies from more than one distillery. o Vatted malt whisky — also called pure malt — is one of the less common types of Scotch: a blend of single malts from more than one distillery and with differing ages. Vatted malts contain only malt whiskies—no grain whiskies—and are usually distinguished from other types of whisky by the absence of the word ‘single’ before ‘malt’ on the bottle, and the absence of a distillery name. The age of the youngest whisky in the bottle is that used to describe the age on the label, so vatted malt marked “8 years old” may include older whiskies. • Blended grain whisky is a whisky created by mixing grain whiskies from more than one distillery. • Blended Scotch whisky is a mixture of single malt whisky and grain whisky, usually from multiple distilleries. o Blended Scotch whisky constitutes over 90% of the whisky produced in Scotland. Blended Scotch whiskies generally contain 10–50% malt whisky, blended with grain whisky, with the higher quality brands having the highest percent malt. They were initially created for the English market, where pure malt whiskies were considered too harshly flavored (the main two spirits consumed in England at the time being brandy in the upper classes, and gin in the lower ones). Master blenders combine the various malts and grain whiskies to produce a consistent "brand style". Blended whiskies frequently use the same name for a range of whiskies at wildly varying prices and (presumably) quality. Notable blended Scotch whisky brands include Dewar's, , Cutty Sark, The Famous Grouse, and .

The label Like most other labels, the Scotch whisky label combines law, tradition, marketing, and may therefore be difficult to understand. Because of variations in language and national law, the following is but a rough guide.

Scotch whisky labels contain the exact words "Scotch whisky"; "Whisky" is sometimes capitalized. If the word "Scotch" is missing, the whisky is probably made elsewhere. If it says Scotch whiskey or Scottish whisky, it might well be counterfeit.

If a label contains the words single malt (sometimes split by other words e.g., single highland malt), the bottle contains whisky.

Vatted malt, pure malt or blended malt indicates a mixture of single malt whiskies. In older bottlings pure malt is often used to describe a single malt.

Alcoholic strength is listed in most countries. Typically, whisky is between 40% and 46% alcohol by volume. Lower alcohol content may indicate an "economy" whisky. If the bottle is over 50% alcohol by volume it is probably cask strength.

Age is sometimes listed as well. If a bottle is, say, 12 years old, then all the whisky in the bottle was matured in cask for at least 12 years before bottling.

A year on a bottle normally indicates the year of distillation and one cask bottling, so the year the whisky was bottled may be listed as well. Whisky does not mature once bottled, so the age is the difference between these two dates; if both dates are not shown the age cannot be known from the bottle alone. Some of the brands offered by NCL:

--Island Malts

Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Orkney Islands Highland Park is full and resonant in flavor with smoky tones throughout. It is not heavy, showing a silky, slightly creamy texture. It is usually bottled at 12 years old and mainly 40-percent vol., but a 1967 vintage at 43-percent vol. was recently made available. Independent bottlings range from eight to 12 years old, and vintages go back to the 1950s.

Highland Park 25 Year Old Single Malt Orkney Islands There’s an exceptional finesse to the 25 Year Old, with additional dimensions of malty toffee, fudge and chocolate enriching the heather-honey sweetness and aromatic peatiness. It is universally acclaimed by the critics as one of the great single malts.

Ledaig 20 Year Rare Old Single Malt Isle of Mull Originally founded in 1798, Ledaig became silent in the 1800s before reopening in the 1970s. This famous very small, old distillery, the only one on the Isle of Mull, again reopened in 1990 after a decade’s silence.

Talisker™ 10 Year Old single malt Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, who acquired the lease of Talisker House and the estate of Macleod of Macleod, established , the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, in 1843. The aromas are pungent and complex; the flavor is full-bodied, sweet and salty with a powerful peat smoke on the finish.

--Islay

Bowmore® 17-Year-Old Single Malt The second-oldest distillery in Scotland and the oldest on Islay, Bowmore is one of the most prestigious in all of Scotland. A tremendous award winner, capturing: World Spirits Competition, “Best of Show” in 2000; a gold from the International Spirits Challenge; and a gold in 2001 and a double gold in 2003 from the World Spirits Competition. The tasting reveals a full body, complex with a lingering and mellow finish.

Caol Ila 18 Year Cask Strength Caol Ila is Gaelic for “the Sound of Islay,” on whose shores it stands. Caol Ila is considered to be one of the lighter of the Islays, medium-bodied with a rounded flavor and pale in color with a greenish tinge. This malt has a peaty nose with distinct floral notes.

Laphroaig® 10 Year Old Single Malt Laphroaig 10 Year Old is an all-malt Scotch whiskey from the remote island of Islay in the Western Isles of Scotland. Laphroaig, pronounced “La-froyg,” is a Gaelic word meaning “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay.” Laphroaig 10 Year Old has received silver- and gold-medal status year after year since 1998.

--Highland/Speyside

Aberlour 15 Year Old Sherry Finish Built in 1826, just 14 years after work on the little town itself began, the distillery has thrived, although it has burned down twice. On one occasion, the entire town’s population rose from their beds to roll the barrels of whiskey out of danger. Aberlour achieves a finely calculated balance between the sweet roundness of sherry wood and the malty delicacy revealed by ex-bourbon wood. The finish is cream-smooth with zesty, spicy intensity.

The Balvenie® Portwood 21 Year Old® Single Malt Awarded the trophy for “Best Single Malt 12 Years and Over” at the 2004 International Wine & Spirits Competition and described by the judges as “class in a glass,” The Balvenie Portwood 21 Year Old was also awarded a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge in 2004.

Dalwhinnie™ Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, 15 years old It is the highest distillery in Scotland, sitting at over 1,000 feet (350 m) above sea level yet at the very bottom of an enormous bowl of encircling mountains. Dalwhinnie, in contrast to the wild and punishing country that yields it, is a soft and amenable malt. It is aromatic, shows delicately smoky peat and closes smoothly with some rich complexity.

Glen Mhor 1976 Rare Malt “This green-gold Highland malt is complex, fresh-tasting and zesty, with typical lemon juice and white pepper flavors, sweetly drying to a soothing, minty finish.” One of the final releases from the soon to be discontinued Rare Malts range, and from a long-closed distillery.

Glenfarclas® Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, 12 years old To this day, Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky is distilled and matured at the family-owned and managed independent distillery. Multi-award-winning Glenfarclas Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky continues to impress the tasting panels at both national and international competitions year after year, confirming the words of a great rival distiller in 1912, “Of all the whiskies, malt is king — of all the kings, Glenfarclas reigns supreme.”

The Macallan Single Malt Cask Strength Macallan is one of the great malt whiskies of Scotland. It has a reputation for finesse, richness and complexity at least partly due to the exclusive use of sherry wood for aging its whiskey. New oak casks are commissioned in Jerez, Spain, and used for aging sherry for two or more years before being shipped as whole barrels to Scotland to host Macallan spirit.

The Macallan Single Malt Highland Scotch Whiskey 25 Year Old This sublime spirit enjoys a cult following in some of the finest bars in the world where demand for this precious malt continually outstrips supply. Rated 100 out of 100 by the Beverage Institute of Chicago in 1999. A quote from a famous Scottish aristocrat sums it up best: “My personal favorite whisky is The Macallan. The 10 Year Old is marvelous, the 18 Year Old is superb, while the 25 Year Old is sensational.”

Mortlach rare 16-year-old Highland malt The first distillery to be built at and, until Glenfiddich got going in 1887, the only one. It was licensed practically before the ink on the 1823 Excise Act was dry, and the distillery was built around a well that had been previously drawn upon for illicit production. Mortlach is lightly peated but has extra depth and roundness. The aromas and flavor are smoky, spicy and rich with a dry edge and innate sweetness.

Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve single malt Queen Victoria is reputed to have enjoyed this malt and to have used it to lace her claret, thereby ruining two of the world’s greatest drinks. She visited the distillery, which is at the foot of the mountain of Lochnagar (1,156 m/3,789 feet), just over the hill from the royal family’s Scottish home at Balmoral. A man originally believed to have been an illicit whiskey maker established the first legal Lochnagar distillery in 1826, and the present premises were built in 1845. Three years later, the royal family acquired Balmoral. Then-owner John Begg recorded that he wrote a note inviting Prince Albert to come and was rewarded with a visit the very next day. Soon afterward the distillery began to supply the queen and became known as Royal Lochnagar.

--Lowland

Auchentoshan® 10 Year Old Single Malt Founded in 1800 and located just north of , Auchentoshan is one of only three remaining active distilleries in the Lowlands. Together with Bladnoch and Glenkinchie, it managed to escape the fate of fellow Lowlanders like , Inverleven, , Ladyburn, Littlemill, Rosebank and Saint Magdalene.

Kinclaith 1969 Rarest of the Rare Single Malt From the ultra-rare Lowland distillery, bottled as part of their Rarest of the Rare range from a single cask and at cask strength. We’ve waited some time for this one to arrive.

Rosebank 15-year-old single malt Situated on the banks of the Forth-Clyde Canal, between Edinburgh and Glasgow in the town of Falkirk lies the Rosebank distillery. The present distillery dates back to 1840, although there are records of distillation under the name of Rosebank taking place locally prior to this. The distillery closed in 1993 but remains intact and could potentially distill again. With the regeneration of the canal driven by the Falkirk water wheel, it has been hinted that the distillery could become a focal point of the area’s industrial heritage but most likely as a museum rather than a distillery. Truly the queen of the Lowlands.

Saint Magdalene 1975 Connoisseurs Choice Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. Matured in a refill sherry hogshead and limited to 286 bottles. Distilled on June 2, 1975.

--Campbeltown

Glen Scotia 17-year-old single malt Bottled at a mighty 62.1 percent, this is a new version of the other Campbeltown. Stewart Galbraith and Co. built the distillery in 1832 in the heart of Campbeltown. The distillery is said to be haunted by Duncan MacCallum, who bought the distillery in 1924. He committed suicide by drowning himself in Campbeltown Loch in 1930 after realizing he had been cheated out of a fortune by swindlers.

Springbank 15 Year Old Single Malt As the eye takes in the dark, russet color of the 15 Year Old, the nose anticipates the rich, sweet smell of the sherry casks used to mature this age of Springbank. Campbeltown is a historic Royal Burgh and has been occupied for over 8,000 years. Once home to a big fishing fleet, there were also no less than 34 distilleries established here during the 19th century. There now remain only two distilleries: Springbank and Glen Scotia.

--Blended

The Antiquary 21 Year Old A rare blend, The Antiquary 21 Year Old was featured in Whisky magazine’s 19th edition “New Releases” section (autumn 2001), scoring very respectably. Elegant and complex, it has an instant turfy/peaty lift mixed with moist fruitcake, nuts, cooked fruits, dark honey and burnt sugar.

Chivas Brothers Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky Royal Salute 21 Year Old, named after the 21-gun salute, is the world’s leading super premium Scotch whiskey, first produced in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

Chivas Regal 12-year-old Chivas Regal 12-year-old is a whiskey you can enjoy anywhere at any time because it is easy to appreciate and share. It has a renowned smoothness and a honeyed, fruity taste.

Dewar’s® 12 Because it’s a handcrafted whiskey — no mass production for this special reserve — only limited quantities of Dewar’s 12 are created each year. And just like the days of yore, only when the deems it ready is it released. Dewar’s® White Label® There is no actual written or documented recipe for Dewar’s White Label. The secret of blending is passed down from one master blender to another. Johnnie Walker® Black Label™, 12 years old In total up to 40 malts and grain whiskies make up the Johnnie Walker Black Label blend. Island and Islay malts deliver spice, richness and lingering peat. Speyside malts make an important contribution to the depth of taste, bringing smoky malt, fruitiness, apple freshness and a rich sherry character to the blend. At the heart of Black Label lies 12-year-old Cardhu, an outstanding malt from Speyside.

Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ The authentic character and taste of a blend typical of the pioneering era of the 1820s can now be savored. With only Alexander Walker’s words and a few dusty textbooks to guide him, the Johnnie Walker master blender has achieved the ultimate feat of bringing history to life. He has created Johnnie Walker Blue Label, a celebration of the whiskey blending style pioneered by John and Alexander Walker.