UISGE BEATHA

Guide to Scotch Whisky

Water of Life

 aqua vitae – commonly used to describe the local spirit  whisky - transformation of:  usquebaugh - transformation of:  uisge beatha (Scottish Gaelic)  uisce beatha (Irish Gaelic)

 clear colour In Celtic times – no aging in casks

Scotch Whisky

 a type of alcoholic beverage made of grain, water and yeast in Scotland  called simply Scotch  rarely called Scotch by the Scots  the Scotch and Canadian spirits spelled “whisky”  the Irish and American ones spelled “whiskey”  the main distinction in the flavour of Scotch is from the use of peat in the distilling process

History of Whisky Making

 has been distilled in Scotland for hundreds of years  different hypotheses:  brought into the country by missionary monks from Ireland  brought by crusaders from Arabic countries  simply a means of using up barley which would otherwise have been ruined after a wet harvest  June 1st, 1494 – first recorded batch of whisky by friar John Cor  1725 – a malt tax introduced

Types of Scotch Whisky

 Single malt:  not blended with grain whisky  distilled entirely at a single distillery/exclusively from barley malt  Ages for at least 3 years  made in Scotland  regional variants (Islay malt, Highland malt, Lowland malt, Speyside malt)  Vatted malt whisky/Pure Malt whisky  consists of several single malts mixed together  mixed together in a large vat and allowed to age for a short time  Chivas Brothers Century (contains 100 single malts)  Blended Scotch  combines grain and malt whiskies from several different distilleries  90 per cent of the whisky produced in Scotland  generally contains between 10 and 50 per cent malt whisky  Johnnie Walker, Cutty Sark, Famous Grouse, Chivas Regal  Single Grain  unblended grain whisky (wheat, maze) from a single distillery Whisky Distilleries http://www.scotlandwhisky.com/distilleries/

 Lowland malts (generally soft and light; a good first stepping stone into the wider world of malt whiskies)  Cambeltown (used to be a major centre of whisky production; mellow, smooth, peaty)  Islay (the most distinctive; really peaty)  Highland malts (the quintessential Scottish whisky production area; further subdivisions necessary)

Production

 Malting – mashing – fermentation – distillation – maturation  2 per cent of whisky evaporates – “the Angel’s Share”  Aging in oak casks, sherry casks from Spain, bourbon casks from America Tasting Whisky

 develop the palate (start with blends; soda, water, ice possible)  treat whisky with respect

 Slange Var! (Pronounced [Slan je varr]. This is the Scottish for cheers (santé). "Slainte Mhath" in Gaelic)

Thank you for your attention Bibliography

 Shaw, C.P., Guide to Whisky, HarperCollins Publishers, 1995  http://www.scotlandwhisky.com/distilleries/  Photo: the author jméno autora Marek Blecha název projektu Informatika a digitální technika

číslo projektu CZ.1.07/1.5.00/34.0158

číslo šablony III/2 Inovace výuky pomocí ICT předmět/ třída (ročník) Anglický jazyk/ oktáva pořadové číslo DUM DUM-Bl-Aj-32 datum 03.10.2012 název DUM Uisge Beatha metodická poznámka k Prezentace aspektu britské kultury. Frontální výuka a individuální práce. Vhodné pro vyšší využití gymnázium.