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. .