The Production of Single Malt Whisky in Scotland - A History

Scotch Whisky - It's Origins Researchers say that the distillation process was invented ancient Babylon around 2000 BC. This was really for whisky but for perfumes. Around the start of the 13th century the art of distilling spirits from wine was developed in Italy. Then the practice spread to Ireland and Scotland. Due to the importance of this new spirit the word 'whisky' in the Gaelic language (the language spoken by the Irish and Scots) means "water of life". It is thought that the process of distilling grains came from Ireland and that the Scots may have learned whisky distillation from the Christian missionary monks, who had travelled over from Ireland. The first recorded documentation of distilling spirits is held by the Scots, but in saying that, no one can really be sure when the drink from distilled grains was produced. To have the title of 'Scotch Whisky', the whisky must have been distilled in Scotland and have been matured for at least three years in wooden casks and been stored on Scottish ground. Whisky is produced in some other countries will be spelled whiskey. Whiskey produced in the US and Ireland has the 'e' at the end. Whereas whiskies produced also in Canada and Japan do not have the 'e' at the end. Scotland certainly produces fine single malt whiskies, and although many countries do produce their own nothing can quite compare to a fine Scotch single malt whisky. Necessary Ingredients for High Quality Single Malt. The three main ingredients needed to distil high quality Scotch single malt whisky are pure water, barley and peat. All three of these factors are in great quantity in Scotland. The Scottish climate is a major factor in producing high quality barley. Most Scottish distillers prefer using local, Scottish barley, but the source isn't an important factor. For high quality single malt the barley should have a higher content of sugar. The water from the hills is clean and pure and fresh peat is in abundance. The Scottish water is naturally 'soft', when flowing from the mountains it is naturally filtered through peat and is very clean. All these factors combine to give Scotch whisky a unique taste. Single Malt Whisky or Blended Whisky? Blended whiskies and single malt – these are the two types of Scotch whiskies. In recent years some whisky producers have been selling their own 'grain whisky'. Any Scotch whisky must be matured in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years. The difference between whisky and wines is that whisky doesn't mature in the bottles. The maturation takes place in the casks, where about 2% evaporates each year (called the angels share). Blended whiskies are those that have been blended together with whiskies from various distilleries with grain whiskies. On the bottle, the age of the blend will be the youngest malt whisky used. Some high quality blended whisky can contain whiskies that have been matured in casks for 50 years! A single malt Scotch whisky will come from just one distillery and not be blended whiskies from other distilleries or with grain whiskies. A good quality single malt will usually have been matured for 8 or 10 years. The older single malts will have a smoother the flavour. What is best – a single malt whisky or blend? This is a matter of opinion. A high quality blended whisky can be even richer in flavour and smoother to the palate than a cheaper single malt My opinion is that in general single malts the best type of whiskies. Talking about whisky, thought, there's nothing like good quality scotch whisky - as we say in Scotland "a wee dram". It retains a unique and original flavour which has not changed throughout the centuries. For an extensive range of quality Scotch single malt whiskies and blended whiskies visit a whisky exchange or whisky shop. If you want to find out more about single malt whisky, then visit the Single Malt Whisky Shop. There you can find out more about a whisky exchange and single malt whisky. So pop into the Whisky Shop.