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History of Whisky About 2000 BC the distilliation of spirits was started in ancient Babylon. This was to procude perfumes, not spirits. Around the start of the 13th century the art of distilling spirits was developed around the 13th century in Italy, where wine was distilled to extract the alcohol. Then from Italy the art of distillation of spirits spread to Ireland and Scotland. The word 'whisky' in the Gaelic language (the language spoken by the Irish and Scots) means "water of life". The process of art of distilling grains then was probably passed from the Christian missionary monks who came from Ireland to Scotland. 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. In order for a whisky to be called 'Scotch Whisky' it has to have been produced in Scotland and have been matured in wooden casks, on Scottish ground, for at least 3 years. Whisky is produced in other countries and the spelling of it depends on where it is produced – for example from Ireland and the US it is spelled whiskey. Whiskey's from the US and Ireland has a different spelling. 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 3 main ingredients for good quality Scotch single malt are: pure water, barley and peat. Scotland has all three of these factors in abundance. The Scottish climate is a major factor in producing high quality barley. Most Scottish whisky producers prefer to use Scottish barley produced locally, but this is not the most important factor. It's the sugar content that is necessary for high grade single malt whisky – it should be high. The springs and water sources in Scotland have a high peat content and it is clean and pure. The water in the Higlands and Islands in Scotland is naturally 'soft', there's plenty of it and is naturally filtered through peat. Put these three thing together and you have everything that is needed to produce single malt whisky of the highest quality with a very unique taste. Single Malt or Blended? There are generally 2 main types of Scotch whisky - blended and single malt (although in the past few years some distillers have been selling 'grain whisky'). Any whisky that is classed as 'Scotch Whisky' will have to have been matured in casks, usually oak, for a at least three years. Whisky, unlike wine, doesn't mature while being kept 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. The age of whisky on the bottle will be the age of the youngest whisky in the blend. High quality blends contain whiskies matured for much longer than three years, some even having 50 year old malt whiskies in them! A single malt Scotch whisky will come from just one distillery and not be blended whiskies from other distilleries or with grain whiskies. A high quality Scotch single malt whisky will usually be matured for between 8 and 10 years. Usually the older the single malt is then the smoother the flavour – this will also be reflected in the cost. Single malt whisky? Or blended whisky? There is no hard and fast rule. A cheaper single malt can have an inferior taste to a high quality blended whisky, which can be richer and smoother to the palate. 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". Whisky retains it's unique and original flavour which throughout the centuries hasn't changed. For an extensive range of quality Scotch single malt whisky/a> and blended whiskies visit a whisky exchange or whisky shop. To find out more about Scotch whisky and single malts you can visit the Single Malt Whisky Shop where you can find out more information and browse through the products. Visit the Whisky Shop
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