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The home of whisky can rightly be given to Scotland - it has over 92 distilleries. In order to legally be called Scotch Whisky there are three steps that have to be followed: 1. it must have been produced using only whole grain;, 2. have been distilled in Scotland; 3. for at least 3 years have been kept in oak barrels If it is matured longer, then this maturation time also has to be in Scotland What Makes Single Malt Unique Scotland has six own whisky producing regions. These are Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Cambeltown, Islands, Islay. Each region produces whiskies unique to the area. If you wish to buy Scotch whisky you can take the area into account and generally whiskies from one area will have will have some distinct features. Each whisky distillery will have it's own claim to fame, whether it be longest in production one, the biggest one, the most northerly one and the smallest. The area called 'Lowlands' goes from the town of Greenock on the west coast to the town of Dundee on the east coast then south to the England/Scotland border. The Highland region starts from the border of the 'Lowlands' right up to the tip of Scotland, apart from the islands and Speyside. The Speyside region is located in the Scottish Highlands, but because of the density of distilleries and the type of whisky produced is classed as it’s own region. (Sometimes it is also called 'Highland Whisky'. In fact over 50% of Scotch whisky is produced in this region. Campbeltown used to be the main hub of whisky production in Scotland - boasting an impressive 30 distilleries. However only 3 are remaining and producing whisky. Because the whisky from there is so unique it a region in itself. Islands – this region is the Scottish islands of Orkney, Arran, Skye, Mull and Jura. Islay is a Scottish island, but because of the distinct whiskies produce there, it has it's own status as a whisky producing region. What Is The Meaning Of ‘Malt’? Barley contains starch and this needs to be turned into sugars to make the spirit. Top quality barley is first of all soaked in water. It is then spread out to germinate on malting floors. This first part of the process is called 'malting'. Then the barley is turned regularly so that a constant temperature is maintained. Large drums are used by some distillers to do this. When a week has passed the barley will start to germinate, this is called 'green malt. The germinated barley then placed in a large kiln and is dried off, this in turn stops the germination process. Burning peat is used heat the kiln and this adds to the flavour of the whisky. The temperature is kept below 70 Celsius therefore ensuring that the enzymes aren’t destroyed. The barley has now been 'malted'. It is then ground down and it is ready for the next process. Blended Whisky or Single Malt - Which is Best? A blended whisky is a mix of different single malt whiskies with grain (non-malted) whisky. Typically individual distilleries will combined their single malt whiskies with grain whiskies to form a singular flavour profile But never think that blends are inherently inferior and single malts are essentially superior. By creating a blended whisky the master blender can balance different single malts to obtain the desired taste.. In fact, it allows branded whisky blends like Johnnie Walker and Chivas to guarantee that they produce a regular flavour year upon year, one that their customers expect. The age stated on the whisky must be the age of the youngest malt in the blend therefore a blended 8 yr old could have much older whiskies in the blend than that stated on the label. To get additional information then please visit http://SingleMaltWhiskyShop.org where you will learn more single malt whisky produced in Scotland.
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