Scotch

Single malt scotch comes exclusively from malted barley fermentation & distillation in beautiful pot stills in a single distillery. Blended scotch includes whiskies from several Scottish sources and may comprise some other grains like wheat and rye. Single malts bring fantastic strength and a real feeling of atmosphere. The more back blends tend to be smooth, fruity, and sweet like bourbon.

How is scotch diverse from bourbon?

Scotch is chiefly a malted barley product aged in second-use barrels. Bourbon from the United States must be 50% corn which is an American favorite and it is matured in new, and charred oak.

What kinds of barrels should be used for scotch whisky?

Distillers use all types of oak casks. American bourbon casks are favourites for vanilla tastiness. Many whiskies get aged in old sherry, or port casks, all of which can enhance vinous flavours like dry fruit, chocolate, and spice. Some begin with American oak and then end in sherry or any cognac casks to get the finest of both hemispheres.

Is all scotch peaty?

Peat is an abundant fuel source in Scotland, and it is great at drying malted barley. Peat smoke obviously imbues the barley with some flavourful phenols that some like and some hate. Many well-known distilleries still use at least some peated malt since drinkers love it so. Part of the whisky journey will be determining if you like peat.

What does scotch whisky tastes like?

Scotch has an absurd range of flavors. It can be fruit, delicate, sweeter like honey, comfortable malty, or smoky than a campfire. Greater distillers can mix all those flavors into something ethereal.

Where do I start with scotch whisky?

Out here in Europe, where the North Sea lashes the coast and rain hardly falls vertically, the Scots have many distilleries to warm bones and begin conversations. If you like malt, fruit, floral or smoky whisky with Light or full-bodied as we know it is hard to order more than 120 different bottles of scotch, so start with one or two and grow your journey off on the correct foot.

 Are the scotch regions really that diverse in flavour?

There are surely some differences, but there are not any laws demanding distillers to make their whisky in a convincing style. The temperature where the whisky ages play a role in the end product like salt spray, seaweed, and maritime flavor. But it is not as significant as the terroir is for wine. Local character for scotch industrialized more through habit as distilleries found a winning procedure and stuck with it. We will make some wild regional simplifications here, but there will continuously be exceptions.

What is Lowland scotch whisky and what it will be like?

Lowland malts incline to be delicately tangy and citrusy with less smoke than in other regions. If you are just striding into scotch’s waters, these happy, and crisp whiskies might be your speed. Some Lowland stills that embody this style are Auchentoshan, just outside of enormous Edinburgh.

What will Highland scotch whisky taste?

Highland whiskies differ like the rugged weather, resulting in the extensive flavor range of the region. You can begin with the pleasing Glenmorangie, a light Highland whisky with nuttiness and vanilla from the American oak aging. The Southern Highlands emphasizes malt cabinets like Deanston. Aged in sherry & bourbon casks, Glengoyne is medium-bodied, delightfully balancing fruit and malt character. Decadent Dalwhinnie is thick with the viscosity of a boosted slightly smoky mead. Oban 14 has a separate maritime feel of seaweed & salt, while still dealing to be sweet and agreeably smoky.

What does the Speyside whisky taste like?

Speysides characterize some of the most tempting fruit flavors in scotch, but every fruit profile is different. Iconic Speysider is surprisingly tropical with stable sweetness and American oak vanilla charm lingering in the background. Glenfiddich is superbly light, filtered, and fruity. In contrast, Macallan 12 is aged in sherry casks, where you will get deep, and dark flavours of figs, sherry & chocolate.

What does an Islay scotch taste like?

Islay is a thinly populated island in western Scotland that is famous for its peaty, and smoky single malts. Some promise by it and others never fairly obtains a taste for it. Many Islays are good-looking and darn smoky, but they are hardly one-note. Ardbeg’s certainly up there as far as jaw-rattling peaty flavour goes, but it also has some notes of sea spray, seaweed, and licorice. Lagavulin is smoky but shadily complex as it is fruity, rich, and has suggestions of the maritime environment where it ages.

What does a Campbeltown whisky taste like?

There are only 3 distilleries in Campbeltown. They tend to be at once sweet, smoke, meat, and temptingly slick. The old Springbank characterizes this Campbeltown character.