All spirits have their qualities, all have their connoisseurs. But whisky is unique in its extraordinary variety. In addition to Scotch whiskies, there are Canadian whiskies, Japanese whiskies and many others – not to mention Irish and American whiskeys.
Even within Scotch whiskies, the variety is daunting. All are made from barley – unlike American whiskeys, for example, which are mostly made from maize – but the various brands sold in a whisky shop have little else in common. Whiskies from different regions (and from different distilleries in the same region) have very different characteristics. And there is an overriding distinction between single malt whisky and blended whisky.
Single Malt Whisky
Between the blends and the single malts – there are other smaller categories which are not considered here – it is the latter which have the prestige. Only the best barley goes for malting, a process which produces a flavour as distinctive as it is hard to define. It is the taste characteristic of, for example, Maltesers, malt bread and Ovaltine.
While there is a huge variation between single malt Scotch whiskies, they may generally be distinguished from blends by their greater smoothness. The easiest way to understand it is simply to think of a single malt whisky as a superior product made from prime ingredients – the best whisky.
A good whisky shop will carry a huge number of single malt whiskies, all designated as such on the bottle. They are generally named after their distillery, amongst the most prominent being Glenfiddich, the Glenlivet and Talisker.
Blended Whisky
But the single malt is almost unknown to most of those who buy whisky. Whisky prices ensure that blended whisky – generally sold in a supermarket rather than a specialist whisky shop – has the lion’s share of the market. The best blends can challenge the quality of the single malts, but it would be fair (if a little tactless) to say that blends are bog-standard whisky. If the label does not say otherwise, it may be assumed that the whisky is a blend.
Blends contain both malt and grain (that is, unmalted barley), and are made by combining whiskies from several distilleries. This being the case, a blended whisky does not usually bear the name of a single distillery. Bell’s, Dewar’s and Cutty Sark are amongst the popular blended Scotch whiskies.
Scotch Whisky Regions
Of the five (some say six) whisky regions in Scotland, the one with the largest number of distilleries is Speyside, home of the world’s two best-selling single malt whiskies: Glenfiddich and the Glenlivet. Speyside is often considered the aristocrat of the whisky regions.
Surrounding Speyside to landward, and much larger in area is the Highland region, the Hebridean islands within which are considered by some to justify separate regional status. Glenmorangie is one of the many single malt whiskies to come from the Highlands, but the area is so large that its whiskies are hugely varied.
The Inner Hebridean island of Islay, famous for its strongly peated whisky, is a region on its own. The taste of Islay whisky, quite distinctive, is smoky, and, unappetising as it might sound, has more than a hint of the antiseptic TCP. Amongst the best known Islay single malts are Laphroaig and Ardbeg.
The other two designated Scotch whisky regions, Lowland and Campbeltown, now have only a handful of distilleries between them. Glenkinchie, light and fresh, is a typical Lowland single malt, while Springbank is a prestigious Campbeltown offering.
Whisky Online
There is a lot to be said for studying whisky online by visiting a good whisky website. With so much choice, the uninitiated are likely to be overwhelmed by a visit to a specialist whisky shop. And the supermarkets – and even the off-licences – carry only a small sample of the huge range of Scotch whiskies available. Those who are interested to learn a little more about Scotland's most famous export would do well to research whisky online.
Iain Manson - A Life – of Sorts Born in 1950 of a Scottish father and a Welsh mother, Iain Manson was brought up in Scotland, and graduated ...
