Scotch, Scotch
and More Scotch
by Dylan Thaemert
A
s a recent convert from bourbon to Scotch, I’ve found
myself adrift in a sea of insane prices, limited releases and
fluctuations in quality. While whisky is seeing a spike in demand
and prices, it is also seeing a dip in availability of old and high
quality whisky.
So here I am to help explain what exactly Scotch is, what makes
it so special and how to best enjoy it in this current frenzied climate
of supply and demand. I’ll give a quick tour of the different regions
of Scotch production, suggest some good examples to try and give a
few tips for getting the most out of your tasting experience.
If you’ve got a whisky on hand, now would be a good time to pour
a glass.
“There are six geographical regions
of Scotch production, each with
individual flavor profiles ranging
from light and floral to intese
and smoky.”
made of a mix of grains). Expensive blends like Johnnie Walker Blue
are made exclusively of malts. I’ll be focusing mainly on single malts
since that’s what I’ve found most enjoyable in my whisky journey
this far, and what I’ve found myself spending the majority of my
drinking money on.
Fun Fact
If Scotland were a U.S. state it would be the 41st largest,
about the size of South Carolina. Yet the range of flavors to be
found in the range of Scotch whiskies is astounding. There are six
geographical regions of Scotch production, each with individual
flavor profiles ranging from light and floral to intense and smoky.
Regions
The Lowlands are home to a mild and light style of whisky. In the
19th century this region was home the highest volume of producing
distilleries in Scotland. Now, there are only four distilleries left in
operation.
A dram (one measure of whisky, usually two ounces) of
Auchentoshan or Glenkinchie is a nice way to relax if you aren’t
in the mood for anything too demanding or complex. One of the
reasons for this is their trademark use of triple distillation which
rounds out some of the rougher flavors and textures of more typical
A Few Basics
double distilled whiskies. Geographically, the lowlands is about the
Scotch is whisky distilled from malted barley produced and
lower half of the Scottish mainland.
matured in Scotland. It is aged for a minimum of three years
It will come as no surprise then, that the northerly half of the
(though a standard offering is usually around 10) and can be bottled
mainland is called the Y