What Is Scotch Whiskey?

The meaning of the word ‘Scotch’ is indeed quite clear to us. Scotch is a malted whiskey which is made in Scotland from only water and malted barley. Scotch whiskey is supposed to be aged for a minimum of three years, but mostly it lies in the woods for 8 to 10 years or more which smoothens the taste of this fine dark beverage.

However, there are a lot of concerns about the origin of this whiskey to the usage. Here are a few questions which will help you understand scotch whiskey better:

1. Does it have to come from Scotland? The answer to this question is, yes. Distillers who want to call their product ‘scotch’ should produce their whiskey in Scotland.

2. How does Scotch become peated? To produce malted barley, maltsters must germinate green (fresh) barley and then quickly halt the process of germination. Distillers use a kiln for this. A lot of producers rely on peated barley even today. It gives rise to tarry, smoky flavours. Although alternative fuel sources eventually took peat in kilns, peated barley was something that everyone loved.

3. What are the different categories of Scotch whiskey? The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 defines five types of Scotch whisky. These types of whiskeys differ in the following ways:

• Single malt Scotch whisky must be distilled at a single distillery.
• Single grain Scotch whisky is also distilled at a single distillery. However, it is made from cereal grains rather than just malted barley.
• Blended Scotch whisky is a combination of one or more single malt scotch whiskeys with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.
• Blended malt Scotch whisky is a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies from different distilleries.
• Blended grain Scotch whisky is a blend of single grain Scotch whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.

4. How many calories are there in Scotch whiskey? A 25ml measure of Scotch whiskey has fewer calories than a banana! It has merely 64 calories!

5. How is Scotch whiskey processed? A scotch whiskey must be processed only in a single distillery. The law states that it must be processed at a distillery in Scotland and ought to be fermented by solely adding yeast. It must mature in Scotland in oak casks containing no added grains or substances.

To know more about various types of whiskeys, don’t forget to visit the Whiskeypedia. It has all the information concerning whiskeys and their origins.