What Is Scotch Made Of?

Some say that Scotch is a whisky, others say that Scotch is THE whisky. Some say if you are talking about whisky, you are talking about Scotch. No matter your opinion, all agree Scotland created an outstanding beverage and called it Scotch.

Features

Tiptoeing through the moors of Scotland will, more often than not, lead you to a distillery. Within distilleries you will find the makers of malt and grain whisky. Neither malt nor grain whisky is made of products, but rather whisky is distilled from grains. In the case of malt whisky, it is the mixture of water and malted barley that is mashed, germinated, fermented, distilled and finally oaked or casked. The whisky is aged and then bottled for consumer consumption. Grain whisky follows the same process except that it grains in addition to, or in place of, malt barley. These grains may include wheat and corn.

Types

After reviewing the variety of distillers making malt and grain whisky, you will find that there are different types of Scotch, usually categorized as a single malt or blended malt.
Single malt defines a malted barley Scotch that has been made from purely one distillery. Likewise, a single grain Scotch means that it is also from one or a single distillery.
Blended whisky, both malted and grain, mean that the whisky from more than one distillery has been blended together.
Blended Scotch whisky means that malted and grain whisky has been blended together--either from a single distillery or from multiple distilleries.

Geography

The main distilling regions of Scotland are divided into the following areas: Lowland--encircling the lower third of the country; Highland/Island--this includes areas north of the Lowlands, which is technically called the Highlands of Scotland, with or without the connection to Scotch; Speyside--a small region in northwestern Scotland that is concentrated around Strathspey; Islay--a small area in the west with over a handful of distillers; and Campeltown--also a small area in the west with notable distillers.

History

While no single date stands out as the birth of Scotc. It is widely considered, and agreed upon, that Scotch was first made by Irish monks who were in Scotland to convert the locals to Christianity in the ninth and tenth centuries. The locals then adopted the distillery concept and made it their own by distilling the grains usually used to produce their ales into the stronger drink we call Scotch. Voila--a star is born!

Considerations

Although there is only one place to find Scotch, it is not the only place to find whisky. You may find others by looking at: Canadian whisky, such as Crown Royal or Canadian Club; Bourbon whisky (or sometimes spelled whiskey); Tennessee whisky; Irish whisky; and Welsh whisky. This is not the definitive list, only a list of examples. Moonshine is also technically a whisky.