scotch whisky

April 29, 2018 by Alexander Meldrum

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Scotch Whiskey is a world-famous spirit, and it's reputation is well deserved! You may enjoy a glass of Scotch, but you may not know what makes it so special - it's colorful history, or how it's manufactured. At the risk of sounding obvious, Scotch Whiskey has to be thoroughly Scottish in order to have the honor of claiming that title! And that means that it needs to be produced (distilled) and matured in Scotland, and nowhere else. The Scots are so proud, and protective of, their wonderful creation that they have international protection of the term 'Scotch'. Any whiskey that has the word 'Scotch' in it's name HAS to have been manufactured in Scotland. True Scotch Whisky reflects the land of it's birthplace, and the people who created it, in many ways. It is traditionally made from barley and pure, clear water - both of which are in plentiful supply in Scotland. It also needs a cool, damp or moist environment in order to mature properly, again there's plenty of cool weather and moisture in Scotland! Scotland is a country which historically has proven it's strength and courage and fought fiercely for it's independence. So perhaps it's no surprise that Scotch Whisky is a drink which could be described as bold, strong and fiery... although it can also be smooth, almost sweet, a drink of depth and contrasts - just like Scotland itself! The famous Scottish poet Robert Burns recognized this when he wrote....'Whisky and freedom gang thegither' ('Whisky and freedom go together') In the UK, Scotch Whiskey is consistently a top export (accounts for just under a quarter of the UK's food and drink exports), adding millions of pounds sterling to the economy each year. In the USA, the people's taste for 'Scottish Scotch' is growing each year, and the premium Scottish brands are becoming more and more popular. In England, a cup of tea is the answer to all life's little (and not so little) problems. In Scotland, whisky plays the same role. Whether it's a birth, wedding, funeral - or a 'hot toddy' to help you get over a bad cold/flu, historically it's a 'wee dram' that the Scots rely on. No one knows for sure exactly when 'Scotch' was first distilled in Scotland, but there is still a of really interesting stuff that we do know! Some historians think that Heather Ale (link to Heather page and ref), a popular drink brewed by the Picts and other very early inhabitants of Scotland, may have been a 'prelude' to Scottish whisky. There's evidence to suggest that this type of ale was brewed as early as 2000 BC, but of course it was very different in taste, alcohol level etc. Hundreds of years ago, the ancient Celts distilled an alcoholic drink whose Scottish Gaelic name was uisge beatha (latin name 'aqua vitae' meaning 'water of life'). Due to the pronunciation of this name, it gradually changed over time and with each invasion or influx of 'foreign, to 'usky' and then to 'whisky'. The spirit itself developed and changed too, eventually becoming the Scotch Whisky of today. There's no actual written record of the distilling of Scotch prior to an entry in the 'Exchequer Rolls of Scotland' in 1494 which read... 'To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt' history of scotch whisky Although this early Scotch whisky may not have been intended as a social drink - it was more likely used for medicinal purposes - it is the first recorded reference to the distilling of whisky in Scotland. The number of whisky distilleries in Scotland has risen and fallen since this first historical mention, with taxation in the 17th and 18th centuries causing a drop in 'legally established' distilleries and a rise in illicit production.

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