Highlands North |
Map of Scotland |
In the first chapter, I explained why I'm focussing my liquorous affections on whiskies from Scotland. It must be a lot bigger than it looks on the map, because there used to be way over 300 different distilleries there! Nowadays, there are less than 100 active distilleries left.
Soon after I started drinking single malts, I discovered that whiskies from different parts of Scotland all have their own unique characteristics and style. The production and maturation of single malts is a slow process, and in the years and years of aging the spirit almost seems to absorb some of the character of its surroundings.
Scotland, located in the north of the British isles, is usually divided into four main malt-regions (Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown and Islay), and each region can be subdivided further. The "Speyside" area, for example, is part of the Highlands. The "Beginner's Map" at the right only shows the main malt regions. |
Campbeltown
At
the end of chapter four, you'll find yourself packed with enough malt trivia to impress your average liquorist or bartender. That's quite enough theory, I should say, so let's get down to business.
Click on!
It's the wide variation in character and style which sets single malts apart from other noble drinks like Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. (Mind you, I still haven't discovered a single malt yet that beats a Remy Martin XO, so I occasionally take a break from my "Grande Boycotte de Cognac et Armagnac".) |
Although most malts clearly advertise their origins in their nose and taste, every single malt is unique. The product of distilleries only miles apart can be quite different. Even the products of a single distillery often are very different from one-another.
So - different malts from the same part of Scotland share certain characteristics. The region of origin of a certain malt can sometimes tell you something about the character of the whisky, before you've even tasted it yet. Young Highland whiskies, for example, seem to have much more "nose" than whiskies from the Lowlands. "Islay" malts are famous for their smoky, peaty character.
Speyside Bogie |
Lowlands Central |
Islay North shore |
Campbeltown This region has only two active distilleries; |
Although it's not "officially" one of the four main whisky regions, the Speyside area is the location of around fifty percent of all the distilleries in Scotland! More than enough reason to treat it as a separate region, I'd say.
Next Chapter: Nosing and Tasting |
A malt is influenced by the quality of the barley that year, the type of wood that is used for maturation, the duration of the maturation, etc. Try comparing the Glenmorangie 10 yrs. with the Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish, for instance. The only difference is some two years of extra maturation in used Port barrels - but what a difference it makes!
