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Scotch whisky is divided into at least three distinct categories: Single Malt , Vatted Malt (also called "pure malt") and Blended . Due to an issue with the confusing and misleading term "Pure Malt", the Scotch Whisky Association recently introduced new terminology, whereby a "Vatted Malt" is to be referred to as a "Blended Malt" this has met with much push-back from the industry. ]] LEGAL DEFINITION To legally be called Scotch whisky, the spirit must conform to the standards of the Scotch Whisky Order of 1990 which clarified the Scotch Whisky Act of 1988, and mandates that the spirit # Must be distilled at a Scottish Distillery from water and malted Barley , to which only other whole grains may be added, have been processed at that distillery into a mash, converted to a Fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems, and fermented only by the addition of yeast, # Must be distilled to an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% by volume so that it retains the flavour of the raw materials used in its production, # Must be matured in Scotland in oak Cask s for not less than three years, and # Must not contain any added substance other than water and caramel colour. It may not be bottled at less than 40% alcohol by volume. No whisky other than Scotch whisky may be made in Scotland. HISTORY : ''“To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt.”'' — ''Exchequer Rolls 1494–95'', vol x, p. 487.See also ''Lord High Treasurer’s Accounts:'' “Et per liberacionem factam fratri Johanni Cor per perceptum compotorum rotulatoris, ut asserit, de mandato domini regis ad faciendum aquavite infra hoc compotum viij bolle brasii” vol 1, p. 176. Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years. It is generally agreed that Dalriadan Scottish monks brought distillation with them when they came to Caledonia to convert the Picts to Christianity in the fourth and fifth centuries. Friar John Cor recorded the first known batch of Scotch whisky June 1 , 1494 . The first taxes on whisky production were imposed in 1644, causing a rise in illicit whisky distilling in the country. In 1823, Parliament eased the restrictions on licensed distilleries, while at the same time making it harder for the illegal stills to operate, thereby ushering in the modern era of Scotch production. METHODS OF PRODUCTION Types of whisky Malt whisky must contain no grain other than malted barley and is traditionally distilled in Pot Still s. Grain whisky may contain unmalted barley or other malted or unmalted grains such as Wheat and Maize ( Corn ) and is typically distilled in a continuous column still, known as a Patent or Coffey Still , the latter after Aeneas Coffey who refined the column still in 1831. While there are scores of malt whisky distilleries, only seven grain distilleries currently exist, most located in the Lowlands (central Scotland). Malting Malt whisky production begins when the barley is malted - by stepping the barley in water, and then allowing it to get to the point of germination. Malting releases enzymes that break down starches into sugars. When the desired rate of germination is reached, the malted barley is then dried using smoke. Many, but not all distillers, add peat to the fire. Today only a handful of distilleries have their own maltings; these include Balvenie , Kilchoman , Highland Park, Glenfiddich , Bowmore , Laphroaig , Springbank and Tamdhu . The rest order their malt from specialised malters. Mashing & Fermentation The dried Malt (and in the case of grain whisky other grains) is ground into a coarse flour called "grist." It is then mixed with hot water, and allowed to steep. This product is referred to as "mash." This process causes the starch to convert to sugar, producing a sugary liquid known as "wort." Yeast is then added to the wort, and allowed to ferment. The resulting liquid, now at about 5-7% abv, is called ''wash'' and is very similar to beer. Distillation The next step is to use a still to distill the wash which will result in a purer form of alcohol. There are two types of stills in use for the distillation, the pot still (for single malts) and the Coffey still (for grain whisky). For the highest quality whisky the pot still is used. The Coffey still, in which the product can be distilled in a continuous process is used for cost efficient and fast distilling. For malt whisky, the wash is transferred into a Wash Still . The liquid is heated to the boiling point of alcohol, (lower than the boiling point of water). The alcohol evaporates and travels to the top of the still, through the "lyne arm" and into a condenser - where it is cooled and reverts to liquid. This liquid has an alcohol content of about 20% and is called "low wine." The low wine is then distilled a second time, in a Spirit Still . The first liquid to come out of the still is impure and is called "foreshots." They are redirected back into the still for further distillation, set aside or thrown out. After that the 'new make' is collected. Its alcohol content starts at about 75% and decreases to about 60%. The afterflow, or "feints" contain many lower alcohols and usually are also set aside for a next distillation. Maturation Once distilled, the "new make spirit" is placed into oak casks for the maturation process. Historically, casks previously used for Sherry were used (as barrels are expensive, and there was a ready market for used sherry butts). Nowadays these casks previously contained sherry or Bourbon , but more exotic casks such as Port , Cognac , Calvados , Beer , and Bordeaux Wine are sometimes used. Bourbon production is a nearly inexhaustible generator of used barrels, due to a regulation requiring the use of new, North American White Oak barrels. The aging process results in Evaporation , so each year in the cask causes a loss of volume as well as a reduction in alcohol. The 0.5–2.0% lost each year is known as the Angel's Share . Many whiskies along the west coast and on the Hebrides Islands are stored in open storehouses at the coast, allowing the salty sea air to pass on its flavour to the spirit. The distillate must age for at least three years to be called Scotch whisky, although most single malts are offered at a minimum of eight years of age. Some believe that older whiskies are inherently better, but others find that the age for optimum flavor development changes drastically from distillery to distillery, or even cask to cask. Older whiskies are inherently scarcer, however, so they usually command significantly higher prices. Colour can give a clue to the type of cask (sherry or bourbon) used to age the whisky, although the addition of legal "spirit caramel", is sometimes used to darken an otherwise lightly coloured whisky. Sherried whisky is usually darker/ more amber in colour, while whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks is usually a golden-yellow/honey colour. The late 1990s saw a trend towards "wood finishes" where fully matured whisky is moved from one barrel into one that had previously aged a different type of alcohol (e.g., port, madeira, rum, wine, etc) to add the "finish" The Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling number 1.81, for instance, is known by some as "the green Glenfarclas". It was finished in a Rum cask after 27 years in an oak (ex-bourbon) barrel and is the colour of Extra-virgin Olive Oil . This is an homage to the legendary "Green Springbank", also aged in rum casks. Bottling The now properly aged spirit may be blended with other single malts (of different ages) from the same distillery whisky. The whisky may then be diluted to a bottling strength of 40% - 46%. Occasionally distillers will release a "Cask Strength" edition, which is not diluted and will usually have an alcohol content of 50-60%%. Another trend is the release of a "Single Cask" edition, which is the product of a single aged cask and is not been blended with whisky from any other barrels. These bottles will usually have a label which details the date the whisky was distilled, the date it was bottled, the number of bottles produced, the number of the particular bottle, and the number of the cask which produced the bottles. Chill filtration Many whiskies are bottled after being Chill-filtered . This is a process in which the whisky is chilled to near 0°C (32°F) and passed through a fine filter. This removes some of the compounds produced during distillation or extracted from the wood of the cask, and prevents the whisky from becoming hazy when chilled, or when water or ice is added. However, chill filtration also removes some of the flavour and body from the whisky, which is why some consider chill-filtered whiskies to be inferior. TYPES OF SCOTCH WHISKY In 2005, the Scotch Whisky Association released new guidelines for nomenclature. Many in the industry feel that the new guidelines do little to clarify confsuion among confusion, and some believe they create new confusion. There are two major categories, single and blended. Single means that all of the product is from a single distillery, while '''Blended''' means that the product is composed of whiskies from two or more distilleries.
=Regional variants Scotland was traditionally divided into 4 regions: The Highlands, Lowland, Islay & Campbeltown. Today Scotland is divided into 5 recognized regions. ''Speyside'', which was traditionally part of the Highlands, has almost half of the total number of distilleries in Scotland within it's geographic boundaries. As such it has long been accepted as a region unto itself.
Vatted malt Vatted malt whisky—also called ''pure malt''—is one of the less common types of Scotch: a blend of single malts from more than one distillery and with differing ages. Vatted malts contain only malt whiskies—no grain whiskies—and are usually distinguished from other types of whisky by the absence of the word ‘single’ before ‘malt’ on the bottle, and the absence of a distillery name. The age of the youngest whisky in the bottle is that used to describe the age on the label, so a vatted malt marked “8 years old” may easily include whiskies over 30 years old. Some examples include Pride Of Islay , Compass Box Eleuthera, and Johnnie Walker Green Label. Blended Blended Scotch whisky constitutes over 90% of the in the upper classes, and Gin in the lower ones). Master blenders combine the various malts and grain whiskies to produce a consistent "brand style". Blended whiskies frequently use the same name for a range of whiskies at wildly varying prices and (presumably) quality. Notable blended Scotch whisky brands include Johnnie Walker , Cutty Sark , Famous Grouse , and Chivas Regal . Single grain whisky The majority of grain whisky produced in Scotland goes to make blended Scotch whisky. The average blended whisky is 60%-85% grain whisky. Some higher quality grain whisky from a single distillery is bottled as single grain whisky. As of 2006, there are only seven grain whisky distilleries in Scotland, including Loch Lomond . INDEPENDENT BOTTLERS Most malt distilleries sell a significant amount of whisky by the cask for blending, and sometimes to private buyers as well. Whisky from such casks is sometimes bottled as a single malt by independent firms such as Cadenhead , Murray McDavid , Signatory , and others. These are usually labeled with the distillery's name, but not using the distillery's trademarked logos or typefaces. An "official bottling" (or "proprietary bottling"), by comparison, is one from the distillery (or its owner). Most independent bottlings are from single casks, and they may sometimes be very different from an official bottling. There have been occasional efforts by distillers to curtail independent bottling; Allied Domecq , owner of the Laphroaig distillery, initiated legal action against Murray McDavid in an effort to prevent them from using "Distilled at Laphroaig Distillery" in their independent bottlings of said whisky. Murray McDavid subsequently used the name "Leapfrog" for a time, before Allied backed off. William Grant & Sons , which owns three malt distilleries, adds a measure of one of its other distilleries' whisky to each cask of malt it sells to independent bottlers. This prevents independent bottlers from bottling the contents of the cask as a single malt. To avoid potentially sticky legal issues, some independent bottlings do not reveal the source of the whisky, using an alias or a geographical name instead. This is also called a 'Bastard Bottling'. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society uses numbers to identify distillers; the distiller list is made available to members only in the form of indirect clues (which are nevertheless usually unambiguous given some research). UNDERSTANDING A SCOTCH WHISKY LABEL Like many products, the contents of a Scotch whisky label are a combination of tradition, marketing, national law and whim. It can therefore be challenging to understand what it is that one holds in a bottle. Because of variations in language and national law, the following can only be considered a rough guide. The first thing to look for is the words ''Scotch whisky'', spelled exactly in that way (perhaps Whisky is capitalized). If the word ''Scotch'' is missing, the whisky is probably made elsewhere. If it says ''Scotch Whiskey'' or ''Scottish Whiskey'', it is possibly counterfeit. Now, look for the words ''single malt''. These may be split by other words e.g. ''single highland malt''. If this is present, you have a Single Malt Scotch whisky. If you have ''vatted malt'', ''pure malt'' or "blended malt", you have a mixture of single malt whiskies. Very rarely, you might find a single grain whisky. In all other cases, you have a blended whisky. The label might identify a distillery name, either as the main brand, or as part of the product description. This is not guaranteed for any type of Scotch, but is most likely to be seen for single malt. Some single malt whisky is sold anonymously or with a made up brand name. This is no guide to quality, but may mean that successive bottles are completely different whiskies. The only way to identify a real distillery name is to look it up in a reference. In most countries you will see the alcoholic strength. Note the difference between percentage (percentage alcohol by volume) and Proof , a measure that varies by country. Typically whisky is between 40-46% abv; though a lower alcohol content may be required in some countries, or might indicate an "economy" whisky. If the bottle is over 50% abv it is likely ''cask strength''. The other information that might be present is an age. If the label states that the whisky is ''12 years old'', that indicates that all the whisky in the bottle was matured in cask at least that long before bottling. You might also see a year. A year on a bottle would likely be the year of distillation. This would indicate a single cask bottling, and the label would likely also include the year the whisky was bottled. Since whisky does not mature once bottled, the age is the difference between these two years. REFERENCES
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