Scotch Whisky-Producing Regions

One of the most important ways we organize the many thousands of single-malt whisky expressions on the market is by their region of origin. Single-malt Scotch whisky is an intensely local product, and due to that locality, the styles tended to co-evolve among distilleries that were near each other.

These regional names at least give a small clue as to the style of the product. After all, a single-malt comes from a single distillery, so logically it comes from one specific place. This is a familiar way to categorize similar products, e.g., wine.

Note: Regional appellations don’t apply to blends since they may include ingredients from multiple regions.

However, it’s not a perfect system…

Even though whiskies from a given region do tend to have common flavor profiles, not all Speyside whiskies are unlike all whisky from other regions (the same could be said of any other region). As they say: The exceptions prove the rule….

One of the most awesome things about learning about single-malt Scotch is that you are frequently surprised, and you have to be open to that.

What are the officially recognized regions?

There are five official regions of single-malt Scotch whisky that have legally protected names:

• Campbeltown
• Highland
• Islay
• Lowland
• Speyside

You will frequently see more specific (yet unofficial) descriptive names used in books, even by very esteemed whisky writers like Michael Jackson (e.g., names like Eastern Highland, Island, Northern Highland, etc.). I am sure that these writers use these terms consistently but since there is no generally agreed definition of the terms, it’s safer to stick to the standard five names.

With that said, I do tag my distillery listings with the more specific names if I know them, but always in addition to the legal name, so you can find it either way. I wrote about this topic a few years ago, and it became clear the other day that it’s worth repeating.

Are they really different?

In a word: YES.

• Most single-malt Scotch is double distilled, except for those from the Lowland region, where triple distillation is more common.
  • The rules don’t prohibit quadruple distillation, which Bruichladdich experimented with in recent years with their “X4” whisky. Note that Bruichladdich is on Islay, and that didn’t stop them from trying something different (they even make Gin, of all things…from Islay botanicals, of course!).
• The Highland region is the most diverse, both numerically and stylistically — even when you exclude the Speyside district, a dense conglomeration of Highland distilleries along the River Spey.
• Campbeltown is tied for the smallest region with the Lowland region (with three operating distilleries each), though Campbeltown used to have on the order of 30 distilleries. Campbeltown and Lowland aren’t similar by any means.
  • Campbeltown is famous for whiskies with salty notes redolent of the sea, with deep fruits and strong flavors, whereas Lowland malts are generally lighter and more delicate, compared to other regions.
• Islay whisky has a reputation for being strongly flavored, i.e., intense, peaty, smoky, and while that’s true in many cases, there are more than a few exceptions.

Why are they different?

You might think that Scotland is a small country and the weather must be pretty uniform, but you’d be wrong. All over Scotland, there are lots of protected valleys, and elevation differences, prevailing wind differences, etc., that conspire to make real differences in the finished product.

For example, if you had to point to one thing that caused whisky on some parts of Islay to be smoky, it’s the persistent, driving rain off the Atlantic. Making malted barley for whisky in this kind of humidity is a real challenge. The malt had to be exposed to the peat smoke longer to compensate for the humidity.

This is no longer an issue today; malt is made in factories and the peat level is now a choice, not a byproduct. But people choose it because over many generations, it’s what they have learned to love. Ultimately, regional differences persist because they the people like it that way.

The styles are passed down through the generations, and when people grow up liking a certain style, and learning to make it, the style takes on a life of its own. Also, now that these businesses have global audiences, the customers’ expectations have to be satisfied as well. 🙂

Which region is best?

The one you like best. People get very passionate about questions like this, and what’s great is that there are so many good arguments, but in the end they are opportunities to try new things and expand your horizons.

There are lots of regions, and lots of expressions. Go taste them!

 

This Is Not a Joke: Whisky in a Can

It’s true: I read it online here and here! You can stop cringing (laughing? crying?) now.

Is this a good idea?

Many people have already opined about the pros and cons of this new packaging. I think any alleged impact on flavor is a red herring. The can’s interior should be oxygen-free, so as long as it doesn’t stay on the shelf for long, there should be minimal impact on flavor, not that any “Scotch whisky” destined for a can would be harmed by a little aluminum. Besides, do we really think that anyone who’d buy this product cares about nuances of flavor? 😉

Normally I am strongly in favor of expanding the whisk(e)y market…to make it more accessible to a wider audience appeals to me. As an alternative — to help expand the market — I strongly prefer the broader availability of resealable mini-bottles, where you usually get 50 ml (two servings, the way I drink it!). By “broader availability” I mean MORE: More brands, more expressions, more choices.

In my opinion, there are a few reasons why this “in a can” approach may be a imperfect:

• Face it, making a cheaper delivery system for more potent alcohol (than what usually comes in a can) is probably a bad idea.
• Moreover, I feel that when you put this much whisky in a non-resealable container, you’re going to get people drinking more than they want to (or should)…just to finish the can.
• I’m going to assert that the folks that came up with this idea probably haven’t considered their marketing strategy very thoroughly: Is it a good idea to take what many people perceive as a premium product and deliver it in the same kind of container used to sell cheap beer?
• Maybe it’s no accident that the “Scotch” here is a no-name.

Size Matters

The article states that 12 ounces is eight shots, and the manufacturer states that 12 ounces is three servings. Let’s parse the serving size a bit, because I think it’s extremely misleading either way you look at it.

• If we accept the stated “three servings in a 12-ounce can,” that’s four ounces per serving. Holy crap!
  • A single shot (in my house) is 7/8 ounce (about 25 ml). So, a four-ounce “serving” would equate to over four-and-a-half 7/8-ounce servings.
  • At 1.5-ounces per serving (what I would call a “double”), there are still over two-and-a-half generous servings in four ounces.
• The article also stated that there were eight shots worth of whisky in the 12-ounce can. Ok, sure: But it depends on what size “shot” you use.
  • 12 ounces divided eight ways is eight 1.5-ounce servings. The way I drink whisky, what the article calls a “shot” would be a double. Is this like grade inflation?

Let’s be honest: a 12-ounce can of whisky contains way more than three servings. If you’re really being honest, it’s also well over eight servings. The only way that this “whisky in a can” has three servings in it is if normally people are drinking what I would call a “double double.” (The link is to the Wikipedia page on In-n-Out Burger, the only place I’ll have a “double double.”) If I were drinking 12 ounces of whisk(e)y, I’d get almost 14 servings out of the container.

Writing this last bit made me realize that two 12-ounce cans is almost exactly one-fifth of a gallon, approximately 710 ml. That means that this “whisky in a can” is effectively a non-resealable half-bottle of whisky. When stated that way, I think there can be no question that this packaging method will almost certainly encourage excessive drinking.

Parting shot (get it?)

Wine in a can?

 

Today’s Rain Is Tomorrow’s Whisky

It’s a Scottish saying, essentially expressing optimism about the future. Seems appropriate at this moment as I write this: Closing out not only a year but a decade. It takes a pretty optimistic people to commit themselves to the production of something that takes decades (in some cases) before it is ready to sell. Applause!

Not all water is lucky enough to fall on Scotland. Whisky is the water of life, and you could say that whisky is what water dreams of becoming when it grows up. 😉

Happy New Year!
Bliadhna Mhath Ur!

Slainte!

 

Ben Wyvis

Ben Wyvis particulars:

Location: Invergordon, Ross-shire, Scotland
Post code: IV18 0HP
Region: Northern Highland
Since: 1962 (closed and demolished in 1977)

 

Speyside Distillery

Speyside Distillery particulars:

Also known as: Lagganmore (fictional; Monarch of the Glen)
Location: Tromie Mills, Kingussie, Inverness-Shire, Scotland
Post code: PH21 1NS
Region: Speyside
Since: 1895-1905 (demolished 1911); then rebuilt 1990
Expressions: Cú Dhub, Drumguish, Glentromie, Speyside

 

Tullibardine

Tullibardine particulars:

Pronunciation: tully.BAR-dinn
Location: Blackford, Yachter, Perthshire, Scotland
Post code: PH4 1QG
Region: Central Highland
Since: 1949

 

Tomatin

Tomatin particulars:

Location: Tomatin, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Post code: IV13 7YT
Region: Speyside
Since: 1897

Note: Tomatin is a very large single-malt distillery. It was the largest in Scotland (as of October, 2009). It’s possible that the expansion at The Glenlivet, which came online in mid-2010, will have larger production capacity than Tomatin. Diageo’s Roseisle distillery, completed in 2009 (also in Speyside), also has 14 stills, and by all appearances those stills look enormous.

 

Tamnavulin

Tamnavulin particulars:

Location: Ballindaloch, Banffshire, Scotland
Post code: AB37 9JA
Region: Speyside
Since: 1966 (mothballed 1996)

 

Strathisla

Strathisla particulars:

Pronunciation: Struth-eye-la
Location: Keith, Banffshire, Scotland
Post code: AB55 3BS
Region: Speyside
Since: 1786

 

Strathclyde

Strathclyde particulars:

Location: 40 Moffat Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Post code: G5 0QB
Region: Lowland (Single Grain)
Since: 1927