Scotch whisky spelling whiskey history single malt origins

"A spirituous liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grains (rye, barley, wheat, corn,
etc.), atured in wooden casks, usually for three years or more. Inferior grades are
produced from potatoes, beets, or other roots. Scotch whisky takes its dry, somewhat
smoky flavour from the barley malt, cured with peat, used in its preparation. The
relatively similar Irish whiskey, for which no peat is used, has a sweeter taste. American
whiskeys are classified as rye or bourbon. Canadian whiskey is produced from cereal
grain only. First distilled in monasteries in 11th century England, whisky has been
produced commercially since the 16th century."

Well, it seems that your average dictionary writer doesn't get out much...
There's so much more to whisk(e)y than can be described in a single simple paragraph.
What's more - that last part about the origins of whisky might not be completely true...
When the first whisk(e)y was distilled is still being debated; probably in the 15th century.
The same is true for the actual birthplace of Uisge Beatha (= Gaelic for 'the water of
life').
England seems rather unlikely; Ireland or Scotland are more obvious candidates.
(*) = Under the mistaken impression that these pages would be read only by intelligent
beings, I felt like cheering up the (sometimes slightly boring) theoretical information with
a few fanciful (but not factual) stories.I just assumed that everybody would be able to
distinguish between cold, hard facts and my warped wit, but then I received a message
from a reader from South America who wanted to know if the book 'Distillation for
Fun & Profit' was available as a facsimile edition or reprint. No it's not - because I made
the whole thing up. It was a 'colourful illustration' of the early days, if you will. The same
goes for the 18th century photograph of the distillery, by the way - photography wasn't
actually invented at the time (and I think they still wore wigs). So, I guess I'll have to try
to keep my wit in check in the upcoming chapters if the guide...
Malt Madness is dedicated to one particular type of whisky; - and that would be Single
Malt Scotch whisky, to be precise. I'll get back to 'single' and 'malt' part in the next
chapter - first I'd like to explain my (slight) preference for Scotch whisky. Fortunately,
they didn't have automobiles yet in 1494...Instead, they used far more traditional
methods of killing themselves and others - like alchemy and claymores.
 
So, let's pick up another hot potato - is there difference between whisky and whiskey?
When you check your English dictionary you'll find that the word 'whisk(e)y' is spelled in
two ways; either with or without an 'e'. I'm not a linguist (so I don't know the proper
phrase to describe this weird linguistic phenomenon), but let's call it 'the fluid E' for
now. As far as I know, there's no logical explanation for this, but when a whisky is
produced in Ireland or the USA, it's usually spelled with an 'e' as in 'whiskey' - otherwise
(Scotland, Japan, France, Australia, India, Thailand, etc.) usually just as 'whisky'. Don't
ask me why; it doesn't make sense to me either...

I guess it's just one of those inexplicable things in life one simply has to accept, like the
popularity of rap music or spontaneous combustion. From now on I'll use 'whisky' as a
group name that includes both whisky and whiskey. Malt whisky production became sort
of an 'industry' in eighteenth century Scotland. Apart from fondling their sheep and
shaving their legs, the farmers of Scotland had very little entertainment in those dark
days before the invention of the internet. Shortly after the recipe for whisky was
published in 'Distillation for Fun & Profit', the Scots had found themselves a new hobby
and dozens of distilleries were established within a decade. (*) Nobody likes to pay
taxes. Hiding high in the Highlands many Scots managed to elude the English tax
collectors time after time. Only after the taxes were reduced following the Excise Act of
1823 most distilleries were legalised. Production practices gradually became more
professional and the fame of the Scottish whisky slowly but surely spilled over the
borders into England. Still, the whisky industry remained a largely local affair for many
years.

OK, let's start with the basics. Your average dictionary might describe 'WHISK(E)Y' like:
Things changed considerably after a huge wine louse infection (Phylloxera)
in the 19th century wiped out the vineyards in France, and pretty much the
entire brandy industry along with it. The popularity of whisky grew quickly,
both in England and overseas. Scotch whisky production got another boost
during prohibition in the USA. Decades of legal distilling hadn't dulled the
Scottish smuggling instincts and they jumped into the American market.
When prohibition ended, 'Scotch' whisky had already earned its place in
the USA market. The fact that the word 'Scotch' is now synonymous for
whisky (at least in the USA) proves the incredible success of the Scots.
In fact, they're SO succesful that they're running out of barley...
The most popular theory has some Irish monks hopping across the Irish
Sea to Scotland (at the end of the first millennium) to spread the gospel
along with the secret of distillation among the barbarians. However, these
Irish monks didn't invent distillation itself; it was discovered by an Persian
scholar named Rhazes. (These days alcohol is frowned upon in the region.)
Laphroaig (depicted at the right) was the only Scotch whisky that could still be imported
and sold legally by apothecaries during the prohibition that plagued the US in the
1920's.The reason was its medicinal taste. I guess the government officials who tried it
couldn't imagine anybody drinking the stuff out of their own free will -  it's not for the faint
of heart. To the best of my knowledge, Laphroaig was the only Scotch (!) whisky with a
legal status during the prohibition era. However, both Four Roses & Buffalo Trace
(bourbon distilleries from the US) had licenses to distill bourbon for medicinal purposes
during those dark days. Incidentally, the opnion of the medical community about whisky
has changed since then...

These days, whisky is produced all over the world.

You can find whisk(e)y distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Canada, the
US, Australia, New-Zealand, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Turkey,  India, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand,
Japan, Taiwan, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela and even South Africa. The focus of the
'Malt Madness' site is on Scotch (single malt) whisky, so the Distillery Data section only
contains information on +/- 100 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Those of you
interested in the (malt) spirits produced in other countries can find more details in
the Lex-icon on Malt Maniacs (distillery information) and the 'Deviant Drams' section
(whiskies).

As this picture of a distillery in the 18th century proves, the crews working the
distilleries were about the same size as they are today. But there have been important
innovations over the centuries. In the old days every distillery employed its own dog to
hunt cats (who were believed to be pets for witches). When they discovered that mice
were actually more detrimental to profits than witches, the dogs were gradually replaced
by cats.  (*)

It's not because Irish or American whiskeys are 'inferior' in any way. Actually, I've tasted
a few that put most Scottish malts to shame. It's just a matter of personal taste, really.
Over the years I've come to taste some great American 'bourbon' and Irish whiskies, but
few of them had the individuality and character that I love in single malt whiskies.
Individuality and character are not appreciated by everybody though - as my limited
social circle proves...
 
When I was younger (and dumber) I still thought that 'What is the best whisky?'
was a sensible question. I've since learned that it's not - at least not in terms of
some scientifically measurable way. However, there are flavour profiles and some
whiskies are more popular than others. If many peatheads love a certain bottling,
chances are that other peat lovers would appreciate that expression as well.
The earliest known Gaelic (the old language spoken in Scotland and Ireland) records
refer to malt whisky as 'Uisgebaugh'. This evolved over time to "Uisge Beatha",
related to the Latin phrase 'Aqua Vitae' (see the quoteat the right). Those among you
with a proper education should know that this translates as 'The Water of Life'.
 
And this is a good a place as any to point out that this 'water of life' can easily  turn into
'water of death' if you combine drinking and driving in these modern times with
inventions like cars - so it would be best to avoid that...

But don't just take my word for the superiority of malt whisky. Why don't you make an
informed decision by yourself? Just compare an Irish or American whiskey (or perhaps
even a grain whisky or a blended Scotch) to one or more of the Scottish single malts
mentioned in chapter 7. You won't be bored by the experience, I promise - provided you
take your time and pay attention. If you've never tried a single malt whisky before and
your first encounter is with the Laphroaig 10 years old, you're in for a big surprise, and I
can't guarantee it'll be a pleasant one. You'll either love it or hate it, there's no 'middle
of the road'. But wait a minute! We're getting ahead of ourselves once again...
We have nine more chapters to go. So, check out the next chapter on 'vocabulary' for
the proper whisky language.
I'll go into some other aspects of 'the fluid E' in the Advanced Beginner's Guide. For
example; fellow malt maniac Davin de Kergommeaux from Canada pointed out that the
'decision' to spell Irish whiskey with an 'e' was actually made relatively recently. That
worked out because there was only one major player at the time. It seems you can still
buy bottles of Irish whisky (without the 'e') on eBay today.Davin also pointed out that
both spellings are still used in Canada and the US.
 
The focus of Malt Madness (and therefore of this Beginner's Guide) is mostly on
the MALT whisky from Scotland. The Advanced Beginner's Guide provides more
information about whiskies from other countries like Ireland, the USA and Japan.
But you can forget about those for now...
Scotch whisky vocabulary dictionary

As the name suggests, the focus of the Malt Madness website is firmly on malts.
Malt whisky in general and single malt whisky in particular - I'll explain later why.
Although vatted malts can lack the personality of a single malt, some of them offer
excellent value for money. You can find great vatted malts for less than 20 Euro's!
So if you're mainly interested in finding a good drinking whisky that won't give you
a hangover, quit reading this guide and surf to the Deviant Drams section instead.
There you will find an overview of all the whiskies I have sampled that are NOT;
 
A) Scotch (i.e. no Irish whiskey, Japanese whisky, Bourbon or Rye whiskey), and/or
B) single (i.e. no blends & vatted malts where different whiskies are mixed), and/or
C) malt (i.e. not made from other grains than 100% malted barley.)
 
Are you still with me so far?  Good, because this is where it all gets a little confusing...
My personal favorite type of whisky is MALT WHISKY, produced from 100% malted
barley (fermented with yeast) and distilled batch by batch in massive, traditional copper
'pot stills'. No other grain products or fermentable material is permitted in the production
of this whisky. Within the 'malt whisky' category there are two sub-types; SINGLE MALT
WHISKY (which is the product from one single distillery, not blended with whisky from
any other distillery) and VATTED MALT WHISKY (different malt whiskies from more
than one distillery, which have been blended together to produce a consistent product
that still has a personality).
 
The (originally) six so-called 'Classic Malts' from industry giant Diageo (Dalwhinnie,
Oban, Lagavulin, Cragganmore, Talisker & Glenkinchie) are examples of single malt
'brands'.

Well known vatted malts are 'Sheep Dip', 'Blairmhor' and 'Johnnie Walker Green Label'.
The less said about GRAIN WHISKY the better, if you ask me. It's made from a mash of

cereal grains (usually barley, wheat and maize). Both malted barley (barley which has
started to germinate before it was dried to stop the germination) and unmalted barley
(unsprouted barley which remains dormant) are used in the production of grain whisky.
Grain whisky is distilled in a continuous 'industrial' process, using so-called 'Coffey
Stills'.

The black label of the (very young) 'Blackbarrel' grain whisky identifies it as a single
grain. Unless casked and aged properly, the end result often resembles the revolting
Dutch drink Jenever (gin). That being said, I've sampled a few old grain whiskies that
were simply amazing.

A SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALT (a.k.a. a 'single-single') is as exclusive as it gets.

It's the same as a normal single malt whisky, but all bottles are taken from one single
cask of whisky. When you realize that a bourbon barrel usually equalizes about 300
bottles of whisky (sherry casks are larger), the drinking of a single-single malt like the
Balvenie 15yo Single Barrel is quite a special experience. However, it can be risky
business as well.  Only plain water is added before it is bottled, and in the case of so-
called 'cask strength' bottlings not even that. There are bottlings with an ABV (alcohol
percentage) of well over 60% available! However, I couldn't really recommend those to
any beginner - it would be better to start at 40% or 43%. But don't worry, there are
plenty of single malts that I can recommend - and I will in chapter 9. But first there is a
lot more 'single malt theory' I'd like to share with you...

The character of a single malt is shaped (to some extent) by its environment, but I'll go
deeper into the importance of geography in the next chapter. Most single malt whiskies
are distilled and matured in Scotland, but I've enjoyed some very decent single malts
from countries like Ireland, Japan, Germany and Tasmania as well. Those are still
exceptions, though. You may find a few 'deviant' bottles at your local spirit monger but
many thousands of different single malt Scotch whiskies are currently available in liquor-
stores all over the world.

There are about two dozen major 'brands' like Glenfiddich and Balvenie - malts like
Ardmore or Banff are more obscure. Contrary to popular belief, the native inhabitants of
Scotland don't speak Scotch. Their language is called GAELIC and some single malts
have names that seem unpronounceable. The list of the major tongue-breakers below
may prevent possible humiliation at the counter of your local whisky bar. But hey, let's
not forget that these pages are just a 'Beginner's Guide' to SMSW. Maybe we shouldn't
worry too much about how to order a single malt with style and sophistication, and focus
on selecting the proper whisky first, eh? So - I bet you feel a lot smarter already...  
And that's just at the end of chapter 2 of the Beginner's Guide! Just imagine how smart
you'll feel at the end of the last chapter of the guide.So, hesitate not a single second
longer than you absolutely have to and... click on!There used to be three different 'main
categories' of whisky - malt whisky, grain whisky and blends. As if things weren't
difficult enough for the novices in maltland, the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association)
introduced a whole new set of definitions in 2005. In their infinite wisdom the SWA
decided to improve the lives of whisky lovers all over the world by 'simplifying' things.

By far the most bottles of whisky that go over the counter at your local liquorist are
BLENDED WHISKY - a 'blend' of roughly 2/3 (and often more) grain whiskies combined
with about 1/3 malt whiskies from several different distilleries to form a drink that applies
to the tastes (and wallets) of as many people as possible. The massive success of
blends has proven that this approach worked great...Now it's time to establish what all
those fancy words in the whisky world mean.First of all: There are three different
ategories of Scotch whisky; malt whisky,grain whisky and blended whisky. One of the
characteristics that all three share is the fact that they have to be matured for at least
three years; a minimum set by British law. I'll go into blended and grain whisky before I'll
deal with the malts. Does this make things easier? Hardly... Now 'blended' could mean
malt, grain or blend...

The text PURE MALT on a bottle of whisky means about as much as the text
'especially selected' or 'checked and approved' - remarkably little indeed. All Scotch
malt whiskies (whether they are single or vatted) are pure malt whiskies, produced
exclusively from malted barley using copper pot stills. If a bottle contains any kind of
grain whisky whatsoever, it is a blended whisky by definition. When it says 'pure' instead
of 'single' on the label these days, it's most likely a vatted malt. Finally, a few words
about AGE STATEMENTS. Many independent bottlings (IB's, see chapter 6 for more
information) specify an age statement in years, a year of distillation and a year of
bottling. Sometimes details like cask number and wood type are provided as well - or
even specific dates. For example: Ardbeg 17yo 1974/1992 (43%, Signatory Vintage
Special Old Selection, Cask #2026). Most of the official bottlings (OB's) only provide an
age statement, like the Ardbeg 17yo (40%, OB). These official bottlings are not 'single
cask' bottlings, but 'vattings' from many different casks of the same malt. In these cases
the age statement indicates the age of the youngest whisky in the vatting. So, an age
statement on the label of an OB gives you the MINIMUM age of the malt inside the
bottle. Theoretically, casks that are much older could end up in the bottle. There's even
a apocryphal story about the

Springbank distillery that used one or more casks of very old (and dark) whisky to add
colour to a much younger vatting that had turned out lighter than the previous batch. It
could be true, I guess - but knowing the thrifty nature of some of the present staff and
management at Springbank I have to admit that the charming little story almost sounds
just a tad too good to be true.But then again I'm a hopeless cynic...
Most 'official' single malt bottlings are VATTINGS (= blends) of different casks / barrels.
Vatting or blending various casks of whisky from the distillery together gives the master
blender some control over the final product. From a portfolio of thousands of casks,
the blender selects those (usually a few dozen casks, but sometimes hundreds) that
have the desired character. The quality of individual casks can vary considerably from
cask to cask. So, unless other people have made recommendations about a specific
single cask bottling you'll have no guarantee that that particular whisky will have the
'distillery profile' you expect. But that's part of the fun of sampling single cask bottlings -
usually bottled by independent bottlers...

Even if you've never tried them, you've surely heard of some of the major international
brands like Johnnie Walker. A handful of other examples are Bell's, Famous Grouse,
Ballantine's, Cutty Sark, J&B, Chivas Regal, Teacher's, VAT 69, Dimple, Grant's,
Dewar's, Lochranza, William Lawson, House of Lords, Old Smuggler, Ye Monks, Te
Bheag & Poit Dhub. One of my personal favorites was a Garnheath 1969 bottled for
Olivier Humbrecht's father, as well as a few bottles from Invergordon in their thirties that
were bottled by independent bottler Duncan Taylor. It seems that all a grain whisky
needs is time & the love of a good cask... Because the difference between the grain
whiskies from different distilleries is relatively small (compared to the differences
between different single malt whiskies at least), it never attracted the large 'cult'
following that single malts did. What's more, there are just a dozen different grain
distilleries versus almost a hundred malt whisky distilleries. The convenient story about
Scotland's 'terroirs' (see the next chapter on geography) just doesn't really fit a type of
whisky that has an even harder time being unique than blended whiskies. So, those
were two main categories of Scotch whisky (blended whisky & grain whisky) - how
about that third 'malt whisky' category?

The amazing complexity and variation that can be found in single malts is caused by
the large number of variables that play a role in the production and maturation of the
whisky. Apart from the role of 'geography' or 'terroir' (investigated in the next chapter)
some other significant variables are the quality of barley sourced, the shape and
utilisation of the stills and the quality of casks used for aging. Yes, the shape of a still
plays a very important role (as does the type and size of cask), but I'll go deeper into
these aspects in later chapters. In fact, I think I've gotten a little side-tracked... The
topic at hand was whisky vocabulary. Knowing what the phrases and abbreviations in
the 'Scotch Slang' column mean will come in handy when you venture deeper into the
world of single malts. So, learn them by heart...
- Single malt whisky = a malted barley whisky from one distillery.
- Single grain whisky = a grain whisky from one distillery (not necessarily from a single
type of grain).
- Blended malt whisky = a malt whisky created by mixing single malt whiskies from
several distilleries.
- Blended grain whisky = a whisky created by mixing grain whiskies from more than one
distillery.
- Blended Scotch whisky = a mixture of malt and grain whiskies, usually from multiple
distilleries.
According Wikipedia there now are two major categories, single and blended whisky.
The word 'Single' means that 100% of the product is from one single distillery, while the

word 'Blended' means that the end product is composed of whiskies from two or more
different whisky distilleries.
 
Well, so far that makes sense - but they needed a further subdivision, and that's
where matters get a little trickier.Once again I checked Wikipedia for the details and
found;
 Pronunciation:

Aberlour - Aber-lower
Auchentoshan - Ochentoshen
Auchroisk - Othrusk
Bruichladdich - Brew-ich-laddie
Bunnahabhain - Boon-a-havun
Caol Ila - Kaal-eea
Cardhu - Kar-doo
Clynelish - Klyn-leesh
Dailuaine - Dall-Yewan
Glen Garioch - Glen Gee-ree
Glenmorangie - Glen-Mranjee
Knockdhu - Nock-doo
Laphroaig - La-froyg
Ledaig - Led-chig
Pittyvaich - Pitt-ee-vay-ich
Strathisla - Strath-eye-la
Teaninich - Tee-an-inich
Tomintoul - Tomin-towel
Tullibardine - Tully-bard-eye-n

You can find the proper pronunciation for each distillery in the Distillery Data
section of the Malt Madness website.

Blending was introduced in the 19th century because many of the whiskies distilled in
those days had just a tad too much 'character' for the average Victorian whisky drinker.
There may be as much as 50 or more different single malt and grain whiskies in a
blend. This allows the so-called master blender to compose a fairly consistent product
that's not likely to offend many people. (Well, not too many of them anyway.)
Furthermore, the production of grain whisky is much easier and cheaper than distilliation
of malt whisky.
Scotch Scotland geography whisky region s

The list at the right offers an overview of the main MALT WHISKY REGIONS and the
various area's they contain, as identified by whisky writer Michael Jackson. I should
point out that this is just one of many different ways of classifying single malts - and Mr.
Jackson's list is just one of many possible divisions based on geography. As I
mentioned before, a classification based on geography has its merits. Those are mostly
on historical grounds, though - these days they can just as easily produce a heavily
peated malt in Speyside as they can on the island of Islay. Every single malt whisky is
still a unique product, but the terroirs theory should be taken lightly. I will get to the
topic of 'maturation' in a moment, but I want to share a few thoughts on peat first. In
fact, that will probably be the very first 'geographical' distinction you will be able to
make after you've taken your first shaky steps into the wonderful world of whisky. You
won't mistake a glass of Lagavulin 16yo for a Lowlander or a Speysider, even if you
haven't tried many different malts before. It's amazing how such a tiny island (located
off the coast of mainland Scotland, west of Glasgow) can produce a class of whiskies
that are so very distinctive. The peaty character of these Islay malts doesn't come from
Islay, though...
So, the area in which a particular single malt whisky is produced is still an important
factor. But there are many more influences at work here. A whisky is influenced by the
varieties and quality of the barley that is used for the mash, the minerals in the water,
the size and shape of the stills, the mood of the stillman, etc. The single most important
factors by far are the type of wood used for maturation, as well as the duration of the
maturation itself. Try comparing the Glenmorangie 10yo with the Glenmorangie Port
Wood Finish, for instance. The only difference is some two years of extra maturation in
port barrels - but what a difference those two years makes! However, we're in danger of
getting far ahead of ourselves. Before whisky can be matured it has to be distilled first -
the topic of the next chapter.

So, at the end of the third chapter of the guide , you find yourself packed with enough
malt trivia to impress your local barkeeper. That's quite enough 'dry' theory on a 'wet'
topic for now, wouldn't you agree? I'd say it's time we focused on more serious
business. And when I say 'business' I mean business like the noble art of distillation
for example - which is the topic of the next chapter of this Beginner's Guide.
Nevertheless, it offers relative novices a useful handle on malt whisky. And although the
importance of geographic factors like local barley and micro-climates has diminished in
recent decades, they still play a role in the production process. So, here's a brief
synopsis on the geography of Scotland. The home of bagpipes and haggis is located in
the north of the British isles and divided by scholars into the five main malt whisky
regions; Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands, Islay and Campbeltown. Each region can
be subdivided further. The Lowlands region, for example, is divided into four area's;
Central, East, West and Borders - that with just three active distilleries. Soon after I
started drinking single malts, I discovered that these whiskies all had their own unique
character. Interesting - what could be the cause?
According to the stories spread by PR people that would be 'TERROIRS'
of Scotland - five or six main whisky regions, often divided into different
subdivisions like 'Livet' or 'Findhorn Valley' in the central Speyside area.
Until recently I had little reason to doubt these stories, but by the time
I passed the 2000 malts mark I had learned that 'terroir' is over-rated. In the first chapter
I explained why I'm focussing my liquorous affections on whiskies
from Scotland. It must be much bigger than it looks on this map, because at one
point in history there used to be over 300 different distilleries in the Highlands
alone. Nowadays, there are less than 100 active distilleries left in all Sotland.

More than half of all distilleries in Scotland are located in the central SPEYSIDE region.
Speyside is surrounded by the Highlands - a much larger region. Nevertheless, the
variety in character and style in Speyside is huge. There are no simple 'giveaways' like
the peat and smoke in Islay malts. Speyside malts usually do have plenty of nose - but
please note this isn't necessarily a good thing. And there's at least as much variety in
'quality' as there is in 'personality' in Speysiders. All in all - I wonder if the subdivision of
Speyside into smaller area's is very useful. I've found huge differences between
'neighbouring' malts and striking similarities between malts from different area's.
 
The HIGHLANDS cover a much larger area than Speyside, but are a distant second
when it comes to the number of distilleries. Anything located North of the imaginary line
between the Firth of Clyde in the West and the Firth of Tay in the East (in other words,
the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh) is considered to be situated in the Highlands
region. Well, with the exception of the central Speyside area and Islay, of course...

Although many tall tales about the whisky 'terroirs' of Scotland need to be taken
with a grain (or in some cases a few spoonfuls) of salt to make them palatable to the
discerning brain, a geographical look at the distilleries of Scotland can still be
enlightening and enjoyable. The Interactive Distillery Map of Scotland in the 'Distillery
Data' section of Malt Madness provides an overview of all active (and recently closed)
malt and grain whisky distilleries in Scotland. It's a work of beauty!
 
But so far I've only talked about Scotland - what about other countries like Ireland,
Japan and the USA?
Well, as the name suggests, Malt Madness focusses on MALT whisky - and Scotland is
still the undisputed #1 by far.
Nevertheless, very interesting things are happening in other countries as well - and
older grain whiskies and blends can be very appealing too. I'll go deeper into those
segments of the whisky world in the Advanced Beginner's Guide, but you can also find
some information in the Deviant Drams section and the Lexicon (all distilleries in the
world) on Malt Maniacs.

That conveniently brings us to the third region on the list; the LOWLANDS in the South
of Scotland. The region is actually the Southernmost part of Scotland, closest to
England. But then again, most Lowland distilleries are located near the Northern border
of the region, roughly around the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh (or the line from
Dundee to Greenock). Hadrian's Wall forms the Southern border of the Lowlands.
These borders are arbitrary anyway; The Inverleven is a Lowland malt, while the
Inchmurrin distillery (located only a few miles to the North) is officially a Midland (=
southern Highland) malt. The same goes for Glengoyne and Littlemill. The only active
Lowland distillery that isn't distilled close to the Highlands border is Bladnoch! Single
malts produced in the Midlands (a.k.a. South Highlands) like Tullibardine or Glenturret
are really quite different from the expressive Northern Highland or Island malts like
Highland Park.  Because the 'Highlands' area is so large there's a wide variety in terms
of the conditions that shape the character of a single malt; Scotland has many different
'micro climates'. As a result, it's very hard to identify any specific characteristics of 'THE
Highland malt'. The broadest generalisation I'm willing to make is that an average
young Highland malt is more expressive than a young Lowlander. But that' ancient
history - very interesting in itself, but perhaps not the most suitable material for a
'Beginner's Guide'.

However, it is a topic I've investigated further in the Advanced Beginner's Guide - an

extensive addition to this basic guide. Even though the importance of 'terroir' is
sometimes overrated, different malts from the same part of Scotland share certain
characteristics. The region of origin of a whisky can sometimes tell you something about
the character of the whisky, before you've tasted it. Most young island whiskies, for
example, tend to have a stronger bouquet than whiskies from the Lowlands.

The Romans could have reached ISLAY if they would have had any balls (and would
have been able to swim). The island is located not far beyond the Westernmost edge of
the ruins of the Antonine wall. Most Islay whiskies are immediately recognisable as
such because of their trademark peaty style. However, the peaty character (you either
love it or hate it) of most Islay malts isn't an actual 'regional' trait as such. Mainland
distilleries can produce peat monsters too, as distilleries like Brora and Benriach have
proven in the past.The CAMPBELTOWN region is the ugly duckling of the five.It's
positively the smallest Scottish malt region, named after the only real town on the intyre
peninsula. These days, there are only two active distilleries left in the entire
Campbeltown region; Springbank and Glen Scotia - three or four if you count Glengyle
and Longrow as well. But things used to be very different...

A century ago, Campbeltown had more than 30 distilleries. The peaty, smoky style of
many Islay malts has nothing to do with the brown 'peaty' water that is sometimes used
during production. It is caused by the fact that the germinating barley is dried over peat
fires instead of, for example, coal fires or central heating. The fragrant smoke carries
over into the barley, then the whisky.
 
As you go along you'll discover more and more differences between different malts.
Although many single malts reveal their origins in their nose and taste, every one of
them is unique. The product of distilleries only miles apart can be very different. It's the
wide variation in character and style which sets single malts apart from other drinks
like cognac, bourbon and wodka.
Scotch whisky stills distillation distillery

Within every distillation, the distillate is divided into three CUTS of which only the
second cut, the HEART OF THE RUN , will be used;

 Heads (the first liquid that trickles from the swan neck)
 Heart of the Run (the spirit that will evolve into whisky)
 Tails (the last liquid with an ever decreasing proof)

The first (HEADS) and the last fraction (TAILS) are sub-standard material, to be re-
distilled together with the next batch of low wines. The heart of the run is a clear liquid of
up to 70% alcohol/volume. Please note that this liquid isn't 'whisky' quite yet - first it has
to mature for at least three years - at least that's the law in Scotland. During my quest
for the perfect single malt I've encountered foreign 'whiskies' of less than 40% (a fairly
loathsome High Land Park from Thailand springs to mind), but those were exceptions to
the rule. Now it's time for the DISTILLATION of the wash to increase the ABV. If you
paid attention when you read the chapter about vocabulary you'll know that 'ABV'
means the alcohol percentage, measured by volume. Beer was known to the ancient
Egyptians and wine was popular with the Romans, but those are both the products of
natural fermentation. It's difficult to achieve an alcohol percentage of more than 15%
purely by natural fermentation. The advanced technique of distillation had to be
invented first, before the concept of whisky could be conceived... The real magic
happens in the WASHBACK - a fermentation vessel that allows the yeast strains to
convert the wort into a fermented liquid called WASH (7-10% alcohol). This takes 2 to 4
days. Now some two weeks have passed since the malting process began - and so far
it hasn't been that different from the production of beer. In fact, beer could very well be
considered the oddly popular forefather of whisky. One would think that after they
discovered that you could turn beer into whisky there wouldn't be much demand for that
kid stuff anymore, but it seems there still is. But then again I'm not a beer drinker - and
the novelty value of drinking the warm wash directly from the washback wears off fairly
soon - especially on a hot summer day. Then I DO prefer beer...

After the malt has been dried it goes into the MALT MILL - a device which grinds the
dried malt into GRIST before the next phase of the process begins. During the
MASHING stage hot water is added to the 'grist' in a large vessel called a MASH TUN ,
where the starch in the barley is converted further into the fermentable sugars which
are needed to produce alcohol later on. The picture below shows a relatively small
mash tun. It's the one at Blair Athol distillery, made of wood. (If memory serves, this was
made of Oregon Pine.) Other distilleries use stainless steel washbacks. and just like
almost all things in the whisky world, opinions vary about what produces better whisky.
Scotland and Ireland may still be fighting over who invented whisky, but the books say
that the first experiments with distillation were done by Arabic scholars as early as the
1st millennium. Given their significant role (and that of Irish monks) in the invention and
refinement of whisk(e)y, it's interesting to see how the production and consumption of
alcohol is frowned upon in many churches these days ;-)
 
All Scotch malt whisky is distilled in POT STILLS - two different types are used at
different stages. During the distillation stage, the wash is boiled in a copper WASH
STILL and distilled (sometimes more than once). Alcohol boils more rapidly than water,
so the vapors from the boiling wash can be collected at the top of the 'swan's neck' as
they cool down again and condense back to alcohol. A very important feature of the
stills is that they are made of copper. This metal has some unique properties that make
it indispensible for the distillation of whisky. I'll go into more detail on the significant
chemical traits of copper (and their effect on whisky) in the Advanced Beginner's
Guide. It is said that the shape and size of the pot stills have a big influence on the
malt whisky produced in them. The picture at the right shows the stills and SPIRIT
RECEIVER at the Glenfarclas distillery. The spirit receiver... erm... receives the spirit
from the stills...

During the MALTING process, barley is soaked in water for 2 or 3 days, then spread
out to germinate. During the GERMINATION stage that follows, (and which lasts around
a week) enzymes turn the starch within the barley into soluble sugars, who will be
converted into alcohol later on in the process. After the 'green malt' has begun to sprout,
it is dried in a KILN to stop the germination process. Drying the sprouting barley can be
done in a number of different ways these days, but in the distant past mostly peat was
used. Just like different grape varieties are used in the wine production, there are a
number of different barley varieties used for the distillation of single malt whisky.  The
Golden Promise variety has been popular for many years, but these days Scottish
distillers use alternatives like Optic and Chariot as well. Any variety of barley can be
used to produce malt whisky, but if any other type of grain is used (maize, buckwheat,
rye, corn, etc.) the result can't be called malt whisky. Well, at least not according to the
people of the SWA. But how do they turn barley into whisky? First, they add water...
The basis of every single malt Scotch whisky is plain old BARLEY. Well, it used to be
'plain old barley' the distilleries either grew on their own fields or purchased from nearby
farmhouses. These days production is much more rationalised and barley is often
purchased in bulk and sometimes even shipped in from overseas (France, etc.).

The spirit used to be 'casked' at that strength as well but these days the fresh spirit is
often submitted to casks at around 63%. The casks are then stored in special
WAREHOUSES where they will have the opportunity to mature next to their siblings for
at least three long years before they are released from captivity.
 
But hold on, once again we're getting way ahead of ourselves. Maturation is the topic of
the next chapter of this guide. However, before you click onwards to greener pastures I
should probably mention that the distillation of the grain whisky I mentioned earlier in
chapter two is a completely different story.
These whiskies are produced much faster (and in far larger quantities) than malt whisky
in a way that is fundamentally different. Instead of the traditional pot stills, 'Coffey stills'
(a.k.a. column or patent stills) are used. I will go into the 'technical' differences between
these types of stills in the Advanced Beginner's Guide. These continuous stills were
invented in the 1820's and were widely used only a few decades later because these
so-called 'Coffey stills' turned out to be much more efficient than pot stills.
 
Unfortunately, the more efficient production process eliminates some of the 'flaws' in
pot still distillation that give single malt whisky most of its character. And since most
blended whiskies contain mostly grain whisky they really need to mix in some old-
fashioned malt whisky into the blend to give it personality. When a grain whisky is
bottled all by itself (with major brands like 'Blackbarrel' and 'Invergordon') I usually don't
care too much for the contents of the bottle. The relatively young 'Greenore' (eight years
old) from Ireland is a notable exception.

Only a minute percentage of the grain whisky that is distilled is bottled as a single grain
whisky (vatted grain whiskies are rare). The vast majority of the grain whisky is used for
blended whiskies - and the vast majority of those don't need old grain whisky for that
blend. As soon as it has passed the legally required minimum age of three years most
grain whisky is used in a blend. The focus for these 'volume' whiskies is often a low
price, so the casks that are used for these grain whiskies are usually not the very best
of casks. There are, however, plenty of exceptions to this rule. Sometimes an
exceptional cask can push a grain whisky of just ten or twelve years old to heights
beyond the levels of a malt whisky of similar age. But as I said, those are exceptional
exceptions...
 
Which conveniently brings us back to the topic of the next chapter: Maturation...
Many Islay malts derive a distinctly peaty character from the reek (= peat smoke) from
the peat fumes. The liquid that's drained off as a result of this process is called the
WORT - which will later grow up to become Scotch malt whisky. During the
FERMENTATION the sugars in the wort are converted into alcohol by the addition of
special yeast strains. Different kinds of yeast (brewers yeast and distillers yeast) are
used in different combinations to try and influence the 'yield' and quality of the final
product. In fact, some of the crustier old Malt Maniacs are complaining that most of the
focus is on yield...
The first distillation run produces the so-called LOW WINES with an alcohol percentage
somewhere between 10 and 20%. The second distillation occurs in a special, smaller
still called the SPIRIT STILL. Some pot stills also have so-called purifiers at the top, for
example the spirit still at Ardbeg. Using a purifier is said to produce a better quality of
spirit (mostly by those using a purifier on their stills ;-)

So, WOOD plays a crucial role in the development of a malt whisky. First of all there's
the species of OAK that is used by the COOPER to make the casks. Only oak casks
are used. Not only because it's a legal requirement; oak is flexible and solid at the
same time while it adds very distinct elements to the spirit inside the cask as well. Just
like all French cognacs have been matured exclusively in Limousin oak casks, only a
few oak species are used for whisky casks; White American oak ( Que rcus alba) and
European oak (Quercus robur). Interestingly enough, the fact that it does mature in
oak casks was discovered only by accident. In the old days wooden casks were used
merely as vessels for the freshly distilled spirit. A lot of the spirit was consumed before
it ever got the chance to evolve into anything that smelled or tasted like the whisky we
drink today. Nevertheless, here and there some casks were left alone long enough to
age in peace. During those months or even years the rough spirit became whisky. Not
everybody is convinced of the relevance of storage conditions, though. It's hard to
distinguish fact from fiction and observation from imagination when it comes to malt
whiskies. When you know a distillery is located on the shore it's easy to find coastal
elements like salt and fish in the whisky they produce. But a chemist would often have a
hard time finding the corresponding chemicals. Almost every cask that's used for the
maturation of whisky has been used before in the production of BOURBON or
SHERRY . About 90% of all the malt whisky that is distilled in Scotland ends up in
casks that contained bourbon before they were
shipped from the USA. That makes a lot of sense, because American law dictates
that a bourbon cask can be used only once for the production of bourbon.
Every cask BREATHES while it matures. The wood of the casks expands during the
heat of summer and contracts during the cold of winter - not unlike the private parts of
any kilt wearing Scotsman who's minding his sheep, I would imagine. As a result of
evaporation the spirit will annually lose up to 2.5% alcohol while it matures.
The standard ex-bourbon cask holds some 200 liters of whisky.
It is usually called a BARREL and has been used only once for
the maturation of bourbon in the US before it was taken apart
and shipped to Scotland. There are many different brands like
Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, George Dickel, Maker's Mark, Old Crow,
Wild Turkey & Four Roses, but all these bourbons are actually
produced at just a handful of distilleries. The precise heritage
of the bourbon casks is considered a topic of relatively minor
importance. That seems rather odd when you look at all the
fuss that is made about the trouble that some blenders go
through to secure just the right sherry casks or wine casks
for their compositions. Bourbon barrels are usually heavily
charred on the inside. The carbon from the burnt layer not
only acts like a filter (removing certain nasty elements from
the spirit), it also helps to transfer vanilla and woody notes
to the bourbon. In its 'second life' in Scotland a cask  keeps
influencing the contents. However, the effect that the wood
has on the whisky inside a cask slowly diminishes over time.
This is especially true when a cask is used 'more than once'.
The casks that Americans use (just once) for their bourbons
are made from the oak trees that grow in America - which is
another species (Quercus alba) from European Quercus Robur.
Most American oak casks are sourced from Kentucky, Missouri
and Tennessee. As I mentioned earlier, the size of the casks is
much more standardised (+ 200 liter) than that of sherry casks.
When it comes to casks, SIZE matters as well. In a smaller cask, the surface of the
wood interacts with a (relatively) small
volume of whisky. This results in a relatively fast maturation compared to larger casks.
A 500 liter sherry butt has to 'convert'
much more spirit than a 'small' 200 liter bourbon barrel, while its surface isn't
significantly larger. But then again the effects of
bourbon casks are different from those of sherry casks. And with the spreading of
finishing, even more different types of casks
(wine, rum, etc.) appeared on the scene. And it's not just what you've got - it's how you
use it that's probably most important.
Sherry casks are usually larger than bourbon barrels and come
 in several different sizes. A HOGSHEAD holds 250 liters, while
 a BUTT is twice that size with 500 liters. Distilleries sometimes
use other sizes (like the 450 liter PUNCHEON ) as well, but the
vast majority of the casks are still barrels, hogsheads & butts.
 Just like the discovery of the significant benefits of maturation
 in oak casks, the magic of sherry was uncovered by accident.
 Scotland relied on oak trees from the forests of England for
 a long time, but at some point distilleries needed to find an
 alternative source for their casks. Sherry (fortified Spanish
 wine) was once very popular on the British isles. Actually,
 it still is -  the UK alone takes care of a whopping 29% of
 the world's sherry consumption, with Holland coming in a
 close second with 27%. The sherry bodegas use Quercus
Robur for their casks - i.e. European Oak. There are many
different 'types' of sherry, which means there are different
 types of sherry casks as well. To name just a few of them;
 Fino, Oloroso, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Pedro Ximénez, etc.
 Are you dizzy yet? No?  Good - then you might like to learn
 that  'Pedro Ximénez' is also the name of the grape species
 used for sherry. In fact, only two species of grape are used
 for the production of sherry; the other one being 'Palomino'.
Compared to the 1970's, sherry consumption in Holland and
the UK has dropped off dramatically. As a results, production
of sherry dropped as well - and therefor availability of casks.
Anyway, sherry used to be shipped from Spain to England by the cask. Alcoholism was
running rampant in those days, so empty and discarded
sherry casks were littering the 19th century Scottish landscape very much
like empty beer cans and bottles are doing today. In one of the world's
first recycling initiatives the Scots started picking up those second hand
sherry casks to use them again for the maturation of their whiskies.
And then use them again & again & again - waste not want not...
 
These days, both bourbon and sherry casks are used more than once.
A sherry cask that has seen four or five fillings is no exception.
When a cask has held and aged whisky for the very first time
it's called a FIRST-FILL cask, after a second filling with fresh
whisky it's a SECOND-FILL cask, etc. With each filling less
and less character is transferred to the whisky. Depending
on the pedigree of the cask it will become 'exhausted' after
a couple of fillings. You can find more information about the
rejuvenation of casks in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.
I can only imagine the drunken delight of the lucky Scotsman who discovered the
secret of maturation in an oak cask. Scotsmen like to gossip (at least that's what I've
been told by other Scotsmen). It wasn't long before the news of the wonders of wood
became known to more people and after a while most customers developed a clear
preference for the matured stuff. Nowadays the wood work its magic for at least three
years before a spirit is bottled as a Scotch whisky. Younger spirits can't be legally sold
as Scotch whisky, but I've actually sampled a few young spirits that are just stunning.

But not only the type of wood is important; factors like the size and shape
of the cask influence the whisky inside as well - but I'll get to that later on.
The HISTORY of an individual cask plays an important role in the process.
Completely 'fresh' oak casks have actually been used in the past, but the current
wisdom is that the 'woody' elements from a virgin cask would overpower the subtleties
we appreciate in a single malt whisky. That means that even casks that are described
as 'fresh oak casks' on the label of a bottle have usually contained another liquid that
would have absorbed some of the harshness of the new wood. That other liquid is
usually bourbon.
Ex-Bourbon Casks  versus Ex-Sherry Casks
After that, the cask becomes useless to the bourbon distillers and the Scots can pick it
up for a friendly price.
Most other single malts have been matured in (more expensive) sherry casks, mostly
from France and Spain.
After the finishing fad hit Scotland a few years ago we've also seen single malts that
were 'finished' (or even completely matured) in more
exotic cask that used to hold port, madeira, cognac, Cuban rum and even various wines
like Yquem, Bordeaux, Sauternes and Chardonnay.
You can find more information about those 'freaky' casks in the Advanced Beginner's
Guide - here I'll focus on the two main wood types.
Some people feel that STORAGE
is a important factor in the life of
a cask of whisky as well. Issues
like the type of warehouse, the
location of the warehouse and
even the location of a cask within
the warehouse) play a role in the
maturation process. That goes for
humidity and temperature as well.
The part of the maturing spirit that vanishes between
casking and bottling is called the ANGEL'S SHARE.
But some angels are thirstier than others, it seems.
The Saint Magdalene 1979/1998 in the UD Rare Malts
series still had an alcohol percentage of 63.8% when
they bottled it after 19 years, but other malts are in
danger of dropping below the legal minimum of 40%
in their mid-20's. I will take a closer look at the illegal
activities of angels in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.

TIMING is probably the most important element in the malt whisky equation.
Deciding when the whisky in the cask is ready to be bottled is not an easy task.
That's why I devoted an entire chapter of this guide to the topic of bottling - so please
click on to chapter six of the Beginner's Guide...
So, now the whisky is distilled - can you drink it yet? Not quite.
Well, you CAN, but it won't be much fun. Just like a fine wine, a malt
whisky is shaped by many different influences; the type of water at
the distillery, the shape and size of the pot stills, the climate within
the warehouse, etc. But unlike a fine wine (or even a not so fine one),
a single malt whisky hardly ages or changes, after it has been bottled.
The ABV (alcohol by volume) scale has been in use in Europe for a long time now, but
both the UK and the USA used to have their own 'proof' systems.
The minimum required 40% ABV is the equivalent of 70 Proof in the UK and
of 80 Proof in the USA. Ordering an 80 Proof malt in the UK instead of the
US gets you a stiffer dram of 100 US Proof or 50% ABV. (See box below.)
I mentioned the 'standard route' of the contents of a cask of Scotch malt whisky to the
customer.
When the distillery or private bottler decides that one or more casks have matured to an
appropriate
and profitable age, the whisky is diluted (40% is the legal minimum but 43% and 46%
are common as
well) and then bottled. Actually, that last part about the ABV and proof isn't always
completely true...
A growing number of CASK STRENGTH (CS) bottlings are being released, usually
bottled at an alcohol
percentage anywhere between 50% and 65%. The phrase 'overproof ' isn't necessarily
a synonym.
If he had read this (free) Beginner's Guide he could have saved himself enough money
to buy some GOOD whisky...
So, how many bottles of whisky can be drawn from a cask? That depends on the size
of the cask.
The average (= 200 liter) bourbon barrel that was filled with fresh spirit at 63% will have
some 175
liters of whisky left after 12 years. Typically, the proof will have dropped to around 55-
60% by then.
Diluting the whisky to 40% or 43% alcohol before bottling would produce some 250
bottles of 70cl.
This 'standard' size of 70cl was introduced in the EU in 1993 to end the chaos of the
multitude of
bottle sizes that were used before. The 70cl is still the 'standard' size, along with liter
bottles of
100cl (mostly tax free, rumours say they are slowly 'phased out') and miniatures at 5cl
(1 dram).
Please note that the standard bottle size in the USA and a few other markets is 75cl, not
70cl.
So, after choosing the ABV, can the malt be bottled now?
Not just quite yet - often, a malt whisky is CHILL-FILTERED as well.
The only reason for this bump in the production process is that a malt whisky can
become
a tad hazy when it's refrigerated. This haze might put off those people who are ignorant
enough to put their single malts in the fridge, just like they would do with a cheap vodka.
In the old days (before fibbing became a trend & they called it 'marketing')
the phrase 'Cask Strength' used to mean just that: 'straight from the cask'
with no water added at all. Nowadays, many of the so-called cask strength
bottlings (especially OB's) are diluted to some extent. Sometimes the word
'overproof' is used as a synonym for cask strength, but it could also indicate
anything between 46% (the highest regular ABV) and actual 'cask strength'.
At a price of 40 Euro's per 70cl bottle the 'street value'
of an average 12yo cask would be around 10,000 Euro.
 
Time for bottling? Well, that depends; different whiskies
reach their peak at different ages. I already mentioned
some of the factors that play a role in the maturation
process of a single malt whisky in the previous chapter
but economical issues are extremely important as well.
First of all, bottling costs & taxes can easily double the
price of a cask of maturing spirit before any of it is sold.
The longer a cask stays in bond, the higher the costs.

A growing number of both official and independent bottlings are SINGLE CASK
BOTTLINGS.
This means that the contents of one single cask of single malt whisky were used for
that particular
bottling. Often the individual number of the cask is indicated on the label, as well as the
type of wood
(bourbon, sherry, rum, port, madeira, bordeaux, etc.), the date of distillation, the date of
bottling, etc.
Of course, details like these increase the fanatical fun of every genuine 'malt maniac'
even further.
Most official and bastard bottlings are VATTINGS - blends of more than one cask.
Even if everything went 'perfect' during distillation and maturation, the contents of a
cask
can be ruined by blending it into the 'wrong' vatting. Especially OB's are like 'brands'
and
the distillery should try to blend the 'same' single malt whisky year after year in order not

to alienate their loyal customers. That is no easy task, because every cask has its own
character. That's why every 'regular' official bottling like Glenfiddich 12yo or Oban 14yo
is bound to show some sort of BATCH VARIATION over time. Previous editions of this
Beginner's Guide used to contain a list of the 'brands' that showed significant changes
in the profile recently - for better or for worse. But since this Beginner's Guide won't be
updated anymore in the future, I've moved that list to the 'Advanced Beginner's Guide'.
Most of the time, the differences between consecutive batches are minor. That is quite
amazing when you consider that the master blender only has so many casks to choose
from in his efforts to recreate the previous batch - which was in turn a recreation of the
one before, etc. It's enough to short-circuit your brain if you think about it for too long...
 
So, it's probably best not to do that. Besides, batch variation isn't something a novice
needs to worry about with hundreds of 'standard' official bottlings still left unexplored.
Even though most of the single malt whiskies distilled in Scotland are
still sold 'by the cask' to the industry for blending, a growing number of
the casks are BOTTLED for human consumption. In the days of yore the
Scotsmen could just bring any old chemist bottle to have it filled straight
from the cask at the distillery. Nowadays, most of them have to buy their
bottles just like the rest of us - which seems only fair, if you ask me...
This 6th chapter about bottling concludes the 'theoretical' part of this beginner's
guide that deals with the magical transformation of air, water, earth and fire into
the 'uisge beatha' you can find at a liquorist near you. That's enough 'dry' theory.
And even after the whisky is bottled there are costs for distribution and marketing to
be
considered as well. All in all, the decision to bottle a particular cask isn't usually taken
lightly.
When it comes to the actual bottling of a cask there are two options. An OFFICIAL
BOTTLING (OB) is produced and
marketed by the distillery where the whisky was distilled or by the company that owns it
- for example Diageo or Bacardi.
Meanwhile, an INDEPENDENT BOTTLING (IB) or private bottling is marketed by one of
the many independent bottlers
of single malt Scotch whisky. Scroll down for an overview of some of the main
independent bottlers of Scotch malt whisky.
You can find a complete, updated overview of all independent bottlers and their brands
in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.
Actually, there is (sort of) a third option besides OB's and IB's; something
I'd like to call - excuse me - a BASTARD BOTTLING (BB). While both OB's
and IB's generally provide information about the distillery where the whisky
actually was produced, these BB's have a more 'illegitimate' character. The
distillery of birth remains unknown because they are marketed under fancy
names like 'Finlaggan', 'Lochindaal' or 'Ileach' instead of the names of the
actual distilleries where the whisky was produced. In some cases the names
of 'bastard' bottlings are downright misleading, like the 'Malts of Distinction'
Ben Wyvis from Invergordon that was named after a demolished distillery.
2007 Update: Just when I was wrapping up the very last update of this Guide
(future updates will be made to the Advanced Beginner's Guide) I received word
that some hapless nitwit indeed paid some 600 Euro's for a 20 Euro 'Ben Wyvis'!
Fortunately, more and more new releases are un-chillfiltered these days. That means
that we can enjoy these malt
whiskies as the good laird intended us to enjoy them; pure and unfiltered. So, after
spending one or two decades in
a cask somewhere in Scotland, the whisky is finally packaged in containers that are
more suitable for consumption by
civilised human beings. It is then shipped to importers, liquorists and supermarkets all
around the world. And that's
very good news for the nearly six billion people living in countries with a less developed
whisky distillation industry.
(Well - it's good news for the ones that drink alcohol at least... ;-)
Time to get wet! The rest of the Beginner's Guide tackles more practical issues... Issues
like shopping for instance.
Experienced maltsters have discovered their likes and dislikes over time, but for the
novice in maltland the number of available single malts can be a bit overwhelming.
Since single malts aren't cheap (it's hard to find many decent bottlings below 25 Euro's),
I thought I'd provide you with some (subjective) observations about the single malt
whiskies that offer the most 'bang' for my 'bucks'.  Just keep on clicking...
So, now the whisky is distilled and matured - can you drink it yet?
Not quite - unless you're prepared to suck whisky straight from the cask.
Fortunately, they invented bottles - a distribution improvement from the
18th century that allows us to enjoy our drams without having to visit a
distillery in person and fill one or two jugs ourselves. That's progress!

As long as casks are stored in the (bonded)

warehouse they are 'in bond'. The taxes are
paid only when the cask is bottled. This can be
a nasty surprise for people who thought they

made a nice investment in a cask of whisky.

Major Bottlers: .

Adelphi (UK)
Berry Brothers (UK)
Blackadder (Sweden)
Cadenhead's (UK, various ranges)
Celtic Whisky Compagnie (France)
Douglas Laing (UK, Provenance, etc.)
Duncan Taylor (UK, Peerless, etc.)
Gordon & MacPhail (UK, many ranges)
Hart Brothers (UK)
James McArthur (UK)
La Maison du Whisky (France)
Moon Import (Italy)
Murray McDavid (UK)
Milroys of Soho / John Milroy (UK)
Samaroli (Italy)
Scott's Selection (UK)
Sestante Import (Italy)
 Signatory Vintage (UK)
Silver Seal (Italy)
Scotch Malt Whisky Society (UK, SMWS)
The Ultimate (Holland, Van Wees)
Wilson & Morgan (Italy)
 
The List of independent bottlers offers
a full and updated list of all malt bottlers.

Depending on the strain

of barley that is used, one
metric ton of barley can be
converted into + 400 liters
of pure alcohol (at + 96%)

Here's the 'standard route' of malt;

When the distillery or private bottler
decides that one or more casks have
matured to an appropriate and
profitable age, the whisky is diluted
(40% is the legal minimum but 43%
and 46% are common as well) and
then bottled in 70cl or 75cl bottles.

Big mistake! Single malts should be drunk at room temperature to allow all the aroma's
to
reveal themselves. Chilling or adding ice are two effective ways to kill a single malt
whisky.
Unfortunately, this filtering also means that the original texture and taste of the malt are
damaged to some extent. The congeners which give a single malt whisky its complexity
(esters, aldehydes, phenols, ketones, lactones, turpentines, etc.) are suppressed or
even destroyed by adding ice to your glass. So, I'm no fan of the procedure myself...
If you need cold on a hot day, a complex single malt probably isn't the proper drink.
And then, sometimes COLOURING is applied to the malt
whisky as well. If the producer feels the wood of the casks
hasn't given the whisky a dark enough colour, it is allowed
to use small amounts of caramel to colour the malt whisky.
In the Advanced Beginner's Guide I'll delve deeper into the
topic of the artificial colouring of whisky with spirit caramel.

So, how much money would you be ready to invest in single malt whisky at this point?
 
A:. Nothing  (Just browsing, thank you...)
B:. About C 25.-  (I'm mildly interested in SMSW.)
C:. About C 100.-  (Yeah, I'm getting in the mood, baby.)
D:. More than C 100.-  (Woohoo! I'm getting all excited. Somebody stop me!)
 
Indeed, it's a multiple choice question - and a guide to the available answers is included.
Or rather: Either click the option you would choose or just read all answers to see which
investment would suit you best. You can take a virtual tour of Scotland for any
budget!
Drinking a fine single malt whisky is an almost sacred experience.
Acquiring that single malt whisky, on the other hand, often isn't.
Here are a few tips to help you spend your money wisely. Just a
few tips, mind you... This used to be by far the biggest chapter of
this guide, but now I moved most of the information on shopping
to the Advanced Beginner's Guide - a novice doesn't need all that.
Unless you decide to do your shopping on-line (more about that
later) you'll have to leave the comfort of your home to visit a liquor
store. But for many of us, just flying off to the local liquorist isn't an
option. First of all because the majority of the liquorists only offer a
small SELECTION of single malts. One of the things that's unique
about SMSW is the amazing variety in character, so part of the fun
is trying to compare as many different malts as humanly possible.
Browsing through a 'collection' of a dozen single malts might be fun when you're
investigating a store for the first time,
but if you're anything like me you'll soon find that you need a wider selection to keep
your curiosity & palate satisfied.
My second selection criterium is the PRICE LEVEL of the stores. Thanks to the internet
it's fairly easy to compare
prices for a particular bottling these days, so there's no need to pay more than you have
to for a single malt.
Expensive stores sometimes offer better (or at least more) ADVICE than the
supermarkets or cornershops, but many liquorists hardly know what they are
talking about anyway. So it's better to use the web as an information source.
Alas, how rarely does a person find himself lucky enough to live in the
vicinity of a liquor store that meets all the requirements I mentioned?
Very rarely, I tell you! I live in a one mile radius from five different liquor stores in
Amsterdam myself, but none of them meets my requirements.
That means I have to travel to the centre of town to find a liquorist with
good service, a wide selection and decent prices. For me, this means
that a trip to an acceptable liquorist (and back) takes up at least three
hours of my time - a rare and valuable commodity. Chances are you'll
find yourself in a similar situation when looking for your first bottles.
You can find an overload of my purely personal opinions on the rest of
Malt Madness, but it might be a good idea to check out Malt Maniacs and
some other websites too. Well, if this Beginner's Guide has convinced you
to spend some actual cash on a few bottles of single malt whisky, that is...
I'll focus on 'what to buy' later, but first you'll have to decide 'where to buy'.
So, you won't have trouble spending your first Euro's / dollars.
Which brings us to the next important question; how much
should you spend? Well, obviously that's entirely up to you.
Let's assume for a moment that you're not a millionaire, OK?
In that case, the answer would be 'as little as possible', no?
When you are taking your first shaky steps into maltland you
will find out it can be quite intimidating and maybe you don't
even like it there. It would be wise to proceed with caution.
You should know more after tasting (half a) dozen whiksies.

OK - it's about time to find out for yourself what's so special about single malts, wouldn't
you agree?
I've moaned about the troubles of finding a halfway decent liquorist nearby, but when
you're taking your first shaky steps into the wonderful world of single malt whisky that's
the least of your problems. Even within a collection of one or two dozen malt whiskies at
your average local liquorist you should be able to find enough quality and variety to get
you hooked.
Besides, in this digital day and age you could be living on the North pole and still have
access to a wide range of malts at the hundreds of on-line stores. (Granted, getting a
timely delivery on the North pole might be a little trickier than usual...)
With a credit card in your hands you can quickly & easily order malt whiskies from the
comfort of my own home.
Which brings us back to the topic at hand: shopping for SMSW. If you already have a
few single
malts in your collection you can now happily skip along to chapter 8 and educate
yourself on the
'proper' way to enjoy a single malt whisky. But if you haven't, it might be prudent to keep
reading.

Admittedly, this is a fun way to get yourself acquainted with the concept
of single malts, but at the end of the evening you will have learned only
one thing: you either like or don't like that particular single malt whisky.
This information isn't very useful, because of the extreme differences
between malts. The fact that you like the Macallan 10 doesn't mean you
will like the Laphroaig 10, for instance. Besides, depending on the clerk's
taste in cheap whiskies probably isn't the best way of going about things.
Hmmmm - so, you're one of those people, are you?
Never mind, even if you're still not ready to spend some real  money on SMSW there
are ways of getting a few drams for free.
Especially if you're a woman in posession of a short skirt it should be easy enough.
Just dress up, go to a nearby bar (or better yet, a bar that's perhaps not so nearby ;-),
go sit at the bar and start looking vacant. As if by magic, your first free drink should
appear in front of you within minutes. If you're a guy built like yours truly, wearing a
short skirt won't get you very far - well, at least not at your average bar.
You may have to resort to leeching off whisky owning friends or drop subtle hints when
your birthday or christmas is coming up.
But why wait and go through all the trouble if you can have a perfectly legal encounter
with SMSW for a mere 25 Euro's?
A: Getting To Know SMSW For Free
B: Getting To Know SMSW For +/- 25 Euro's (or the equivalent in your own
currency)
OK, if you're prepared to invest a modest amount (equivalent to the price of a decent
middle class blend like Johnnie Walker Black, Dimple or Chivas Regal) in SMSW
research there are several ways to go about it. The most obvious option (simply buying
a bottle) is the easiest, and requires little or no intelligence at the purchasing end of
the transaction.
Here's a quick 7-step guide for dummies:
There's one thing I should probably mention before I continue. The prices on Malt
Madness are usually (more or less) valid in the largest part of the civilised world but
there are some notable exceptions. I'm thinking in particular about the uncivilised
prices in Scandinavian countries and in some emerging economies like India and
Pakistan. The Indian government has lowered the barbaric tax of 800% on imported
liquor at the end of 2003, but it will probably be a while before Indian and South African
whisky lovers can enjoy a good glass of single malt Scotch whisky as casually as malt
maniacs in Europe or North America can. But things are indeed slowly improving.
If you're not comfortable drinking alone, you could also take your 25 Euro's and taste a
few different single malts in your local bar.
Lucky sods like myself live in a city with a few specialised whisky bars that allow you to
choose from a few hundred different malt whiskies. Unfortunately, most regular bars
offer just a tiny selection of single malts and a noisy, smoky atmosphere isn't always the
best way to experience a good malt whisky. If you do decide to go out, I recommend
you ask specifically for a large cognac glass or a sherry copita.
The good news for people depraved of good whisky bars within crawling distance is that
more and more liquorists organise tutored tasting sessions for customers themselves. It
might be worth it to ask about possible upcoming whisky tastings at nearby liquorists.
C: Getting To Know SMSW For +/- 100 Euro's (or the equivalent in your own
currency)
With that in mind, investing 100 Euro's doesn't seem excessive, does it?
And you'll be pleased to learn that such an investment is more than enough to get you
(properly) started on
your voyage of discovery through maltland. For one thing, you could take your 100
Euro's and invest them in
a visit to one of the growing number of whisky festivals. The admission fee itself will
probably not consume
your entire investment, but when you consider travel expenses you'll probably spend all
your 100 Euro's on
a single day. The good news is that you should be able to sample dozens of different
single malt whiskies.
This will give you a pretty good idea of the amazing variety within the world of single
malt Scotch whisky.
D: Getting To Know SMSW For More Than 100 Euro's (or the equivalent in your
own currency)
1 - Go off to your local liquorist
2 - Fork over your 25 Euro's
3 - Tell the clerk you want a cheap bottle of single malt
4 - Ask for a complementary gift-wrap
4 - Complement the clerk on his choice
5 - Go home and try it
6 - Try it some more
7 - Pass out
Not to worry though, there's an alternative which will allow you to try several different
single malts for the price of a bottle of blended whisky. Many liquorists offer a set of
miniature-bottles of the 'classic malts'. This selection was introduced by United Distillers
(UDV) around 1990 and the package contains some of my favourite single malts, all
from different parts of Scotland. For a measly 20 or 25 Euro's you get six different single
malt whiskies. They are Dalwhinnie 15yo, Lagavulin 16yo, Cragganmore 12yo, Talisker
10yo, Oban 14yo and Glenkinchie 10yo.
I tried it in 1992 and it helped me a lot in defining my tastes. The only disadvantage is
that the samples are just 5cl - which makes them pretty poor value compared to a
bigger 70, 75 or even 100cl bottle. If your liquorist doesn't have this set of classic malts
he may have a selection of other single malts to choose from. You can find many more
suggestions in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.
Alternatively, you can spend your 100 Euro's on a few big bottles.
They offer far better value than 5cl miniatures and, what's more, they will give you the
opportunity to enjoy a few malts over a longer period of time. Especially if you're not
used to drinking strong liquor it may take you a while to get accustomed to the alcohol
before you can distinguish the more subtle elements doing their own thing in the
background. Your budget should allow you to buy yourself three big bottles (70, 75 or
100cl) of decent malt whisky. The Advanced Beginner's Guide offers an overview of
more good malts for 'beginners'.
 
If you indeed managed to find three different single malts within the budget, the real fun
can start.
With three bottles, you can organise 'head-to-head' (H2H) tastings of two different
whiskies in two glasses. By making different combinations and try the whiskies in
different orders with different amounts of water (on different evenings, preferably) you
can already learn a lot from just three different whiskies. Chances are that you will be
inspired to continue your voyage of discovery through the wonderful world of single
malt whisky. Should you indeed become inspired, Malt Madness contains notes and
impressions on thousands of different malt whiskies (both from Scotland and other
countries) to help you choose your next discoveries carefully.
The correct answer to my question about your willingness to invest was 'D', of course!
 
With + 250 Euro's in your pocket you could play the big spender
and go for a top quality bottle on the top shelf at your liquorist.
Although you'll be able to bring tears of envy to the eyes of any
whisky loving friends with a bottle of Macallan 25 or Brora 30, it
might be wise to spread your first investment around a little bit.
This will allow you to explore (for example) some of the different
regional styles that make investigating SMSW such an adventure.
For circa 250 Euro's you should be able to get yourself five or six
very decent bottles of malt whisky (at the '2007' prices, mind you).
 
For the purpose of earlier editions of this Beginner's Guide I made
a number of 'tasting sheets' to help visitors of Malt Madness set up
their first tasting sessions. I created around a dozen different sets,
some of them based on the 'terroir' principle I discussed in chapter
three of this guide. I've now evolved into a skeptic on the 'terroirs of
Scotland' theory (at least when it comes to its day-to-day usefulness
in the modern world), so some of those tasting sheets had become
a bit of an embarrassment to me. So, I decided to get rid of them.
 
What's more, because of the batch variation phenomenon and long
term trends, a set-up up that would work perfectly in 2004 might not
be such a success today. That's why the Advanced Beginner's Guide
features a set of new tasting sheets that will be updated regularly.

Maybe it's about time you started looking for your first bottles.
After all, you made it to chapter 7 of this Beginner's Guide and so
far it has mostly been theory. It's time you got your palate wet.
The next chapters deal with the actual enjoyment of single malts
and other practical issues, so if you haven't got any single malt
whiskies in the house this would be as good a time as any to
'put your money where your mouse is'. If you made it this far,
you should be ready to spend some hard earned cash by now.
Below you'll find some suggestions regarding your initial explorations.
Just follow the advice that matches your BUDGET & level of curiosity.
Or not, of course. Part of the fun of single malt whisky is the fact that
each dram invites further voyages of discovery into the whisky world.
But even a voyage of a thousand miles starts with a single step...
And that's really the last bit of 'theory' in this guide - now it's high time for the actual
enjoyment of single malt whisky. Knowledge is power, but there's nothing like the actual
tasting experience to make you understand what's so interesting about single malts and
why a growing number people are growing increasingly crazy about it. The next
chapter tells you precisely how to properly enjoy a single malt whisky and make the
most of your 'investment'.
Why not expand your horizons and find out for yourself what all the fuss is about?
However, I think I should warn you... You might get hooked like me and you'll be
never be able to enjoy an "ordinary" Scotch in quite the same way again...
So - proceed with caution ;-)
 Seven Scent Groups
 
Sweets - Honey, vanilla, toffee, soft caramel
Cereals - Malt, wheat, bread, biscuits, yeast
Oils - Butter, cream, cod oil, hazelnuts, walnuts
Woods - Oak, cedar, pine, birch, beech, sawdust
Esters - Fruit, flowers, citrus, pear drops, sultanas
Phenols - Iodine, peat, smoke, ammonia
Aldehydes - Grass, leaves, hay, heather, mint, etc.

When you add water (preferably at room-temperature) in different stages, you'll find that
some single malts are best experienced neat, while others require different amounts
of water to flourish. Some malts require no more than a teardrop, while others only
open up after nearly being drowned.
Even with a cask strength whisky 50/50 is the absolute maximum for me, but there are
people who happily murder a good malt by adding twice as much water to it. That's
whisky flavoured water, as far as I'm concerned!
Experts often use seven 'scent groups' to classify the scents in malt whiskies.
I don't personally find this classification system very useful, but it may work for you.
If you believe everything 'they' say, SMSW should be served at room temperature .
Well, I personally prefer to drink my malts slightly warmer; especially because the
fainter aroma's tend to become more pronounced and develop more rapidly inside
the glass at higher temperatures - which enhances the fun. And that's one of the
reasons I love my massive cognac bowls; they allow your hands to warm the glass.
After investigating a fine dram I always have a few sniffs from my empty glass as
well; the lingering aromas can give you an interesting new perspective on the malt
you've just enjoyed. Just make sure not to sniff that same glass the next morning ;-)
Everybody enjoys whisky in his or her own way and that's fine by me.
Well, with one major exception: people who put ice in their whisky.
This is, in my humble opinion, not only stupid - it's an awful waste.
Ice not only ruins the structure of a malt whisky on the palate, you'll
lose at least three quarters of the magnificent fragrances as well.
If you really need to dilute a malt, just use distilled or mineral water.
 
But once again we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves now...
We should concentrate on choosing the right GLASSWARE first.
Although the tongue plays a big role in whisky appreciation as well, the NOSE tells us
the most about a malt.
You'll be pleased to learn that, as far as single malts are concerned, the size of your
organ plays a minor part in the experience. With the right glassware you can even
distinguish several 'layers' in the bouquet, depending on how far you keep your nose
above (or even in) the glass. Watch out not to knock out your nose with cask strength
malts!
Some people argue that a tumbler is better for judging the colour of the whisky. Yeah
well - frankly I'd rather drink the stuff than look at it, but that's just me ;-)  However, the
COLOUR can actually tell you something more about that whisky. The spectrum goes
from pale straw via golden to dark amber. Single malts that were matured in bourbon
barrels, for example, are usually very pale. When sherry casks are used for storing the
whisky the colour is usually much darker. Whiskies also grow darker as they age, but a
lot of bottlers artificially colour their malts with caramel, so it is probably best not to
judge a sheep by it's colour - or something along those lines...
And this brings us to the tricky topic of TASTE - and I'm not talking about your choice of
apparel (like, say, anoraks) here...
There's a lot more to tasting a malt whisky than just the taste, if you get my drift...
Things like the texture and 'mouth feel'
of a whisky, the development over time and the different parts of your mouth that are
affected. The issue of dilution plays
an important role as well - some cask strength whiskies NEED water to flourish while
others are destroyed by a few drops.
A Nose
(Archive)
NOSING noble drinks like cognac, armagnac
and SMSW 'officially' happens in three stages.
First, without waltzing, take a deep sniff with your nose a few
centimeters above the glass. For your second sniff, put your
nose right over or even inside the glass - still no waltzing,
mind you. Finally, you waltz around the drink in your glass for
a while to release the heavier components of the bouquet, and
enjoy the third sniff. Warming the glass in your hand helps.
Anyway, that's yet another one of those matters of purely personal preference.
The most important thing is giving a malt whisky enough TIME to develop properly.
Finishing your dram within five or ten minutes is a bit like leaving a movie during
the second act - you think you're saving yourself some valuable time but in the
end you're missing out on part of the fun - and perhaps even the whole point...
I'm not suggesting you should reserve 2 or 3 hours for every single malt whisky
(although some are arguably worth it) but I'd say it really deserves half an hour.
And what about DILUTION - adding water to the whisky to help release the bouquet?
Like so many other things concerning the finer things in life, that's just a matter of taste.
Or lack thereof.... I often add some pure mineral water (no bubbles!) to help release the
aroma's. Adding water is usually good for the nose of a malt, but not always for the
palate, so I make sure to always have some sniffs and sips before I start adding water.
And even then, I make sure to only add a few drops at a time - especially when I'm
sampling a malt that was bottled at 40 or 43%. Obviously, cask strength malts like
Glenfarclas 105 that's bottled at an ABV of 60% can be diluted more rigorously than
whiskies bottled at a regular 40 or 43 percent, but even then I recommend caution.
Different parts of your tongue register different taste sensations. The average tongue
has
only 3000 papillae, each detecting only one out of four primary tastes; sweet, salt,
sour &
bitter. Well, there have been rumours about a fifth taste, 'umami'. It's the Japanese word

for 'delicious', but it also means 'fleshy' and/or 'spicy'. I'll have to do some more
research...
At any rate, those four or five primary tastes are divided further into many different
groups.
If you've read this far you probably are a person of style and sophistication.
And even if you're not, you can pretend to be by amazing your friends with all the
malt knowledge you've picked up so far. But at some point you're going to have
to face the music and try your first real drams. And then try some more.
There are only four (or five) primary tastes but there are over twenty primary aromas.
And as anybody who has ever visited a fish market at the end of a hot summer day
could tell you, the human
nose can distinguish much more than those twenty basic aromas. Actually, most of what
we experience when
we're 'tasting' anything can be attributed to our noses anyway. That's why you can't
taste whisky (or food)
very well when you're suffering from the common cold. At those times, nice whiskies are
pearls before swine.
 
The bad news is that our noses, very much like the rest of our bodies, deteriorate over
time anyway.
That's why it's such a good idea to start drinking single malt whisky as young as
possible ;-)
For my personal tasting ritual, I usually taste my whiskies in a large cognac
snifter (a.k.a. 'fishbowl') which 'gives the most nose' for me. Wine glasses and
sherry copitas are relatively suitable as well, but make sure to avoid tumblers!
During the 1990's one often had to rely on glasses that were designed for an
other spirit, but these days dozens of different special whisky 'nosing' glasses
are available. The Advanced Beginner's Guide offers a test of the main choices.
I guess FOOD is somewhat related to the topic of taste as well - but I won't go into that
subject in this Beginner's Guide. For now, all you really need to know that it is best to
avoid eating a spicy dinner just before a whisky tasting. In fact, it would be preferable to
enjoy a generous but fairly bland meal at least two hours before the tasting. If you
require sustenance during a tasting, plain white bread or crackers are usually best.
Needless to say, if you take that bread or cracker with smoked salmon, chances are
you'll find smoke or salmon in your whisky - maybe even both! So, it's usually best to
control your appetites until AFTER the whisky tasting is over.

Before we proceed to chapter 9 I'd like to stress the importance of glassware one more
time.
Trust me when I say that a bad malt from a good glass can smell better than a good
malt from a bad glass - strange but true...
The next chapter deals with the 'practical issues' that any curious novice stumbling
through the whisky world has to deal with.
Well, any novice that wants to become something more than a novice, that is.  Click on
for some guidance during your first shaky steps...
 To quote Sir Edmund Blackadder:
"It's not what you've got that matters,
it's where you stick it!".

When you take your time, you will notice that the bouquet often changes considerably
after you've allowed
the malt to 'breathe' for some time. Take at least half an hour for a glass of malt
whisky. Nosing a dram is
by definition a personal experience, because every nose is 'technically' unique and
there are hundreds of
different components that together make up the bouquet of a simple malt whisky. Apart
from these type
of 'technical' aspects, the very nature of our memory ensures that nosing a malt will
always be personal.
 
We tend to associate all the aromas we find in a malt whisky with familiar smells from
the past to be able
to define the experience. Everybody has a unique frame of reference - and therefor a
unique vocabulary to
describe the scents and flavours that can be found in a single malt whisky. Just follow
your own instincts...
A Tongue
(Archive)

Nosing glasses that come with a

little lid allow you to leave a single
malt whisky alone for a while without
missing too much of the constant
evolution of the bouquet over time.

Some people try to cover as much as possible of the inside surface of the glass to give
the whisky maximum 'breathing space'. This also allows you to inspect the 'legs' of a
whisky - the drops that trickle back down the inside of the glass. Heavy (= slow) legs
usually spell good news unless it's caused by large quantities of caramel. More details
in that topic can be found in the Advanced Beginner's Guide section.
It goes into more details about 'nosing techniques' as well. For example, should you
nose a whisky with
your mouth open or closed? Keeping your mouth open at the time of nosing provides
free passage of air.
With the help of the 'backdraft' you may be able to recognise more subtleties. Just give
it a try some time. 

Just to convince yourself you haven't wasted your money by following my advice (well,
not all of it anyway ;-)
I suggest you take a single malt you know and love and pour about 20ml into each of
your different glasses.
Next, take at least half an hour to compare the noses and to see how the whisky
appears and develops quite
differently in the different glasses. What a difference a glass makes...  That's why it's so
important to always use
the same type of glasses when you want to compare two or more malts. Using different
glasses may cause you
to mistake differences between those glasses for differences between the malt whiskies
inside the glasses.
Obviously, that's not scientificly sound... The Advanced Beginner's Guide contains a
massive glassware test.
Head-to-Head Tasting
Glassware
Until they've invented alcohol-free whisky, it's wise to pour your drams cautiously.
Usually, about 15 or 20 ml of malt whisky in a cognac bowl is all you need for a liquid
adventure
that can last for at least half an hour. The average person should be able to enjoy half a
dozen
malts on an evening without having to suffer the consequences. Those could include;
projectile
vomiting, the humiliation of uncontrolled behaviour and speech or the discomfort of an
hangover.
Still, it's wise to drink plenty of water during and after any session to help your liver do
its work.
There are some 'tips & tricks' to help you sustain the longer sessions and festivals (like
Vitamin B)
but I'll go into those in the Advanced Beginner's Guide - along with many more
advanced topics.
If you have followed the grand masterplan I've laid out for you in this
Beginner's Guide, you should have bought and sampled a few different
single malt whiskies by now. And the fact that you're still reading proves
that the whole experience must have been not entirely unpleasant.
Excellent! That means you've joined the thousands of connoisseurs who
have discovered that those bag-piping, sheep-fondling Scotsmen have
actually made a useful contribution to civilisation as well: Scotch whisky.
And don't forget about the right glassware. Like I mentioned in chapter 7, the shape
and volume of the glass
have a distinct effect on your tasting experience. Pick your favorite glass and stick
with it until you've sampled
enough malts to make an honest comparison. If your first few single malts have
convinced you that you'd like to
explore the wonderful world of whisky further, you really should consider spending some
money on glassware.
And if you've got some time to spare, doing a glassware test of your own could enhance
your future enjoyment.
Just spend a little money on maybe half a dozen different nosing glasses and see which
one suits you best.
When you really want to explore the finer nuances of a single malt, try tasting it next to
one
or more other malts. The contrasts will make it easier to define the subtle elements in a
malt.
As a timid beginner you might start out with a 'head-to-head' (a.k.a. H2H) tasting
comparing a
Lowland malt with a Highlander or an Island or Speyside malt with one distilled in
Campbeltown.
Like I wrote in chapter 4, every region is supposed to have a certain style; the Lowlands
malts
are very light and subtle, the Islay malts peaty and overwhelming, Speysiders are
gentle, etc.
You may not like a certain style, but how will you know if you don't try?
After your first few malts you may find out you actually quite like the stuff.
You might even like it so much that you want to try some more single malts. Good for
you!
But if you've paid attention you'll have learnt that single malt whisky contains a little bit
of alcohol.
And alcohol can do 'funny' things to the human body - not to mention the human mind. It
seems
that the French have the peculiar habit of spitting out their whisky and wine, but
obviously that
kind of behaviour is frowned upon in more civilised societies. Why spit out something
wonderful?
Fortunately, there are many other ways to avoid unacceptable levels of intoxication...
After a while it may become more interesting to compare different malts from the same
region or
different versions from the same distillery. Especially a 'Hopalong H2H' of 4 or 5
expressions from
one single distillery can be very educational (apart from being jolly good fun). You can
find some
suggestions for interesting set-ups for head-to-head sessions in the Advanced
Beginner's Guide. 
Your personal taste dictates whether you'll like a specific malt or not, but the
whole point about enjoying SMSW is de enormous diversity in style and character.
There really is a single malt whisky for everybody. Some of them are round and
sweet while others are spicy, medicinal, nutty, fruity or flowery. Vive la difference!
With some experience, you can discover the strangest fragrances in a single malt.
Everything depends on the water and barley that is used, the peating level of the
malted barley, the size and shape of the stills, the skill & experience of a stillman,
the amount of reflux, the type, history & size of the cask used for maturation, etc.
And practicing your drinking certainly is no punishment. Well, if you're don't get carried
away that is...
Otherwise, you'll have a hangover to look forward to. Chapter #9 of this guide deals with
some practical issues. Issues like MODERATION for example; the difference between a
connoisseur and an obnoxious drunk isn't always apparent to the naked eye.
GLASSWARE is an important (but often overlooked) topic as well; you can read a little
more about it here. I've also written a few words about HEAD-TO-HEAD TASTINGS
and BLIND TASTINGS - along with some thoughts about BENCHMARKING and
SCORES . More information in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.
 
These are a few last 'practical' issues for novices; if you're interested in some bits of
theory and trivia I suggest you browse onwards to chapter 10, the conclusion of this
Beginner's Guide (for Beginners).

After you've been sampling sampling single malts for a while, it's almost unavoidable
that you develop some
preconceptions about how some whiskies 'should' taste. These preconceptions are
usually based on either
the price tag on the bottle or previous experiences with earlier batches or other
expressions of the distillery.
You can diminish 'the label effect' by sampling your malts 'blind'. If you happen to be
the proud owner of a
supportive girlfriend she can pour your glasses for you, so you don't know what whisky
you are drinking.
Otherwise, you'll just have to pour them yourself the night before and do some heavy
dramming to destroy
the brain cells holding the memories about the identity of the whisky in each glass.
 
Just kidding - the average glass of whisky doesn't 'mature' very well overnight.  A
blindfold will do just fine...
Spread the gospel! Share your fun to double your fun. Single malt whisky should be
shared to be enjoyed to the fullest.
The most enjoyable way to experience the wonderful world of single malt whiskies is
enjoying them in good company .
So, why don't you organise a little tasting session at home with some friends,
colleagues or family members some time?
I throw a little tasting party at least once a month, and these sessions are always a lot of
fun. Here's how you do it:  
  1 - Tell all your friends about the Malt Madness website and direct them to this guide,
  2 - Pick a date as soon as you've assembled three or four accomplices,
  3 - Have everybody pick and buy a bottle of single malt of their choosing (*),
  4 - Clean your home (not obligatory, but a necessity if you live like me,
  5 - Make sure you've got the right glassware (at least 2 glasses per person),
  6 - Make sure you've got the right water (no bubbles),
  7 - Welcome your friends (and their bottles...),
  8 - Synchronize your watches (make sure to give each whisky half an hour at least!)
  9 - Start having fun!
(*) But wouldn't it be a bummer when everybody at the tasting session showed up with a
bottle of Dalmore 12yo?
Yes, it probably would - even though the Dalmore 12 years old is a fine and
recommendable dram in its own right.
The whole point of a tasting session is comparing several different single malt (or
other) whiskies to each other.
So, some synchronization and preparation is necessary in order to have a successful &
enjoyable tasting session.
The tips in the Beginner's Guide should help you put together a fun session. If you really
want to learn more from
the experience (and perhaps even impress your guests), check out the Advanced
Beginner's Guide for more...

I know not every whisky lover agrees on this, but most certified malt maniacs find rating
the malts we try
on a 1-100 scale very useful for expressing our feelings towards those whiskies. Over
time we all found
certain 'benchmark' single malts that we got to know a little bit better. As soon as you've
investigated a
few different single malts you'll be able to relate every new whisky you try to these
'benchmark' malts.
Do you like malt 'A' a little bit better than malt 'B'? Is malt A more sherried than malt B?
Does the finish
of malt A last longer than that of malt B? Obviously, it helps a lot if you keep tasting
notes and scores.
After all - that's how Malt Madness (and later Malt Maniacs) got started, a few guys
exchanging notes.

When it comes to scoring whisky, we maniacs use a 1-100 scale that's roughly
comparable to the 50-100 (actually more like 55-95) scale used by the writers Robert
Parker and Michael Jackson. The main difference is that for us, 50 is not the bottom
line. Our scale is supposed to include all alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, sherry, port,
cognac, wodka, rum, etc.) and 50 points is the border between liking a certain drink and
not liking it. And since we're malt maniacs, you can rest assured that we like most malt
whiskies. The 'average' score for a single malt is +/- 75 points (but we've learnt to avoid
a lot of the sub-standard material by now. We actively love every whisky (single malt or
otherwise) that scores 80 points or more.
And if you like the idea of working with benchmarks, you might want to consider
spending a little money on a 'touchstone'
blend like Teacher's. It has a smooth, neutral profile that brings out the specifics of any
single malt whisky you put next to it.
While you are sniffing and slurping you can compare the different single malts to the
'neutral' blend and also to eachother.
This makes it fairly easy to quickly determine what 'types' of single malt whisky are your
particular favorites at the moment.
The few examples in the chapter about shopping are just a few of the many different
categories that can be distinguished.
Within every style there are dozens of different single malts available - with every new
dram your curiosity grows further.
You'll soon learn that the 'regional' classification described in chapter 3 only skims the
surface of the wide variety in styles.
But it's as good a place as any to start your voyage of discovery through the wonderful
world of single malt Scotch whisky.
O.K., we're almost finished. Let's proceed to the final chapter now - a proper
conclusion to this Beginner's Guide (well, I hope)...
And much like sheep-fondling, distilling whisky is a skill that's honed to
perfection during many years of practice. Given the dedication of those
Scotsmen to their craft, I'd say the least we 'connoisseurs' can do is try
to keep up with our drinking... Besides - practice makes perfect...

All the information about the history and production of single malt whisky might
seem boring to the outside observer, but that changes with a glass in your hand.
Unless you're sensibly handicapped , it won't take long to notice the variation in styles.
Exploring that wide variety could take many decades, though - and along the way you
will inevitably want to find out where these changes come from. The Advanced
Beginner's Guide explores these topics in further detail.
And when you sit down to enjoy the actual tasting session, how do you express your
feelings?
Describing the taste and aroma of a single malt isn't easy for beginners, because
dozens of different
components work together to create the overall experience. Besides; everybody has his
or her own frame
of reference. Specific aspects of the taste & aroma of a whisky are associated with
previous experiences.
This means that nobody really smells and tastes the same things when they sample the
same whisky; it
all depends very much on your 'conditioning' and the size, shape & condition of your
nose and mouth.
Just keep in mind that tasting notes are often metaphors which are related to the
culture of the taster.
Nationality, ethnicity and upbringing all play a role in the impressions we pick up from a
glass of whisky.
However, do not despair - once you've sat down with a few other malt lovers for a while
and shared a
few drams you'll soon find a common vocabulary (and I don't mean everyone's speech
becoming slurred).
Would that guide be of interest to you? Well, that depends on your experience.
This guide was written for both absolute beginners in the world of whisky and the
people who already enjoyed a few drams and would like to learn a little 'theory'.
 
If you belong to the former category, I suggest you use the information laid out
in this guide to buy a few whiskies first. Before spending considerably amounts
of time and money on whisky, it would be smart to find out if you like the stuff.
If you do, you can return to the Advanced Beginner's Guide in a few months.
 
Members of the latter group could proceed directly to the ABG - but if you're clever
you should read chapter 10 of the Beginner's Guide first. Then you'll understand
why I started working on the Advanced Beginner's Guide in the first place.
More Advanced Topics...
Expanding your horizon
If your experience is anything like mine you'll be wandering around maltland for
decades, searching for answers.
I've learned that your knowledge and understanding (and therefor the appreciation) of
whisky can be enhanced greatly
if you take a little detour into other corners of the spirit world now and then. For
example, having a few sessions with
wine might give you a better understanding of tannins. Those tannins can easily pop up
in a single malt whisky as well.
Just like with whisky, it's useful to make notes of your experiences. And even within the
whisky world, there's enough
variation to keep you entertained for many years to come. Apart from the single malt
whiskies from some 100 different
malt whisky distilleries in Scotland there are numerous vatted malts, single grain
whiskies and blends available as well.
And that's just in Scotland - the whiskies they make in Ireland, the USA and Canada are
very different, for example.
I could go on for a bit - but I won't. The voyage of discovery through the wonderful world
of whisky never ends.
For more than a decade I kept updating this Beginner's Guide whenever I learned
something new about whisky.
But then I realised that topics that might be of interest to a whisky freak like me, might
not be for a novice...
 
Should you indeed evolve (or devolve, it's a matter of perspective I guess) into an
aspiring connoisseur
after sampling a few whiskies, you can pick up where you left off with the Advanced
Beginner's Guide.
For example, oxidation of an opened bottle may not be your main concern if you just
bought your first
bottle and plan to finish it within a few weeks or months. However, that starts to change
if you have
a few dozen open bottles or even more. Will they still be drinkable after a year? Well,
that depends.
And when it comes to the closed bottles for your collection, bottle storage is an
important issue too.
Standing up or lying down? Are a specific temperature or humidity required? Will corks
and labels rot?
There's a lot left to tell about food as well. I already pointed out the importance of eating
enough food
before a tasting, but WHAT food goes best with what whisky? Whisky can indeed be a
very interesting
alternative for wine to accompany a meal - but not just any whisky. And not just any
meal for that matter.
 
Those are just some of the topics that might not seem very interesting to an average
novice in the world,
but that will eventually occupy a fair share of your brain, just like the finer points of
distillation & maturation.
More information about all that - and much more - can be found in the Advanced
Beginner's Guide of this site. 
Just to convince yourself you haven't wasted your money by following my advice (well,
not all of it anyway ;-)
I suggest you take a single malt you know and love and pour about 20ml into each of
your different glasses.
Next, take at least half an hour to compare the noses and to see how the whisky
appears and develops quite
differently in the different glasses. What a difference a glass makes...  That's why it's so
important to always use
the same type of glasses when you want to compare two or more malts. Using different
glasses may cause you
to mistake differences between those glasses for differences between the malt whiskies
inside the glasses.
Obviously, that's not scientificly sound... The Advanced Beginner's Guide contains a
massive glassware test.
Head-to-Head Tasting
Glassware
Until they've invented alcohol-free whisky, it's wise to pour your drams cautiously.
Usually, about 15 or 20 ml of malt whisky in a cognac bowl is all you need for a liquid
adventure
that can last for at least half an hour. The average person should be able to enjoy half a
dozen
malts on an evening without having to suffer the consequences. Those could include;
projectile
vomiting, the humiliation of uncontrolled behaviour and speech or the discomfort of an
hangover.
Still, it's wise to drink plenty of water during and after any session to help your liver do
its work.
There are some 'tips & tricks' to help you sustain the longer sessions and festivals (like
Vitamin B)
but I'll go into those in the Advanced Beginner's Guide - along with many more
advanced topics.
If you have followed the grand masterplan I've laid out for you in this
Beginner's Guide, you should have bought and sampled a few different
single malt whiskies by now. And the fact that you're still reading proves
that the whole experience must have been not entirely unpleasant.
Excellent! That means you've joined the thousands of connoisseurs who
have discovered that those bag-piping, sheep-fondling Scotsmen have
actually made a useful contribution to civilisation as well: Scotch whisky.
And don't forget about the right glassware. Like I mentioned in chapter 7, the shape
and volume of the glass
have a distinct effect on your tasting experience. Pick your favorite glass and stick
with it until you've sampled
enough malts to make an honest comparison. If your first few single malts have
convinced you that you'd like to
explore the wonderful world of whisky further, you really should consider spending some
money on glassware.
And if you've got some time to spare, doing a glassware test of your own could enhance
your future enjoyment.
Just spend a little money on maybe half a dozen different nosing glasses and see which
one suits you best.
When you really want to explore the finer nuances of a single malt, try tasting it next to
one
or more other malts. The contrasts will make it easier to define the subtle elements in a
malt.
As a timid beginner you might start out with a 'head-to-head' (a.k.a. H2H) tasting
comparing a
Lowland malt with a Highlander or an Island or Speyside malt with one distilled in
Campbeltown.
Like I wrote in chapter 4, every region is supposed to have a certain style; the Lowlands
malts
are very light and subtle, the Islay malts peaty and overwhelming, Speysiders are
gentle, etc.
You may not like a certain style, but how will you know if you don't try?
After your first few malts you may find out you actually quite like the stuff.
You might even like it so much that you want to try some more single malts. Good for
you!
But if you've paid attention you'll have learnt that single malt whisky contains a little bit
of alcohol.
And alcohol can do 'funny' things to the human body - not to mention the human mind. It
seems
that the French have the peculiar habit of spitting out their whisky and wine, but
obviously that
kind of behaviour is frowned upon in more civilised societies. Why spit out something
wonderful?
Fortunately, there are many other ways to avoid unacceptable levels of intoxication...
After a while it may become more interesting to compare different malts from the same
region or
different versions from the same distillery. Especially a 'Hopalong H2H' of 4 or 5
expressions from
one single distillery can be very educational (apart from being jolly good fun). You can
find some
suggestions for interesting set-ups for head-to-head sessions in the Advanced
Beginner's Guide. 
Your personal taste dictates whether you'll like a specific malt or not, but the
whole point about enjoying SMSW is de enormous diversity in style and character.
There really is a single malt whisky for everybody. Some of them are round and
sweet while others are spicy, medicinal, nutty, fruity or flowery. Vive la difference!
With some experience, you can discover the strangest fragrances in a single malt.
Everything depends on the water and barley that is used, the peating level of the
malted barley, the size and shape of the stills, the skill & experience of a stillman,
the amount of reflux, the type, history & size of the cask used for maturation, etc.
And practicing your drinking certainly is no punishment. Well, if you're don't get carried
away that is...
Otherwise, you'll have a hangover to look forward to. Chapter #9 of this guide deals with
some practical issues. Issues like MODERATION for example; the difference between a
connoisseur and an obnoxious drunk isn't always apparent to the naked eye.
GLASSWARE is an important (but often overlooked) topic as well; you can read a little
more about it here. I've also written a few words about HEAD-TO-HEAD TASTINGS
and BLIND TASTINGS - along with some thoughts about BENCHMARKING and
SCORES . More information in the Advanced Beginner's Guide.
 
These are a few last 'practical' issues for novices; if you're interested in some bits of
theory and trivia I suggest you browse onwards to chapter 10, the conclusion of this
Beginner's Guide (for
After you've been sampling sampling single malts for a while, it's almost unavoidable
that you develop some
preconceptions about how some whiskies 'should' taste. These preconceptions are
usually based on either
the price tag on the bottle or previous experiences with earlier batches or other
expressions of the distillery.
You can diminish 'the label effect' by sampling your malts 'blind'. If you happen to be
the proud owner of a
supportive girlfriend she can pour your glasses for you, so you don't know what whisky
you are drinking.
Otherwise, you'll just have to pour them yourself the night before and do some heavy
dramming to destroy
the brain cells holding the memories about the identity of the whisky in each glass.
 
Just kidding - the average glass of whisky doesn't 'mature' very well overnight.  A
blindfold will do just fine...
Organising a tasting session
Spread the gospel! Share your fun to double your fun. Single malt whisky should be
shared to be enjoyed to the fullest.
The most enjoyable way to experience the wonderful world of single malt whiskies is
enjoying them in good company .
So, why don't you organise a little tasting session at home with some friends,
colleagues or family members some time?
I throw a little tasting party at least once a month, and these sessions are always a lot of
fun. Here's how you do it:  
  1 - Tell all your friends about the Malt Madness website and direct them to this guide,
  2 - Pick a date as soon as you've assembled three or four accomplices,
  3 - Have everybody pick and buy a bottle of single malt of their choosing (*),
  4 - Clean your home (not obligatory, but a necessity if you live like me,
  5 - Make sure you've got the right glassware (at least 2 glasses per person),
  6 - Make sure you've got the right water (no bubbles),
  7 - Welcome your friends (and their bottles...),
  8 - Synchronize your watches (make sure to give each whisky half an hour at least!)
  9 - Start having fun!
(*) But wouldn't it be a bummer when everybody at the tasting session showed up with a
bottle of Dalmore 12yo?
Yes, it probably would - even though the Dalmore 12 years old is a fine and
recommendable dram in its own right.
The whole point of a tasting session is comparing several different single malt (or
other) whiskies to each other.
So, some synchronization and preparation is necessary in order to have a successful &
enjoyable tasting session.
The tips in the Beginner's Guide should help you put together a fun session. If you really
want to learn more from
the experience (and perhaps even impress your guests), check out the
Advanced Beginner's Guide for more...

I know not every whisky lover agrees on this, but most certified malt maniacs find rating
the malts we try
on a 1-100 scale very useful for expressing our feelings towards those whiskies. Over
time we all found
certain 'benchmark' single malts that we got to know a little bit better. As soon as you've
investigated a
few different single malts you'll be able to relate every new whisky you try to these
'benchmark' malts.
Do you like malt 'A' a little bit better than malt 'B'? Is malt A more sherried than malt B?
Does the finish
of malt A last longer than that of malt B? Obviously, it helps a lot if you keep tasting
notes and scores.
After all - that's how Malt Madness (and later Malt Maniacs) got started, a few guys
exchanging notes.

When it comes to scoring whisky, we maniacs use a 1-100 scale that's roughly
comparable to the 50-100 (actually more like 55-95) scale used by the writers Robert
Parker and Michael Jackson. The main difference is that for us, 50 is not the bottom
line. Our scale is supposed to include all alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, sherry, port,
cognac, wodka, rum, etc.) and 50 points is the border between liking a certain drink and
not liking it. And since we're malt maniacs, you can rest assured that we like most malt
whiskies. The 'average' score for a single malt is +/- 75 points (but we've learnt to avoid
a lot of the sub-standard material by now. We actively love every whisky (single malt or
otherwise) that scores 80 points or more.
And if you like the idea of working with benchmarks, you might want to consider
spending a little money on a 'touchstone'
blend like Teacher's. It has a smooth, neutral profile that brings out the specifics of any
single malt whisky you put next to it.
While you are sniffing and slurping you can compare the different single malts to the
'neutral' blend and also to eachother.
This makes it fairly easy to quickly determine what 'types' of single malt whisky are your
particular favorites at the moment.
The few examples in the chapter about shopping are just a few of the many different
categories that can be distinguished.
Within every style there are dozens of different single malts available - with every new
dram your curiosity grows further.
You'll soon learn that the 'regional' classification described in chapter 3 only skims the
surface of the wide variety in styles.
But it's as good a place as any to start your voyage of discovery through the wonderful
world of single malt Scotch whisky.
O.K., we're almost finished. Let's proceed to the final chapter now - a proper
conclusion to this Beginner's Guide (well, I hope)...
And much like sheep-fondling, distilling whisky is a skill that's honed to
perfection during many years of practice. Given the dedication of those
Scotsmen to their craft, I'd say the least we 'connoisseurs' can do is try
to keep up with our drinking... Besides - practice makes perfect...

All the information about the history and production of single malt whisky might
seem boring to the outside observer, but that changes with a glass in your hand.
Unless you're sensibly handicapped , it won't take long to notice the variation in styles.
Exploring that wide variety could take many decades, though - and along the way you
will inevitably want to find out where these changes come from. The Advanced
Beginner's Guide explores these topics in further detail.
And when you sit down to enjoy the actual tasting session, how do you express your
feelings?
Describing the taste and aroma of a single malt isn't easy for beginners, because
dozens of different
components work together to create the overall experience. Besides; everybody has his
or her own frame
of reference. Specific aspects of the taste & aroma of a whisky are associated with
previous experiences.
This means that nobody really smells and tastes the same things when they sample the
same whisky; it
all depends very much on your 'conditioning' and the size, shape & condition of your
nose and mouth.
Just keep in mind that tasting notes are often metaphors which are related to the
culture of the taster.
Nationality, ethnicity and upbringing all play a role in the impressions we pick up from a
glass of whisky.
However, do not despair - once you've sat down with a few other malt lovers for a while
and shared a
few drams you'll soon find a common vocabulary (and I don't mean everyone's speech
becoming slurred).
Would that guide be of interest to you? Well, that depends on your experience.
This guide was written for both absolute beginners in the world of whisky and the
people who already enjoyed a few drams and would like to learn a little 'theory'.
 
If you belong to the former category, I suggest you use the information laid out
in this guide to buy a few whiskies first. Before spending considerably amounts
of time and money on whisky, it would be smart to find out if you like the stuff.
If you do, you can return to the Advanced Beginner's Guide in a few months.
 
Members of the latter group could proceed directly to the ABG - but if you're clever
you should read chapter 10 of the Beginner's Guide first. Then you'll understand
why I started working on the Advanced Beginner's Guide in the first place.
More Advanced Topics...
Expanding your horizon
If your experience is anything like mine you'll be wandering around maltland for
decades, searching for answers.
I've learned that your knowledge and understanding (and therefor the appreciation) of
whisky can be enhanced greatly
if you take a little detour into other corners of the spirit world now and then. For
example, having a few sessions with
wine might give you a better understanding of tannins. Those tannins can easily pop up
in a single malt whisky as well.
Just like with whisky, it's useful to make notes of your experiences. And even within the
whisky world, there's enough
variation to keep you entertained for many years to come. Apart from the single malt
whiskies from some 100 different
malt whisky distilleries in Scotland there are numerous vatted malts, single grain
whiskies and blends available as well.
And that's just in Scotland - the whiskies they make in Ireland, the USA and Canada are
very different, for example.

I could go on for a bit - but I won't. The voyage of discovery through the wonderful world
of whisky never ends.
For more than a decade I kept updating this Beginner's Guide whenever I learned
something new about whisky.
But then I realised that topics that might be of interest to a whisky freak like me, might
not be for a novice...
 
Should you indeed evolve (or devolve, it's a matter of perspective I guess) into an
aspiring connoisseur
after sampling a few whiskies, you can pick up where you left off with the Advanced
Beginner's Guide.
For example, oxidation of an opened bottle may not be your main concern if you just
bought your first
bottle and plan to finish it within a few weeks or months. However, that starts to change
if you have
a few dozen open bottles or even more. Will they still be drinkable after a year? Well,
that depends.
And when it comes to the closed bottles for your collection, bottle storage is an
important issue too.
Standing up or lying down? Are a specific temperature or humidity required? Will corks
and labels rot?
There's a lot left to tell about food as well. I already pointed out the importance of eating
enough food
before a tasting, but WHAT food goes best with what whisky? Whisky can indeed be a
very interesting
alternative for wine to accompany a meal - but not just any whisky. And not just any
meal for that matter.
 
Those are just some of the topics that might not seem very interesting to an average
novice in the world,
but that will eventually occupy a fair share of your brain, just like the finer points of
distillation & maturation.
More information about all that - and much more - can be found in the Advanced
Beginner's Guide of this site. 

  Region: Highland 

Aberfeldy 21

Nose: Fresh and fragrant, with subtle

notes of vanilla, sweet oak, some tannin
and a light smokiness.
Palate: Flavorful, with lively oaky notes,
loads of salty caramel, bit of licorice.
Finish: Nicely dry, a bit spicy, medium
length and warming.

  Region: Speyside 
 Aberlour 15

Nose: Floral perfume, spicy orange and

marmalade.
Palate: Rich and vanilla, malty, woody
sweetness with apricot flavours, toffee
and sherry notes.
Finish: Malty, mellow, with a certain
spiciness and a touch of mint.

  Region: Islay 

Ardbeg
Airigh Nam Beist

Nose: Fresh and clean, peaty smoke,

chocolate, sweet and creamy.
Palate: Quite complex, oily and slightly
peppery, with ripe fruit and peat. The
addition of water brings out the licorice
and dark chocolate.
Finish: Medium lengthy peat, subtly
sweet, with strong coffee and licorice,
mostly fiery smoke.

  Region: Lowland 
 Auchentoshan
16 year old, Limited Edition

Nose: Soft essence of vanilla, touch of

honeyed caramel, some bourbon-like
oak.
Palate: Perfectly smooth, woody, with
hints of creamy vanilla, and a hint of
tangerine.
Finish: Rich, medium length, vanilla,
citrus and almond, some caramel.

 
  Region: Speyside 

The Balvenie
PortWood, 21 year old

Nose: Big and bold, tropical fruit, honey,

banana taffy, some spice, faint oak,
smooth and fragrant.
Palate: Smooth and balanced, honey,
orange marmalade, toast, vanilla, oaky
notes, with lots of tannins.
Finish: Long and smooth, peppery.

  Region: Speyside 

BenRiach 16

Nose: Hazelnuts, dark honey, marzipan

and malt.
Palate: Smokey with hints of malt,
spices, honey and caramel, subtle fruit.
Finish: Rum-like, with a touch of smoke
and peat.

  Region: Islay 
 Bowmore 12

Nose: Very coastal with some brine,

pleasantly smoky, medium-peaty, and
notes of passion fruits, lemon, oranges
and mangos.
Palate: Firm, floral, soft fruits, with notes
of cocoa and peat.
Finish: Briefly intense, good peat, some
light smoke, vanilla fudge, and notes of
candied oranges.

Video
  Region: Islay 

Bowmore Darkest

Nose: Oaky, Oloroso sherry, peat

smoke, rich, dark chocolate aromas,
raisins and caramel.
Palate: Mouth-coating, rich and syrupy,
with old Sherry, bitter chocolate, sweet
toffee, and a hint of smoke.
Finish: Sweet with some smoke lingering
in the long, robust finish.

 
  Region: Highland 

Brora
30 year old, Cask Strength

Nose: Lots of peat, new leather, fruity,

oaky and musty.
Palate: Pepper, dried fruits, peat, sweet
notes hints of ripe bananas, some
grassiness, salty.
Finish: Beautifully balanced, long and
flavorful, typically coastal, floral, peat,
marzipan, leather, licorice and oak.

  Region: Islay 

Bruichladdich 15

Nose: Fresh coastal sea air, some oak,

vanilla, nuts, honey and a touch of brine.
Palate: Creamy and sweet, brine
develops considerably, then notes of
malt and pepper.
Finish: Long, gentle, flavorful, and
slightly oily.

 
 Bunnahabhain 25

Nose: Sweet, fudge brownies, floral, notes of wood, light smoke.

Palate: Light, complex, nutty, malty, with a touch of pepper, orange, apricot duck
sauce, licorice, toffee and coffee.
Finish: Long, smooth and smoky.

  Region: Islay 

Caol Ila
1993 Distiller's Edition

Nose: Lots of fresh ginger and cloves,

pepper, sweet, tropical fruit, with a hint
of smoke.
Palate: Light, rich in cloves, spicy, fruity
notes with ginger, pineapples, and
raisins.
Finish: Long and spicy, with a hint of
smoky peat.

 
  Region: Speyside 

Cragganmore 29

Nose: Fresh and fragrant, floral, lots of

tropical fruits, melon and honey.
Palate: Rich and light, some oaky notes,
pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, melon, pear,
with loads of honey.
Finish: Medium to long, peppery, smooth
and flavorful.

  Region: Speyside 

Dailuaine
Flora Fauna

Nose: Sherry, oak, honeydew melon, a

bit of malt, butterscotch, quite complex.
Palate: Complex, woody, sherry
sweetness, fruity, some malt, chocolate,
with hints of orange.
Finish: Pleasantly long, malty, smoke,
warming.

 
  Region: Speyside 

Dallas Dhu
Dun Bheagan
27 year old cask strength

Nose: Complex, sweet, vanilla cream,

fresh oranges, rum.
Palate: Medium, chewy.
Finish: Long, sweet and smooth.

  Region: Highland 

The Dalmore

Nose: Fresh, rich and complex, sherry,

smoke, with aromas of dried apricots,
peaches and nutmeg.
Palate: Sweet and malty, berries,
chocolate and caramel.
Finish: Long, rich and balanced, smoky,
fruity, some caramel.

 
  Region: Highland 

The Dalmore 28
Stillman's Dram

Nose: Caramel, brittle, spices.

Palate: Dried fruits, caramel, mint,
pepper and spices.
Finish: Long, woody and spicy, tannins,
dried fruit.

  Region: Highland 

Dalwhinnie
1990 Distillers Edition

Nose: Raisins and dried fruits, honey

and heather.
Palate: Rich and sweet, dried fruit, touch
of malt, orange marmalade and lots of
honey.
Finish: Long, rich, anise.

 
  Region: Speyside 

Duncan Taylor 1969

Tamdhu 34 yr.

Nose: Fragrant notes of coconut, vanilla,

tropical fruits, honeyed malt.
Palate: Soft, full-bodied, very fruity and
delicately spicy, with oranges, banana,
nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves from the
wood, mint, pepper and a bit of licorice.
Finish: Quite long, salty, licorice.

  Region: Speyside 

Glenfarclas 25

Nose: Vanilla, malt, butterscotch, sherry,

marmalade, oak, a touch of smoke.
Palate: Smooth and smoky, oaky, nutty
and sherry flavors.
Finish: Long and dry, oak, malt, vanilla,
smoky.
  Region: Speyside 

Glenfiddich
12 year old, Caoran

Nose: Lightly smokey, earthy, malty,

orange peel.
Palate: Thick and sugary, smokey, fruity
notes.
Finish: Dry and long, peat, earthy.

  Region: Speyside 

Glenfiddich 30

Nose: Sweet oak and malt, floral, honey,

vanilla, raisins, nutmeg, ginger, tropical
fruits.
Palate: Smooth, oaky, spices, oranges,
fresh figs, fruit jam, pleasantly sweet.
Finish: Long, oak, dried fruits and honey.

 
  Region: Highland 

Glengoyne
15 year old, Scottish Oak

Nose: Sweet oak, smoky, toffee, cocoa,

flowery notes.
Palate: Malty, sweet, dried fruits, vanilla
cream, caramel, oranges.
Finish: Lingering, dry, some spice,
caramel, fudge, pine needles, flavorful.

  Region: Speyside 

GlenGrant 34
(Duncan Taylor)

Nose: Deep sherry, burnt orange and

caramel
Palate: Complex, creamy, rich and full
bodied, caramel, fruity, notes of fudge
and bitter orange.
Finish: Long, dark chocolate, sherry
wine.

 
  Region: Lowland 

Glenkinchie 1987
Cask Strength, 19 year old

Nose: Fruity, buttery caramel, honey,

ripe apricots, hints of oak, spices and a
touch of malt.
Palate: Oaky, honey, apricot jam,
pepper, and green tea.
Finish: Long and sweet, fruity and spicy.

  Region: Speyside 

The Glenlivet 18

Nose: Oak, malt and touches of sherry,

floral, vanilla, fruity.
Palate: Smooth, very malty and oaky,
honey, nutty, orange marmalade, with
hints of mint and licorice.
Finish: Long, honey and oak

 
  Region: Highland 

Glenmorangie
Quinta Ruban (Port finish)

Nose: Chocolate and sweet orange,

caramel, blackcurrants, raspberries and
pears.
Palate: Sweet, lush raspberries, milk
chocolate, slightly peppery.
Finish: Lingering, rich flavors, oak,
chocolate, warm and elegant.

  Region: Highland 

Glenmorangie
Nectar D’Òr
15 year old, Sauternes Wood Finish

Nose: Fresh, ripe apricots, buttery,

caramel, fruity, hints of oak, spices, a
faint maltiness.
Palate: Oaky, apricot jam, honey, green
tea, pepper and spices.
Finish: Long, sweet, fruity and spicy.

 
  Region: Speyside 

Glenrothes Vintage 1991

Nose: Well-balanced and mellow, honey,

caramel, wood smoke, with a soft
maltiness.
Palate: Sweet, caramel, berry fruits,
orange marmalade, toffee and vanilla.
Finish: Medium long, peppery, hint of
smoke.

Video
  Region: Speyside 

Glenrothes Vintage 1975

Nose: Fruity, oranges, nuts, with vanilla

notes.
Palate: Rich and spicy, toffee, dark
chocolate, hazelnuts, grapefruit.
Finish: Long and slightly sweet.

 
 

  Region: Speyside 

Scott's Selection
Glen Elgin
1980, Cask Strength

Nose: Soft and elegant, honey, slighty

malty and smoky.
Palate: Sweet and very fruity, creamy,
strawberries and honey.
Finish: Medium long and dry, flavorful
with wood coming through.

 
  Region: Highland 

Glenturret
13 year old, Signatory

Nose: Sweet, honey, woody, some

brine.
Palate: Slightly oily, honey, lots of oak,
sweet malt.
Finish: Medium length, toasted oak,
coconut, toffee.

  Region: Orkney Islands 

Highland Park 18

Nose: Honey, grassy heather, peat,

toffee, fresh walnuts, minty.
Palate: Light honey, licorice, cafe au lait,
caramel.
Finish: Quite long and steady, citrus,
peat, licorice.

 
  Region: Orkney Islands 

Highland Park
25 year old

Nose: Sweet, nutty, mint, hints of oak,

licorice, chocolate, a touch of smoke.
Palate: Rich, flavorful, big peat, honey,
chestnuts, pepper and spices, grassy
notes.
Finish: Long, sweet and spicy, some
peat.

  Region: Lowland 

Inverleven Duncan Taylor

28 year old, cask strength
Rarest of the Rare

Nose: Floral, fudge brownies, floral,

chocolate.
Palate: A mouthful, complex.
Finish: Big and long, sweet, malt.

 
  Region: Islay 

Lagavulin 16

Nose: Ripe berries, peaty, maritime.

Palate: Slightly sweet, some peat,
licorice, walnuts, hints of toffee.
Finish: Long and quite dry.

  Region: Islay 

Lagavulin 12
Special Release

Nose: Sweet almonds, marzipan, peat.

Palate: Candied lemon, almonds,
grapefruit, peat with a touch of spice.
Finish: Long, salty, maritime, biscuits.
  

  Region: Islay 

Laphroaig 15

Nose: Maritime, smoke and ash, peaty,

caramel, notes of citrus and ginger.
Palate: Big smoke, lots of dried citrus
fruits, maritime.
Finish: Long, smoky flavors, vanilla
notes.

  Region: Isle of Mull 

Ledaig 20

Nose: Iodine, peat, caramel, light smoke.

Palate: Light, sweet and herbal.
Finish: Very dry, peat, smoke, some
sweetness.

 
  Region: Speyside 

Longmorn 15

Nose: Honey, carmel, toasted almonds.

Palate: Rich and creamy, oak, cinnamon
and nutmeg, fruity, dried orange, toast,
faint smoke.
Finish: Medium long, sweet and fruity,
toasted almonds, malty.

  Region: Speyside 

Macallan 25
Sherry Oak

Nose: Sherry, woody spice, citrus, fruity

and smoky.
Palate: Rich, vanilla, hints of raisins,
peat.
Finish: Long, fruity and faintly spicy,
smoke.

 
 Video
  Region: Speyside 

Mannochmore 1991
13 year old, Signatory

Nose: Overwhelming, complex, grassy,

notes of wood and smoke.
Palate: Chewy, milk chocolate, vanilla,
nougat and malt.
Finish: Medium long, dried fruit and
chocolate.

  Region: Highland 
Oban 14

Nose: Sweet and fruity, sea-salt, peaty

smoke.
Palate: Full and rich, dried figs, honey,
spices, malt, smokey with a trace of peat.
Finish: Long, oak-wood sweet, salty,
some peat and smoke.
  

  Region: Highland 

Old Pulteney 17

Nose: Sweet, vanilla, hints of fruit,

apples, oak.
Palate: Medium to full bodied, slightly
oily, barley notes, vanilla and spices.
Finish: Long and dry, touch of mint, with
a pleasant sweetness.

  Region: Highland 
Royal Lochnagar 12

Nose: Sweet, toffee, notes of fresh oak,

some smoke, cake batter.
Palate: Sherry and spice, light smoke,
malty, complex blend of caramel and
mollases, a hint of licorice.
Finish: Long and malty, smoke, dry oak,
slightly scented.
  

  Region: Orkney Islands 

Scapa 14

Nose: Sweet, hints of butterscotch,

bananas and custard, salt, sea air.
Palate: Rich, sweet, nutty and malty,
with subtle spice and chocolate-orange.
Finish: Long, creamy and distinctively
salty.

  Region: Campbeltown 
Springbank 1979
Cask Strength

Nose: Sherry, peat, burnt caramel.

Palate: Oily.
Finish: Long, dry, peaty undertones.
  

 
  Region: Isle of Skye 

Talisker
18 year old

Nose: Heather, ash, peat, fresh sea air,

a touch of sweetness, slightly smokey.
Palate: Creamy, sweet, fruity notes,
salty, with hints of peat.
Finish: Long, rich, sweet, peaty and
peppery.

  Region: Isle of Skye 

Talisker
Distillers Edition

Nose: Fruity, butterscotch, light peat.

Mouth: Bold and full bodied, sweet, dry
Sherry.
Finish: Long, quite smokey, a hint of
malt.

 
 

  Region: Speyside 

Tomintoul
27 year old

Nose: Beautiful blend of ripe fruits

(apples, pears and tangerines), caramel,
honey, vanilla and oak.
Mouth: Light, rich, creamy malt, orange
toffee, milk chocolate, with a hint of
Sherry.
Finish: Medium, oranges and cream,
sweet vanilla, peach, honey, a touch of
peat.