UsqUebaUgh

UsqUebaUgh
s cotc h Ta s t ing
with
CW Compton
The
Macallan
SCOTCH WHISKY
REGIONS
12-year-old
SPEYSIDE & ISLAY
Map ...........................................12-13
al
nda
hI
IS
www.nicks.com.au
NOSe:
sherry, honey, flowery notes
© This map was originally published online at
www.nicks.com.au and may not be circulated or
reproduced without the above statement being
prominently acknowledged.
Port Ellen
BODy:
full, smooth
rth
y Fi
Mor
Bowmore
Loc
Port
Charlotte
L
A
Y
a
PALATe:
Elgin
Glenburgie
Glen Moray
Linkwood
the firstBenromach
hints
of
fl
owering
currant,
Miltonduff
Longmorn
Forres
Benriach
Glenlossie
Dhu
Glen Elgin
altogether more Dallas
expressive
Mannochmore
Inchgower
DE
FINISH:
S I Rothes
Y
E
slightly
S Pmore rounded
Speyburn
Aultmore
Strathisla
Strathmill
Glenglassaugh
Knockdhu
Glen Grant
Keith
s
Glen Spey
rothe
Glen Keith
ie
Glen
ellach
ig
Macallan
ra
C
Cardhu
r Kininvie
Imperial
Tamdhu
lou
Glendronach
Glenfiddich
ber
A
Knockando
Balvenie
e
in
a
Glenallachie
u
s
Dailrinnie
Huntley
Mortlach
Cragganmore
Ben
Dufftown Pittyviach
Glenfarclas
Tormore
SCORe:
91
Grantown
on Spey
ve
Ri
rS
pe
y
Allt-A-Bhainne
The Glenlivet
Balmenach
Tomintoul
Duff Town
Tamnavulin
Braeval
—1—
Note: This is not a complete representation of Speyside distillieries. Some closed distilleries have been omitted from the map.
Isl
ay
Ardbeg
Laphroaig
Lagavulin
Lossiemouth
Spey
Scotch Information......................6-11
COLOR:
amber
Ri
Bunnahabhain ..................................5
Kilchoman
Bruichladdich
f
Bruichladdich ...................................4
Speyside
do
The Balvenie ....................................3
Port Askaig
N
un
The Glenlivet....................................2
Isle of
Jura
So
The Macallan ...................................1
Bunnahabhain
Caol Ila
ver
Au
c
Gl hrio
en sk
ta
uc
he
rs
CoNTeNTs
WORKING DISTILLERY
CLOSED DISTILLERY
RegION:
Major Town/City
Ardmore
The Glenlivet
The Balvenie
12-year-old
15-year-old Single Barrel
RegION:
Speyside
RegION:
Speyside
COLOR:
pale gold
COLOR:
pale gold
NOSe:
remarkably flowery, clean and soft
NOSe:
assertive, dry, fresh oak, heather,
rooty, coconut, lemon pith
BODy:
light to medium, firm, smooth
BODy:
firm
PALATe:
flowery, peachy, note of
vanilla, delicate balance
FINISH:
restrained, long, gently warming
SCORe:
85
PALATe:
lively, cedar, orange skins,
pineapple-lie sweetness and acidity
FINISH:
very dry, peppery alcohol
SCORe:
85
—2—
—3—
Bruichladdich
Bunnahabhain
15-year-old
12-year-old
RegION:
Islay
RegION:
Islay
COLOR
bright yellow
COLOR:
gold
NOSe:
sea air, perfumy, slightly sharp
NOSe:
remarkably fresh, sweet,
sea-air aroma
BODy:
firm, cracker-like, malt background
PALATe:
starts with a clean, grassy
sweetness, then manifests an
astonishingly long, lively series
of small explosions, peppery
BODy:
light to medium, firm
PALATe:
gentle, clean, nutty-malty sweetness
FINISH:
underlying iron, savoury, appetizing
SCORe:
80
—4—
FINISH:
very full flavor development,
refreshing
SCORe:
77
—5—
SCOTCH INFORMATION
LegAL DeFINITION
To be called Scotch whisky the spirit must conform to the standards of the Scotch
Whisky Order of 1990 (UK), which clarified the Scotch Whisky Act 1988, and mandates that the spirit:
1. Must be distilled at a Scottish distillery from water and malted barley, to
which only other whole grains may be added, have been processed at that distillery into a mash, converted to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous
enzyme systems, and fermented only by the addition of yeast,
2. Must be distilled to an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% by volume so
that it retains the flavour of the raw materials used in its production,
3. Must be matured in Scotland in oak casks for no less than three years and a
day,
4. Must not contain any added substance other than water and caramel colouring, and
5. May not be bottled at less than 40% alcohol by volume.
in water, and then allowing it to get to the point of germination. Malting releases
enzymes that break down starches in the grain and help convert them into sugars.
When the desired state of germination is reached the malted barley is dried using
smoke. Many (but not all) distillers add peat to the fire to give an earthy, peaty flavour to the spirit.
MASHINg AND FeRMeNTATION
The dried malt is ground into a coarse flour called “grist”. This is mixed with hot
water in a large vessel called a mash tun. The grist is allowed to steep.
This process is referred to as “mashing,” and the mixture as “mash”. In mashing,
enzymes that were developed during the malting process are allowed to convert the
barley starch into sugar, producing a sugary liquid known as “wort”.
The wort is then transferred to another large vessel called a “wash back” where
it is cooled. The yeast is added, and the wort is allowed to ferment. The resulting
liquid, now at about 5–7% alcohol by volume, is called “wash” and is very similar
to a rudimentary beer.
MALTINg
Malt whisky production begins when the barley is malted—by steeping the barley
DISTILLATION
The next step is to use a still to distill the wash. Distillation is used to increase the
alcohol content and to remove undesired impurities such as methanol.
There are two types of stills in use for the distillation: the pot still (for single
malts) and the Coffey still (for grain whisky). All Scotch malt whisky distilleries
distill their product twice except for the Auchentoshan distillery, which retains the
Lowlands tradition of triple distillation. Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown is
unique in that it distills two and a half times. This is achieved by distilling half the
low wine (1st distillation) for a second time, adding the two halves together and then
distilling the complete volume a final time.
For malt whisky the wash is transferred into a wash still. The liquid is heated to
the boiling point, which is lower than the boiling point of water. The alcohol evapo-
—6—
—7—
HISTORy
“To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt.”
— Exchequer Rolls 1494–95, vol x, p. 487.
Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association, no one knows exactly when the
art of distilling was first practiced in Scotland; it is known that the Ancient Celts
practiced distilling, and that the liquid they produced—uisge beatha (“water of life”,
usquebaugh)—evolved into Scotch Whisky.
rates and travels to the top of the still, through the “lyne arm” and into a condenser—
where it is cooled and reverts to liquid. This liquid has an alcohol content of about
20% and is called “low wine”.
The low wine is distilled a second time, in a spirit still, and the distillation is divided into three “cuts”. The first liquid or cut of the distillation is called “foreshots”
and is generally quite toxic due to the presence of the low boiling point alcohol
methanol. These are generally saved for further distillation. It is the “middle cut”
that the stillman is looking for, which will be placed in casks for maturation. At this
stage it is called “new make”. Its alcohol content can be anywhere from 60%–75%.
The third cut is called the “feints” and is generally quite weak. These are also saved
for further distillation.
Grain whiskies are distilled in a column still, which requires a single distillation
to achieve the desired alcohol content. Grain whisky is produced by a continuous
fractional distillation process, unlike the simple distillation based batch process used
for malt whisky. It is therefore more efficient to operate and the resulting whisky is
less expensive.
spirit. It is a little-known fact, however, that most so-called “coastal” whiskies are
matured in large central warehouses in the Scottish interior far from any influence of
the sea. The distillate must age for at least three years and one day in Scotland to be
called Scotch whisky, although most single malts are offered at a minimum of eight
years of age. Some believe that older whiskies are inherently better, but others find
that the age for optimum flavor development changes drastically from distillery to
distillery, or even from cask to cask. Older whiskies are inherently scarcer, however,
so they usually command significantly higher prices.
Color can give a clue to the type of cask (sherry or bourbon) used to age the whisky, although the addition of legal “spirit caramel” is sometimes used to darken an
otherwise lightly colored whisky. Sherried whisky is usually darker or more amber
in color, while whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks is usually a golden-yellow/honey
color.
The late 1990s saw a trend towards “wood finishes” in which fully matured whisky is moved from one barrel into another one that had previously aged a different
type of alcohol (e.g., port, Madeira, rum, wine, etc.) to add the “finish”.
MATuRATION
Once distilled the “new make spirit” is placed into oak casks for the maturation process. Historically, casks previously used for sherry were used (as barrels
are expensive, and there was a ready market for used sherry butts). Today, the casks
used are typically sherry or bourbon casks. Sometimes other varieties such as port,
Cognac, Madeira, calvados, beer, and Bordeaux wine are used. Bourbon production
is a nearly inexhaustible generator of used barrels, due to a regulation requiring the
use of new, oak barrels.
The ageing process results in evaporation, so each year in the cask causes a loss
of volume as well as a reduction in alcohol. The 0.5–2.0% lost each year is known as
the angel’s share. Many whiskies along the west coast and on the Hebrides are stored
in open storehouses on the coast, allowing the salty sea air to pass on its flavor to the
BOTTLINg
With single malts, the now properly aged spirit may be “vatted”, or “married”,
with other single malts (sometimes of different ages) from the same distillery. The
whisky is generally diluted to a bottling strength of between 40% and 46%.
Occasionally distillers will release a “Cask Strength” edition, which is not diluted
and will usually have an alcohol content of 50–60%.
Many distilleries are releasing “Single Cask” editions, which are the product of
a single cask which has not been vatted with whisky from any other casks. These
bottles will usually have a label which details the date the whisky was distilled, the
date it was bottled, the number of bottles produced, the number of the particular
bottle, and the number of the cask which produced the bottles.
—8—
—9—
CHILL FILTRATION
Many whiskies are bottled after being “chill-filtered”. This is a process in which
the whisky is chilled to near 0°C (32°F) and passed through a fine filter. This removes some of the compounds produced during distillation or extracted from the
wood of the cask, and prevents the whisky from becoming hazy when chilled, or
when water or ice is added.
Chill filtration also removes some of the flavour and body from the whisky, which
is why some consider chill-filtered whiskies to be inferior.
WHISky RegIONS
Scotland was traditionally divided into four regions: The Highlands, Lowland,
Islay and Campbeltown.
Speyside, encompassing the Spey river valley in north-east Scotland, once considered part of the Highlands, has almost half of the total number of distilleries in
Scotland within its geographic boundaries; consequently it is officially recognized
as a region unto itself.
Campbeltown was removed as a region several years ago, yet was recently reinstated as a recognized production region.
The Islands is not recognized as a region by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)
and is considered part of the Highlands region.
• Lowland — only three distilleries remain in operation: Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, and Glenkinchie.
• Speyside — has the largest number of distilleries, which includes: Aberlour,
Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Speyburn, The Glenlivet, The Glenrothes and The
Macallan
• Highland — some Highland distilleries: Aberfeldy, Balblair, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Glen Ord, Glenmorangie, Oban and Old Pulteney.
• The Islands, an unrecognized sub-region includes all of the whisky
producing islands (but excludes Islay): Arran, Jura, Mull, Orkney and
— 10 —
•
•
Skye — with their respective distilleries: Arran, Isle of Jura, Tobermory,
Highland Park and Scapa, and Talisker.
Campbeltown, once home to over 30 distilleries, currently has only three
distilleries operating: Glen Scotia, Glengyle and Springbank.
Islay — has eight producing distilleries: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich,
Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. Kilchoman Distillery
has recently begun production and started selling their whisky in September
2009.
CReDITS
Jackson, Michael (2004) Malt Whiskey Companion, 5th Edition. ISBN 1-4053-0234-8
Scotch whisky. (2009, November 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:41, November
10, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scotch_whisky&oldid=323490421
— 11 —
SCOTCH WHISKY REGIONS
N
Orkney
Islands
WORKING DISTILLERY (Bold)
CLOSED DISTILLERY (Italics)
Major Town/City
Highland Park
Scapa
CoNTeNTs
inc
N
M
IG
H
L
A
N
D
Kilchoman
S
Bruichladdich
Port
Charlotte
Clynelish
M
The Balvenie ....................................3
Glen Albyn
Glen Mhor
Milburn
Teaninich
Dalmore
Glen Ord
Macduff
www.nicks.com.au
Speyside
See inset
below.
Royal
Brackla
Inverness
Bruichladdich
H ...................................4
I G
H L
Bunnahabhain ..................................5
A
N
D
Sea
o
f
t
h
e
S
Scotch Information
......................6-11
Fort
Glen Garioch
Tomatin
Talisker
IS
Banff
Invergordon
(Grain)
Aberdeen
Speyside Distillery
© This map was originally published online at
www.nicks.com.au and may not be circulated or
reproduced without the above statement being
prominently acknowledged.
Port Ellen
Edradour
Glenelsk
North
Port
Tullibardine
F ir t h o f F o r t h
Rosebank
St.Magdelene
Glasgow
North British
(Grain)
★
Port Dundas (Grain)
Dumbarton
Interleven
Littlemill
Strathclyde (Grain)
th
Knockdhu
Glen Grant
Keith
Isle
thes
Glen Spey
Glen Keith
nroof
Gle
Jura ellachie
Caol Ila
ig
Macallan
ra
C
Cardhu Port Askaig
r Kininvie
Imperial
Tamdhu
lou
Glendronach
Glenfiddich
ber
A
Knockando
Balvenie
Kilchoman
e
in
a
Glenallachie
u
s
Dailrinnie
Bruichladdich
Huntley
n
Mortlach
Cragganmore
BeBowmore
I
Dufftownsla Pittyviach
Glenfarclas
Port
y
Tormore
N
A
ir
ay F
Aultmore
Strathisla
Strathmill
Bunnahabhain
L
Bladnoch
Salw
Speyburn
al
of
Fi
W
Glenglassaugh
E
N
G
N D
L A
Charlotte
Grantown
on Spey
Ri
ve
p
rS
ey
SL
A
Y
f
L O
— 12 —
DE
S I Rothes
Y
E
SP
Inchgower
do
rth
Glen Flagler
Girvan (Grain)
Ladyburn
ATLANTIC
OCE
AN
Forres
Linkwood
Longmorn
Benriach
Glen Elgin
un
Springbank
Benromach
Glen Moray
Miltonduff
Glenlossie
Dallas Dhu
Mannochmore
Allt-A-Bhainne
I
The Glenlivet
Duff Town
Balmenach
Ardbeg
Port Ellen Tamnavulin
Laphroaig
Tomintoul
Braeval
Lagavulin
Note: This is not a complete representation of Speyside distillieries. Some closed distilleries have been omitted from the map.
Isl
ay
Ardbeg
Laphroaig
Lagavulin
So
Glengyle
Cly
Glen Scotia
de
Auchentoshan
Campbeltown
Glenkinchie
EDINBOROUGH
Elgin
Glenburgie
nda
Isle of Arran
M
Cameronbridge (Grain)
Glengoyne
Isle
of
Jura
See inset
below.
Daftmill
Deanston
S
Loch Lomond
Islay
Perth
Glenturret
Loch Lomond
(Grain)
Lorn
F i r th o f
Lochside
NO
Aberfeldy
D
Isle of
Jura
Oban
S
T
S ND
LA
H
H
Isle of
Mull
IG W
E
Tobermory
Y
Lossiemouth
h
hI
Blair Athol
Map ...........................................12-13
Dundee
Firt
o ray
L
A
Ri
Glenury
Royal
Fettercairn
Glencadam
Loc
Ben Nevis
SE
William
RTH
Dalwhinnie
Glenlochy
Hebrides
A
Royal Lochnagar
Spey
Isle of
Skye
ver
Au
c
Gl hrio
en sk
ta
uc
he
rs
Balblair
Glenmorangie
Bowmore
Loc
Brora
Th
e
H
h
The Glenlivet....................................2
Firt
oray
f
www.nicks.com.au
R
do
O
al
H
The Macallan ...................................1
un
T
Port Askaig
N
So
h
Pulteney
Isle of
Jura
Caol Ila
nda
100km
Bunnahabhain
hI
50
SPEYSIDE & ISLAY
WORKING DISTILLERY
CLOSED DISTILLERY
Major Town/City
© This map was originally published online at www.nicks.com.au and may not be circulated
or reproduced without the above statement being prominently acknowledged.
0
SCOTCH WHISKY REGIONS
Ardmore
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CWC@vgora.Com
CW Compton
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