What is Scotch whisky?

Starting to explore whisky today is hard. Not because there are so few good ones out there but because there is just so many options available. Starting with the varieties of Whisky alone makes things confusion since there are so many available; Scotch, Irish, Japanese, Canadian, Rye, Bourbon, Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Malt, Belnded Scotch etc. What makes each one unique? What does it mean when the label says Bourbon, or Rye, or Single Malt? These questions are important to answer as it will help you in your whisky journey and make an informed decision on whether or not the whisky is worth its price. Do you buy a $100 bottle of Blended Scotch whisky over a $100 bottle of Single Malt Scotch whisky? Do I like the malt flavour profile or the grains?

In this post I will talk about Scotch and its different varieties. What makes a whisky a Scotch whisky? What are the different categories of Scotch Whisky and what makes each one unique? The information contained in this post was taken from the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009. You can find a copy of the full text in the Scotch Whisky Association's website.

The Scotch Whisky regulation defines a Scotch whisky as a spirit;

• distilled  at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals may be added) all of which have been:
• • processed at that distillery into a mash
  • converted at that distillery into a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems; and
  • fermented at that distillery only by the addition of yeast;
• distilled at an ABV of less than 94.8 per cent
• matured only in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres
• matured only in Scotland;
• matured for a period of not less than three years;
• matured only in an excise warehouse or a permitted place;
• retains the colour, aroma and taste derived from the raw materials used in, and the method of, its production and maturation;
• no substance has been added, or to which no substance has been added except:
• • water;
  • plain caramel colouring; or
  • water and plain caramel colouring; and
• bottled at a minimum ABV of 40%.

Scotch Whisky is then divided into 5 categories: Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Malt, Blended Grain and Blended Scotch. The regulation defines these categories and actually requires the category the whisky belongs in to be clearly stated on the bottle label. This is great as it forces the bottler to be transparent about their product.

So how does the regulation define each category?

• Single Malt: distilled at a single distillery using only water and malted barley in pot stills.
• Single Grain: distilled in a single distillery using only water, malted barley and other cereals in pot stills.
• Blended Malt: a blend of two or more Single Malts distilled at two or more distilleries.
• Blended Grain: a blend of two or more Single Grains distilled at two or more distilleries.
• Blended Scotch: a blend of one or more Single Malts and one or more Single Grains.

Each variety of Scotch will also have a huge difference in production costs. Generally speaking, Single Malts are the most expensive to produce as it is produced mainly from one grain type (barley) that does not necessarily have the highest alcohol yield. Single Malts should also come from one distillery only which means the distillery has to produce stock and put it away for at least 3 years - all the while incurring costs related to storage and maturation and the liquid evaporating from the barrels - before they can make any money out of it. Single Malt producers also tend to age their whisky longer in order to bring out more flavour through the aging process. Blends can play around with flavour without worrying about aging because they source their whisky from other distilleries giving them access to a wide variety of flavour profiles. The cheapest to produce are the Blends because generally they do not have to contend with aging the whisky as they purchase their stock from other distillers and thus making their products relatively younger than Single Malts or Single Grains.

Now, why is knowing this important? For someone like me who is new to Whisky, knowing this gives me guidance. Consider them as the 5 lanes in the Scotch whisky freeway. Knowing the varieties and its ingredients allows me to better understand my palate. If I find that I like Single Malts better than Single Grains then that tells me I am leaning more towards the barley flavour. Knowing the relative cost of producing each type of Scotch will allow me to manage my Whisky budget better by not overspending. If I find a $100 blended Scotch on the shelf, I tend to pass it right away, unless I have tasted it in a bar and liked it.

I hope this information will help you too in your Whisky journey. If you have already started your journey leave a comment below and share which variety you like best.