History of Scotch Whisky - Single Malt Whisky

Scotch whisky is a drink of great variety. This is particularly apparent with single malt whisky, which is the product of one particular distillery. No two malts are alike . Yet they can be defined according to the region of Scotland where they are produced, each of which has a recognized style. Few people, I think, would confuse a typical Islay malt with a typical Highland one. typical Islay malt with a typical Highland one.

There are four main areas which give their names to malt whiskies: Highland malts, made north of a line drawn from Greenock on the west to Dundee on the east. Lowland malts, made south of that line. Islay malts from the island of Islay. Campbeltown malts from the town of Campbeltown in Kintyre. The designation 'Highland' and 'Lowland' in Scotch whisky terms generally follows the geographical division of Scotland with the Highland Boundary fault being the separating feature. But the Highland region also includes a number of islands, including Jura, Mull, Skye and the Orkneys.

The vast majority of malt distilleries some four-fifths of them are to be found in the Highland region. The biggest concentration of malt distilleries is to be found on Speyside in the Highland region. This area straddles the counties of Morayshire and Banffshire. In contrast with much of the Highlands, Speyside is a broad fertile valley, the River Spey flowing through green fields, gentle wooded slopes and small towns. Around four out of ten malt distilleries are located there. Of all the islands, Islay possesses the largest number of distilleries with eight. The island's terrain varies from fertile grassland to wild peat moors - whisky and dairy farming have been its principal economic supports for centuries. One of the features of the Islay distilleries is that they are sited by the sea, with piers designed for easy off loading of barley and prompt despatching of the whisky. The malt distilleries of the Lowlands are few in number and widely scattered.

A distillery is sited as far south as Wig town in Galloway, but others are nearer the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Campbeltown, once one of the great whisky centres of Scotland, is today a ghost of its former self. But its name is still associated with a style of whisky harking back to better days. Each group has its own style, ranging from the lighter malts to the heavier ones. In that order, you would start with the Lowland malts, through to the Highland ones and thence to the Campbeltowns, ending up with the Islays.

The contrast between an Islay malt and a Highland malt has been described in extravagant but illuminating terms: the Islay malt is concentrated on the back of the tongue while the Highland malt seems to be split into two parts, one forward in the mouth and one at the rear! Of course, there are exceptions to these groupings at every turn. Bunnahabhain, an Islay malt, is though pungent unusually light for an Islay and you would have difficulty placing it. More generally, the Highland malts from the islands are quite different from those on Speyside. Highland Park from the Orkneys, for example, is more akin to an Islay than a Speyside. It is better therefore to keep an open mind about what you expect a particular malt to taste like. The regional styles should only be used as a guide and should not be relied upon otherwise your first gulp of a newly-discovered malt could come as a shock!