Before jumping headfirst into a wee dram of the good stuff, let's lay some groundwork. It makes sense that to fully appreciate something, you're probably going to want to know something about it beforehand. Let's try boiling this down to the fundamentals:
WHAT IS 'SCOTCH'?
Simply put, scotch is shorthand for 'scotch whisky'; whisky being an alcoholic spirit made from distilling fermented cereal grains. Although many grains are used in the production of whiskies throughout the world (e.g. corn, rye, wheat), scotch is made from malted barley. There are some persnickety rules about what else constitutes a true scotch whisky, so much so that in 2009, no less than the Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom literally laid down the law to rigidly define it with an official declaration of Scotch Whisky Regulations (follow the link if you are currently suffering from insomnia). It's basically Scotland's modern adaptation of the [in]famous Reinheitsgebot, the 1516 German Beer Purity Law, but with fewer umlauts.
Boiling it down a bit, bona fide scotch has to be made with malted barley that is mashed, naturally fermented, aged at least 3 years in oak casks, and bottled at at least 40% ABV, all while staying within the borders of Scotland. Those of you who have tried the Virginia Distillery Company's delicious offerings from Nelson County, will notice that although its whisky is distilled and initially aged in Scotland, it is imported and finished in port wine casks here in Virginia, hence the labeling 'Highland' malt whisky, not 'scotch'.
You may also have noticed there are two ways to spell whisk(e)y. The word itself comes from a Gaelic term, 'uisge beatha', meaning "water of life". Whiskey, with the 'e', is the traditional spelling for spirits distilled in Ireland and certain ones from the United States (e.g. bourbon whiskey). Scotland, Canada, and Australia all eschew the extra letter with their bottlings. It's more of a tradition than a hard and fast rule, but it's a good way to start an argument as well.
Okay, so now that you've lawyered up to make sure that bottle you have your eye on at the liquor store is legit (*local tip - the Carytown ABC store [10 N. Thompson St.] always has brands I don't see elsewhere, it's where Richmond restaurants get their stock - go early on a Friday), it turns out there are actually five kinds of scotch from which to choose:
1. Single malt scotch uses only from malted barley as its grain source. All killer, no filler.
2. Single grain scotch is less straight forward. Produced at a single distillery, has to include malted barley, but has other cereal grains thrown in the mix.
3. Blended malt scotch (aka 'vatted' malt) is made from two or more single malt whiskys from different distilleries.
4. Blended grain scotch is made from two or more single grain whiskys from different distilleries.
5. Blended scotch contains a mixture of both malts and grains whiskys. A veritable hodgepodge.
The middle three are pretty rare, at least around Richmond, I mention them merely for the sake of completion. Haig Club is a single grain whisky (yes, the David Beckham one). Nearly all the scotch you will come across will be either a single malt or a blended scotch whisky. The vast majority of scotch sold in the U.S. is of the blended variety: Johnny Walker, Dewar's, Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, J&B, Famous Grouse, Ballantine's, etc. ad nauseum.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against blends. From my first taste on my 21st birthday (honest!), for almost 20 years until plunging into the purist niche of single malts, I drank blends. We can argue the artistry and skill necessary to pull off knockout blends like Compass Box, but as far as anybody knows, there could be 50 different scotches in there, and none of it was distilled by the bottler. It may be as delectable as any single malt out there (and it is), but I want to be able to appreciate the essence of the ingredients and the process of their transformation. Barley, water, yeast - let's see what you can do...
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against blends. From my first taste on my 21st birthday (honest!), for almost 20 years until plunging into the purist niche of single malts, I drank blends. We can argue the artistry and skill necessary to pull off knockout blends like Compass Box, but as far as anybody knows, there could be 50 different scotches in there, and none of it was distilled by the bottler. It may be as delectable as any single malt out there (and it is), but I want to be able to appreciate the essence of the ingredients and the process of their transformation. Barley, water, yeast - let's see what you can do...
We'll delve deeper into raw materials and distillation methods when we get into the 'What does it taste like?' section of your crash course in scotch. You still have one more decision to make before calling the bartender over. Ooh, good stopping point for today - cliffhanger!
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