There are few products in the world that so closely linked to their origins, or that are more widely known around the world, as Scotch whisky (or simply Scotch).

Acknowledged as the national Scottish beverage, whisky – in Gaelic, uisge beatha (pronounced oosh-ga beh-huh), which means “water of life” – has been produced in Scotland for a very long time ago, further back than it is possible to remember. Whisky making, which initially began as a way to deal with barley harvests spoiled by rain, has grown so much that nowadays it is one of the most profitable industries in the country, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.

Scotland has internationally protected the term Scotch. To be classified as Scotch, a whisky must be exclusively produced in Scotland. An excellent range of whiskies is produced by similar methods in other countries, especially in Japan, but they cannot be called Scotch and are generally labelled ‘whisky’. Despite being wonderful, they did not satisfy Scottish taste.  

History

The first mention of distillation in Scotland is made , in a document of the Registry of Public Treasure dated 1494: “Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae (water of life)”. This amount was enough to produce 1500 bottles, and the quote makes clear that distillation was a very well established practice.

The primitive equipment and the lack of scientific knowledge at that time produced a very potent, occasionally harmful alcoholic beverage. However, the methods were improved and, during the 16th and 17th centuries, there was considerable advancement.  

Initially,  whisky was praised for its medical properties, and was prescribed to keep good health, increase longevity and relieve colic, paralysis, smallpox and many other diseases.

Whisky has become part of Scottish life. It was considered as a stimulant during cold, long winter days. And it performed a great role in the social life of the country, being served to visitors as a welcome. Its growing popularity called the attention of the Scottish Parliament, which introduced the first taxes on the final product and on the malt in the end of the 17th century. Ever increasing rates of taxation were applied following The Act of Union with England in 1707, when Scottish rebel clans started to be subjugated.  Almost all distillers were driven underground.

A long, often bloody battle arose between the taxman (also known as Excisemen) and the illegal distillers, to whom the law was foreign in its language, content and purposes.

Smuggling became a common practice for some 150 years, with no moral stigma or disapproval attached to it. Ministers of the Kirk (the Scottish church) kept supplies under the pulpit, and the illegal beverage was, on occasion, transported by coffin – all efficient means were used to run away from the watchful eyes of the Excisemen.

In 1777, only eight licensed distilleries contributed, in a small scale, to the city [which city] income. At the same time, over 400 unregistered distilleries were believed to contribute to the personal benefit of its owners. Even so,  when compared to the operation of illicit distilleries in remote Highland and Scottish Islands, this was not a huge problem.  

Clandestine stills were cleverly organised and hidden in nooks and crannies of the heather-clad hills. They were built in places which could not be detected. Hidden tubes carried the smoke from the burning peat to crofts from which the smoke could be vented without raising suspicion.

Smugglers had a system to avoid inspections – watchmen on the top of the hills warned one another whenever they saw any Excisement in the surroundings. By the 1820s, despite the confiscation of over 14000 illicit stills every year, more than half the whisky consumed in Scotland was drunk and appreciated with no guilt and with pleasure – and completely tax free.  

In 1823, the Excise Act was passed and the distillation of whisky was approved. By exchange, the distillery was obliged to pay a tax of £163,10 to obtain a license production, besides a proportional tax on the number of litres produced, therefore establishing the basis of the current Scotch industry. Smuggling ended almost completely during the next ten years. In fact, many contemporary distilleries are in the same places which were used by smugglers in the past.

Two other facts helped establish Scotch Whisky globally. In 1831, Aeneas Coffey invented the Coffey (or Patent) Still, which enabled a continuous process of distillation to take place. This led to the production of Grain Whisky, a different, less intense spirit than the Malt Whisky produced in the distinctive copper pot stills. In 1860, this invention was explored by Andrew Usher & Co, which combined malt whisky and grain wkisky for the first time and produced a light flavored whisky, increasing the market’s interest for Scotch whisky.

The second major help came unwittingly from France, when phylloxera beetle devastated French vineyards in the 1880s. In a few years, brandy and wine had virtually disappeared from cellars world-wide. The Scots took advantage of the tragedy, and by the time the French industry was operating again, Scotch Whisky had replaced brandy as the preferred alcoholic beverage.

Since then, Scotch Whisky, particularly blended Scotch Whisky, has overcome various obstacles, from sanctions from the United States to depressions and economic recessions, maintaining its position of first choice of alcoholic beverage in the whole world, reaching more than 200 countries.

How Scotch is made

The barley is selected and ground before being put into a hot sugar soluition. A sweet liquid is formed and yeast is added to it. This liquid is put into stills to ferment for some days. The next stage is distillation, in which the distillers skills are crucial to determine when the product is ready. It is put into barrels to mature for years, until it is either sold pure or mixed with other malts.

The complete process is carried out in accordance with high quality standards, so that the final result is always the same. This means that the whisky bottled five years ago must have the same flavour as the whisky bottled yesterday and of the one which will be bottled within ten years.

Scotch types

There are two types of Scotch Whisky: Malt Whisky and Grain Whisky. Malt Whiskies are divided in four groups, according to the geographic location of the distilleries in which each one is produced:  

• Lowland Malt Whiskies – produced to the south of an imaginary line traced from Dundee, in the east, to Greenock, in the west;
• Highland Malt Whiskies – produced to the north of the same line;
• Speyside Malt Whiskies – produced in the valley of Spey River. Despite the fact that these whiskies come from the area named as Highland Malt Whiskies, the concentration of distilleries and the existence of specific climate conditions in this area leads to the production of whiskies with peculiar characteristics and requires a different classification;
• Islay Malt Whiskies – produced on Islay island.

Each group has its own, clearly defined characteristics, varying from a clean, fresh flavour – the Lowland Malt Whiskies – until those distilled in Islay, which are normally considered the strongest ones.

Malt Whiskies, which differ considerably in flavour depending on the distillery where they are produced, have a more pronounced bouquet and flavour than Grain Whisky, which can be distilled anywhere in Scotland, since its production is not strongly influenced by geographical factors.