Everything that you must know about Single Malt Scotch

Someone infused so much of curiosity in me about this topic, hence this blog post. Have tried to keep it short & simple and you all will know a lot more when you finish reading.

Single Malt Scotch

- Scotch means it has to be from Scotland (Yes, I know you know it)
- Malt means it is from a single malted grain, barley in case of Single Malt Scotch, always. (Usually whiskeys are made from Rye and Wheat grain too)
- Single refers to the fact that it has been distilled in a single distillery.

Regions where Single Malts are produced (It is actually 5!)

1. Highland Single Malts, further categorized into:

- Island Single Malts (A sub-section of the Highland region)
- Speyside Single Malts (The north-eastern coastal area of the highland region)

Some popular Highland Single Malts are Ardmore, Balbair, Dalmore, Glenfoyle and Glenturret

2. Islay Single Malts - These are known for their Smoky flavor.
Some popular Islay Single Malts are Ardbeg, Laphroaig (I had this one recently), Lagavulin, Bowmore and Caol lla

3. Lowland Single Malts
Some popular Lowland Single Malts are Bladnoch, Glenkinchie and Kinclaith (one of the most expensive)

4. Campbeltown Single Malts
Some popular Campbeltown Single Malts are Longrow, hazelburn and Springbank

The Making

Key ingredients : Barley, Water & Yeast

Key Processes :

- Malting : This done by soaking barley gain in water for 3-4 days and allowing it to germinate In some cases smoke (peat smoke) is introduced to give a smoky flavor to the Scotch Smoky flavored Scotch are traditionally from Islay
- Fermentation : By using yeast on the malted grain, alcohol content(5%-7%) is produced (Like in case of beer)
- Distillation : The fermented mixture is heated in special copper pot still , vapour is collected and submerged in cold water. This increases the alcohol content to 20%-40%. A second round of distillation increases is to 60%-70%. Lowland Single Malts are distilled thrice, thus more alcohol content.
- Maturation/ Ageing : un-aged whiskey is placed in oak casks (because oak wood is highly resistant to fungal attack) for years. Upto 20 years in some cases

Some noteworthy points

1. To be called a single malt Scotch, a bottle should contain whisky distilled from malted barley produced at a single distillery only.
2. If the bottle is the product of single malt whiskies produced at more than one distillery, the whisky is called a vatted malt or a blended malt
3. If malt whisky is mixed with grain whiskey, the result is a blended Scotch whiskey regardless of whether the malt is from a single distillery
4. Unlike wine, the maturation process for whiskey does not continue in the bottle. Therefore the age statement on a bottle of single malt Scotch is the number of years the whisky spent maturing in cask.
5. Under Scotch Whisky Regulations, Single malt Scotch must be distilled using pot stills.
6. By law, all Scotch whisky must be aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks in Scotland.

So, next time don't just enjoy your single malt with wasabi peas and smoked cheese, have a good conversation too!