Whenever you think of Scotland whisky is the very first thing that comes to mind. Apart from the breathtaking surroundings, rolling hills as well as beautiful winding roads, whisky is what makes Scotland so famous. The well-known Scotch whisky comes from Scotland. Actually so synonymous has good whisky become with Scotch which in England if you require a whisky you’ll be inevitably handed a Scotch unless you indicate otherwise.
There are five main types of Scotch. These types of groups are single malts, single grain Scotch, blended grain whisky, blended malt Scotch whisky that was earlier called a vatted malt or even pure malt, and blended Scotch. There are several specifics which have to be followed for a whisky to be called a Scotch. The very first condition being that this whisky needs to be created specifically in Scotland. No matter what specifications are followed, if a whisky isn�t made in Scotland it can’t be called a Scotch. The next thing to remember is that after distillation a whisky must be aged or aged in fine oak barrels for a period of a minimum of three years. In reality it’s been made compulsory to write the age statement on the bottle.
According to the Scotch Whisky regulations for any whisky to be called a Scotch it has to clear some guidelines. The first regulation is that such a whisky has to be produced in a Scottish distillery and should be made with drinking water and malted barley. Additional whole grains could be put into this particular barley. Secondly, this concoction has to be processed into mash in a distillery and then fermented only with the addition of yeast. The actual distilled spirit has to have an alcoholic power of less than 94. 8% by volume. This spirit now has to be left to mature in oak casks in warehouses in Scotland. The capacity of the oak casks is also regulated and cannot exceed seven hundred liters. The whisky also needs to mature for at least 3 years. A whisky is declared a Scotch only after it follows these procedures and then goes through the color and fragrance check.
In order to become a Scotch, the whisky must manage to retain the aroma, color and taste of the raw materials that go into its creating. Apart from drinking water and basic regulated caramel coloring no exterior ingredients can be added to enhance taste or appearance. Lastly, after following each one of these protocols, a whisky can be declared a Scotch only after it has gone through an alcohol strength check. A Scotch has to have the minimal alcoholic strength by volume of 40%.
If you are visiting Scotland, whisky distillery tours have to be on your mind. Just about all distilleries have tours that take the visitor and introduce him to the fine art of whisky creating. There can be many kind of whisky tours of Scotland. A few tours take you around the distillery and teach you the nuances of whisky producing. Some are even more detailed and take you down to the cellars as well as let you experience fine whisky in some tasting sessions. You may also go on a whisky trail to gather the full experience of the actual well-known whiskies of Scotland. Both ways you’ll emerge a whisky connoisseur.