Ahhh Scotch

Last night we did a Scotch tasting with family and friends. In total we tasted five Scotches: Dalwhinnie, The Balvenie, Edradour, Highland Park and Caol Ila. An Irish Whiskey was added for good measure at the end.

The differences between each were striking, even more so than between bourbons. The Dalwhinnie was smooth and drinkable daily, the Balvenie which is a single barrel, single malt had a bourbon-esque flavor and warm finish, Edradour which is handmade by only three men in Scotland's smallest distillery was deliciously creamy, the Highland Park was slighty salty and peaty, and the Caol Ila was unique in its high peat, almost medicinal qualities.

If I drank scotch regularly I'd go for Dalwhinnie, for a drink on a cold fall or winter evening Balvenie would get the nod, and for an occasional treat I'd pour Edradour.

A short primer on Scotch Wikipedia...

Whisky has been produced in Scotland for hundreds of years.

According to the Scotch Whisky Association, no one knows exactly when the art of distilling was first practised in Scotland; it is known that the Ancient Celts practised distilling[citation needed], and that the liquid they produced—uisge beatha ("water of life")—evolved into Scotch Whisky.

Two events helped the increase of whisky's popularity: first, a new production process was introduced in 1831 called Coffey or Patent Still; the whisky produced with this process was less intense and smoother. Second, the Phylloxera bug destroyed wine and cognac production in France in 1880.

To be called Scotch whisky the spirit must conform to the standards of the Scotch Whisky Order of 1990 (UK), which clarified the Scotch Whisky Act 1988, and mandates that the spirit:

• Must be distilled at a Scottish distillery from water and malted barley, to which only other whole grains may be added, have been processed at that distillery into a mash, converted to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems, and fermented only by the addition of yeast,
• Must be distilled to an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8%[3] by volume so that it retains the flavour of the raw materials used in its production,
• Must be matured in Scotland in oak casks for no less than three years and a day,
• Must not contain any added substance other than water and caramel colouring, and
• May not be bottled at less than 40% alcohol by volume.

Next up Tequila or Sake...we're not quite sure which one yet.