It’s July in Edinburgh, its 16°C and it’s raining. However, this does not dampen our spirits, only our clothes. Edinburgh is a beautiful city even with grey skies and, more importantly, there is plenty of Whiskey to keep to us warm.
Scotland is famous for its Whiskey, referred to as Scotch. This greatly exported product comes in four different varieties, each from a different region of Scotland. These are Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay.
The Scotch Whiskeys from the Lowland are citrusy in flavour, lighter and milder than other types, often including grassy tones. Those from the Highland extend all the way up to the Orkney Islands, these Scotches are more sweet and floral in flavour with hints of honey and caramel. Speyside is a popular region for Scotch as the fertile lands means it is easy to grow barleys. The flavours in theses Scotches tend to be more fruity and tropical, including flavours such as apple and banana. Finally, there are the Scotches from the Islay Island which are distinctly rich and smoky with strong tastes of peat.
As well as the different regions there are also the various types of malts and blends. These include Blended whiskeys, Malt whiskeys, Grain whiskeys, Single Malt and Pure (vatted) Malt. Out of these it is the Blended whiskeys that take up 90% of the sales.
With all the different regions and blends it is easy to see how lovers of Whiskey can appreciate the Scotch which the country has to offer. However, those of us who have not yet acquired the pallet for such a drink can tend to miss out on the hints of flavours as mentioned above for a strong anti-septic taste followed by a burning sensation at the back of the throat. Although, maybe I just haven’t drank enough of it yet.
