Single Malt Whisky is a distilled spirit made entirely from malted barley at a single distillery. The most notable examples of this are made in Scotland and are thus referred to as scotches. But not all scotches are single malts. Vatted Malts or Pure Malts are blends from the malt whisky of several different distilleries....

Whisky is the fruit of a northern climate. The term whisky is a derivative of the expression “water of life” known in in Gaelic as “uisge (pronounced ooska) beatha.” Over time uisge has been Anglicised to “whisky.” The first whiskies were produced in the 15th century by monastic orders. The first tax on production, in...

Malt whisky is basically a distilled, un-hopped beer. Barley is malted to convert starch into fermentable sugars. To this end the barley is germinated (traditionally in floor maltings) and then kiln dried over peated fires. In the past, peat was used because of it’s availability, but now it is used primarily to impart flavour to...

Water. The water used in most distilleries is soft. It is common wisdom that the best water sources are those that rise from granite over peat. The flavour the source water picks up from its journey is concentrated by the distillation process. Peat. The amount and character of peat used in the kilning process has...

Lowlands. Whisky from the Lowlands region tend to be lighter, softer, and less peated. Highlands. The Highlands are where the bulk of single malt whisky is produced. As it encompasses a very large area, the whisky produced in this area is stylistically very broad. Generally Highland whiskies are known for their depth and complexity. Islay....