Waters of Life

By Craig R. Carey

More than a century ago, golf immortal Horace Hutchinson wrote that "we borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whisky. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good." The two are Scotland's best-known and most enigmatic exports. And while whisky didn't originate in Scotland (it was introduced by Irish monks in the seventh century), it has become one of the nation's most profitable products, accounting for a nearly us$4 billion industry.

Some take it with water, and many have a preferred glass from which to drink, but the key here is the simple fact that there are blends and there are single malts. Single malts are the product of one malting, distilled and aged in a barrel and not mixed with any other whisky. They each have a distinctive taste that is their trademark. Blends abound, all of which--Johnnie Walker, Dewar's, Famous Grouse--rely upon single malts for their mixing. Most distilleries typically market their own single malts (and bottle more than one label) and sell to the larger blenders as well.

Few spirits require the time-consuming aging of Scottish whisky. Further, the variables of Scotland's topography affect taste as no other region does. While cognac and wines are subject to soil conditions, climate, and the like, whisky's list of variables is particularly lengthy.

Each distillery draws its water from a specific source. The rock faces, ferns, heather, peat and other factors that the water moves over in its course directly affect the water, which is typically untreated in the distillation process.

The casks in which the whisky is aged also play an integral role in the flavor of the whisky. The wood used to construct the cask is a primary consideration (oak is typically preferred). Casks previously used to store sherry or bourbon are the most common.

Evaporation, oxidation, infusion of mountain or sea air, the barley source, the season in which the peat was cut, and other environmental incidentals all have an effect on the whisky and help each single malt attain its own character. The overlying factor in all this is the region in which the distillery operates; geology and such factors are a regional consideration.

The largest of the regions is the Highlands; for purposes of classifying whisky regions, it is often further separated into Speyside, West Highland, and Skye (an island with a single distillery). Highland whiskies are generally drier with some spicy notes and little peat; Speysides particularly are sweeter with low peat notes.

The second-largest region of whisky distillation is the Lowlands in Scotland's south. Lowland whiskies are typically grassy and herbal, much lighter than Highland whiskies and with little or no peating. This lends to wider general appeal; Lowlanders figure prominently in most blends.

The small island Islay (pronounced "Eye-luh"), situated within the Inner Hebrides of Scotland's west coast, has, despite its small geographic size, a large whisky presence, with seven distilleries currently operating. The whiskies distilled on Islay--among them Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Bowmore--are strong and peaty and redolent with the sea's influence.

The fourth region is Campbeltown, with two distilleries currently in operation (of approximately a dozen distilleries and thirty labels in the once-thriving region, most of which closed in the 1920s). Campbeltown's distinctive salty-finish taste can still be had in the three remaining labels, Springbank, Longrow (both from the Springbank distillery), and Glen Scotia.

The distillation and enjoyment of whisky is a complex and well-aged process akin in its complexities to knocking a small ball about for 18 holes. Enjoying a single malt doesn't require the well-trained nose, an encyclopedic knowledge of water conditions in the Grampians, or detailed information about barley conditions in central Scotland. Like golf, the true enjoyment of a Scottish single malt starts with the right frame of mind.

Slainte!