Scotch Whisky - Fun Facts (contd)

You must have read my previous post on fun facts about Scotch Whisky. Let me add on to it some more. While I was hanging out with my friends and enjoying our favourite Scotch, the Black Dog TGR, this topic of Scotch facts popped up. Here are some of those discussed, argued, laughed upon and agreed upon.

The five regions of Scotland - Islay, Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside and Campbletown have almost 100 distillaries together. Every region produces whisky that is very particular in style.

Blended whisky was the norm until 1960s, when the manufacture and sale of Single malt whisky came into place. Today, single malt scotch has become a symbol of fine taste and luxury.

Scotland exports a whooping one billion bottles of scotch every year. While you may be wondering America as its biggest market, it is not true. It is the French who love Scotch dearly as compared to any other nation. Even I was surprised with this, while all my friends were pitting against each other to get this one correct. Scotch was once illegal, and the ban stayed on for almost 2 centuries. The fact that there cant be an expiry date on Scotch can make you ecstatic. Yes, you read it right. Sealed scotch bottles can be kept unopened for almost a century and once opened it can be consumed as late as 5 years. So, Scotch is immortal.

Nearly 200 countries in the world drink Scotch, so that could be one common thing we all share and could be used as a reason for worldwide peace. Scotch is consumed in different ways around the world, people in the United Kingdom have it with a little bit of water, while Chinese like it with green tea and in Japan people enjoy it with ice and water. Spain is a bit different and people love their Scotch with cola. A standard measure of Scotch Whisky (25ml) contains 55 calories, so you should calculate the miles you need to run the next morning. 

The Black Dog TGR is a blended Scotch Whisky, which is triple matured blended from single malt and grain whisky. The final maturation process takes place in Sherry casks. The TGR is accepeted a parallel to any 12 YO Scotch.

Disclaimer: The above content is meant only for people above 25 years.

Photo credits: BlackDog

Scotch Whisky - Fun Facts

You might have observed the fact that the work "Whisky" is spelt without and 'e' whenever it is written with word Scotch, while you were browsing thru my blog. There are a bit of disputes as to why the Scot call it that way, but I would refrain from writing to a Scot "Whiskey". Did you know, Whisky was first found to be referred in Ireland, an not Scotland. It is believed monks in the region of Ireland started distilling Whisky around 5th century and in 1494 the first record was found in Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic words uisage beatha, which in turn came from the Latin Acqua Vitae or “water of life.”

Usque baugh - The Water Of Life

At the most rudimentary step, Scotch Whisky is a distilled beer. Made using malted barley, but unlike beer as hops are not added and hence the wash is different. Scotch is distilled twice to get a strong and smooth spirit and then aged in oak barrels. A spirit to be termed as Whisky must be matured at least for 3 years and it can be called as Scotch, only if distilled and matured in Scotland. Some of the main classifications of Scotch Whisky are :

• Blended Whisky: This is a mix of grain whisky and malt whisky, and makes up the majority of Scotch that is consumed around the world.

• Single Grain Whisky: This is relatively rare and is made from non malted grains such as corn.

• Blended Malt Whisky: This is also sometimes known as “Vatted Malts” or “Pure Malts” and is some of my favourite whisky. It is made from blends of a number of single malt whiskies from across Scotland.

• Single Malt Whisky: This is made, as the name suggests, from malted barley grains from a single distillery. They’re often sold with age statements (10/12/18 years, etc.), which means that they are a blend of single malts from the same distillery where the youngest whisky used is the age stated on the bottle, unless it is a single cask bottle where the whisky must all be from the same making.

Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve Scotch Whisky

The Black Dog TGR is a blended Scotch Whisky, which is triple matured blended from single malt and grain whisky. The final maturation process takes place in Sherry casks. The TGR is accepeted a parallel to any 12 YO Scotch.

Disclaimer: The above content is meant only for people above 25 years.
Photo credits: Nivedith and BlackDog