There’s a little country to the north of England you might have heard about. The home of Haggis, Trainspotting, and, lest we forget, William Wallace, Scotland is also home to one of the world’s most revered spirits. Scotch whisky is the country’s native spirit—its soul, culture, and landscape translated into a bottle. To the novice, Scotch can be daunting, but don’t fear, with some basic information it’s an easy topic to navigate.

I began my journey into Scotch slowly, not because I was uncertain of its value, but because there’s so much to be intimidated by—from Blended to Single Malt to different types of oak barrels, it’s a lot of information to sift through. On the one hand, the basics are simple enough.  Scotch is a type of whiskey: grain made into a form of beer, distilled, and then aged for years in a barrel. On the other hand, Scotch is caught up in overzealous marketing, high sticker prices, arguments between self-professed, and a history that has always been part savvy advertising, part liquid culture.  At times Scotch is light and rich with honey and floral characteristics. Other times Scotch can be smoky, aggressive, very much a bully on your tongue. I was stumped, and so I promised myself I’d get a handle on the complexities of Scotch whisky, if only to feel like less of dullard in the company of whiskey-swilling friends.

They may be household names now, but the histories of now famous Scotch distilleries are more legends of revolutionary struggle than they are of good business strategies, as much a part of the country's struggle for independence as anything else. You see, the Scots didn’t always get a good deal from the British. Various taxation schemes and tariffs made it nearly impossible for the Scots to legally make their native liquor. They did what people all over the world have done when faced with the same situation: they went underground. 

After a loosening of prohibitive English taxation—and the subsequent Scottish disobedience—the early 1800s saw whiskey distillers moving from hidden black market production into legal legitimacy. Scotch whisky was always a less refined spirit than it is today, but during the second half of the 19th century, Scotch suddenly skyrocketed in popularity. Two things happened to make this change: first, in the 1850s a man by the name of Andrew Usher started blending different Single Malts together to create a more approachable style. Quickly mimicked by other companies—Walker, Balllatine, Chivas, and Dewar’s, for example—the blended style emerged as highly successful. Today, blended Scotch is by far the most widely sold. 

Second, in the last quarter of the 19th Century, a bug by the name of phylloxera destroyed a great deal of Europe’s vineyards. The grapes used to make French brandy were not spared, and so because of a shortage in their beloved Cognac, the English upper classes turned to their Scottish neighbors for libatious assistance. Trickling down to all classes, it has remained in this place ever since—to this day, if you order a “whiskey” at any bar outside America you’ll more than likely be getting a slug of Scotland’s finest.

Origins of a Word
The word whiskey comes from the Galic "uisge beatha," which translates to "water of life."  This concept, that liquor is the essence, or water, of life is pervasive all over Europe: aqua vitae (Latin), eau de vie (France), aqua vit (Scandinavia), and even vodka, which mean's "little water." Anyhow, eventually the English started paying attention to what the Scots were cooking up, started drinking it, and in true linguistic form, blurred “uisge beatha” into “whiskey.”

Types of Scotch
Single Malt, Blended, Blended Single Malt, Highland, Lowland, Isly, Orkney, Speyside—there are too many categories in the Scotch world. Don’t panic.

Scotch is generally thought of in three different ways: Blended, Single Malt, and Blended Malt. Blended Scotch is made primarily from fermented barley and other cereal grains (oats, corn, etc). Single Malt is only fermented barley that’s been distilled twice through a copper pot still and aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels. The whiskey that’s eventually bottled must have been distilled in the same year. Blended Malt is a careful blend of Single Malt Whiskies adhering to the same rules that apply to them.

Experts and self-professed experts disagree as to the supremacy of one over the other. Because I profess no such expertise, I don’t hesitate for one second to say I prefer them all for what they are.  Beautiful expressions of both blending styles are just as memorable as some of the finest Single Malts I’ve sampled—it’s really a matter of exploration and self-discovery.  Poor you.

Where a Scotch comes from has a lot to do with how it tastes, and for that reason let’s simplify things a bit. F. Paul Pacult of Kindred Spirits likes to think of Scotch in two distinct ways: Inland and Maritime. I find comfort in the simplicity of this system because it cuts right through snobbish BS and allows you to immediately interpret what you taste and smell, and how that might translate to geography. Because Scotch is aged for years in very cool climates, it tends to absorb the aroma and presence of its surroundings. Inland Scotch is floral and delicate, with a light smokiness from barley and sometimes with a dose of acacia honey and fresh pineapple flavor. Maritime Scotch retains a briny nose and mid-palate, a reality of strong sea air battering barrel houses year after year. Stylistically, Maritime Scotch from the island of Isle will be very smoky, like taking a sip from a burning campfire. This is due to the use of peat as fuel for drying out barley before fermentation.

How to Drink Scotch
There are just as many different ways to drink scotch as there are types of scotch, so let’s not get caught up with what’s “correct” or not.   Drinking Scotch often depends on your experience with spirits and your ability to taste through the sometimes-aggressive nature of high proof liquor. I generally find that one medium sized ice cube works best for me: it chills and dilutes just enough to open of the nose and ease me into the liquid. Alternatively, a few drops of water can have the same effect without changing the temperature and, consequently, dimming the flavor. 

Buying Scotch
Finding a good value in the scotch world can be damn hard. Visiting even a moderately stocked liquor store can be more than a challenge, with a wall of options towering above you. There are some important tricks working in your favor, so make you sure you take a deep breath, and begin looking at the bottles more closely. Every piece of information you need to know will be printed on the label—from where it’s from to what it’s aged in and for how long. Lucky for us, all that pretty script has a use.

It’s a deeply personal question on what type of Scotch is best. First there’s price. I’m of the firm opinion that great spirits don’t have to be overly expensive, and that’s true even with Scotch. Keep in mind, though, the process of making Scotch—with very long aging periods and good old fashioned hand made labor—puts a substantial strain on the whiskey maker’s wallet and time, so there’s a reason for its higher price tag. That said, values can be found.

Great Brands That Won’t Break the Bank
Blends:
Compass Box Asyla
Famous Grouse

Single Malts:
Glenfiddich 12yr
Highland Park 12yr
Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel
Auchentoshen 3 Wood
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Glenrothes 1994

The Rookie Move 

1½ oz 12-year-old Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskey
1 oz homemade pineapple-sage syrup*
½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
The white of 1 small organic egg**
Angostura aromatic bitters

Shake all ingredients first without ice to get the egg white properly mixed. Then shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Carefully place three small drops of the bitters on top of foam and swirl lightly with tip of a knife for a personalized design.

*Pineapple-Sage Syrup: Gather 2 cups of pineapple juice (canned Dole will work, but fresh will be more vibrant) and 1 cup organic cane sugar. In a saucepan over low heat, combine and stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Add 4-5 medium sage leaves and stir on low heat for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 2 hours. Remove sage leaves and refrigerate until used.

**Use trusted local or pasteurized eggs to be safe.