About whisky and the history of Scotch malt whisky

The first official taxes on whisky production were not imposed until 1644, causing a rise in illicit whisky distilling in the country. Around 1780, there were about eight legal distilleries and 400 illegal ones. In 1823, Parliament eased restrictions on licensed distilleries with the Excise Act, while at the same time making it harder for the illegal stills to operate, thereby ushering in the modern era of Scotch production.

Two events helped to increase the popularity of whisky: firstly, a new production process was introduced in 1831 using a Coffey or patent still. The whisky produced with this process was less intense and smoother. Secondly, the Phylloxera beetle destroyed wine and cognac production in France in 1880, meaning that stocks of both in cellars around the world dwindled to almost nothing.

Since then, whisky production has gone from strength to strength, weathering prohibition in the United States, two world wars, the Great Depression and economic recessions throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Today, it is enjoyed in over 200 countries around the world.

Before you begin

Ensure you have a clean, tulip-shaped nosing glass and a jug of still spring water at room temperature. Unlike tumblers, a tulip glass traps the aromas in the bulbous bottom of the glass.

Step one: pour

Serve your whisky neat, or with a little water added. No tap-water or (heaven forbid) mixers, please. To appreciate the aroma and flavour to the utmost, a measure of malt whisky should be "cut" (diluted) with one to two-thirds as much spring water. Still, bottled spring water will be fine.

Step two: look

Hold your glass up against a neutral background and examine the colour. Scotch whisky appears a light gold, amber or dark ochre colour depending on the wood finish of the cask it is stored in and the length of time it has been aged in it.

Step three: swirl

Give your glass a good swirl and coat the inside well. Notice the legs streaking down the glass. The more there are and the faster they run, the thinner, lighter bodied and younger the malt. If the legs take longer to form and run slowly down the glass, or there are fewer and they appear thick, the malt is most likely fuller bodied and older.

Malt whisky

Malt whisky is made using malted barley, water and yeast. The liquid is distilled in huge copper pot stills (you’ll see them on most distillery tours) and is matured in whisky barrels for a minimum of three years, though most are matured for much longer than this. Single malt whisky is produced at one distillery while blended malt whisky is the product of two or more distilleries.

Grain whisky

Grain whisky is made pretty differently. Malted barley is mixed with unmalted barley and other cereals, such as maize and wheat, before the whole mixture is combined with water and then yeast. The resulting liquid is distilled in a tall patent or Coffey still which look very different to the traditional pot still and yields more spirit at a much higher strength.

Blended whisky

Blended whisky involves an intricate process of mixing different single malts (anything from 15 to 50) with grain whisky. It’s a complex process – whiskies from different distilleries have characters all of their own and don’t always blend happily with certain others – which is why the art of blending is so skilled and recipes are a closely guarded secret. Many blended whiskies are now household names, including Bells, Dewars, Whyte & Mackay, Johnnie Walker and The Famous Grouse.

Step one: malting the barley

Barley is steeped in water and then left out on a malting floor to sprout shoots. It is then baked in a kiln to dry it out before being milled. Some distilleries burn peat to dry out the malted barley. This gives their whiskies deliciously smoky notes.

Step two: mashing the barley

The ground barley, or "grist", is mixed with hot water in a mash tun (pictured), producing a sugary liquid called "wort". This is the basis for the alcohol. The remaining solids are used as a nutritious cattle feed - nothing goes to waste here!