Aroma Thyme's Scotch Primer

Scotch Primer

Genuine Scotch Whisky must be distilled and aged at least three years in oak cask in Scotland. Beyond that simple definitiion lie several complications. For instance the vast majority of Scotch distilled today is Grain Whisky. Uncomplicated stuff made in huge quantities in continuous column stills and blended with better products to produce the famous brands that are known all over the world.Then there are the Single Malt whiskies. These must be made from malted barley and distilled in batch process in the traditional pot still. Usually Single Malts are blends of whiskies from the same distillery but of different ages. The age of the youngest whisky in the blend is the age placed on the label. Quite recently some distilleries have been releasing whiskies derived from a particular cask and batch, so labelled and numbered. These are "Single Cask" malt whiskies.While there are several whisky producing regions, it's hard to see consistent styles of whisky from them except for the Islay Malts and the Speyside Malts.The malt whiskies of Islay, like the Caol Ila and the Bruichladdich, which we carry at Aroma Thymw Bistro have a strong peaty aroma and tastes of the sea, plus hints of iodine and salt. Some speculate that this is due to the presence of seaweed in the peat that is used to distill them. Others believe it's more due to the sea air and the character of the barley used. Then there are those who claim it comes from the water used in the barley wash. The Caol Ila Single Cask is a pure expression of the style, while the Bruichladdich is just a little softer. We also have the very interesting "Black Bottle"-- a blend of Islay malts with some grain whisky, everything aged at least ten years. Once again the taste of the peat is notable, while the finish is very smooth.Travel across Scotland, right over the Highlands and the Cairngorm Mountains, and youcome upon the valley of the River Spey, which has the greatest concentration of distilleries in Scotland. Among them are the best known names inSingle Malt Scotch-- the Glenlivet, the Glenfiddich and the Macallan. We carry all three of these at Aroma Thyme, and have recently added a Single Cask Macallan. Here the water derives from the mountains, from ancient seams of granite and the local barley is high in protein and therefore in flavor. If there's a theme to great Speyside Whiskies it would be smoothness to my mind. The Glenfiddich is the lightest, the Macallan, which comes in a great variety of bottlings, -- we have the 12 year and the special Single Cask bottling-- is thegreat prize winner, and the Glenlivet is the ancestor, one of the oldest distileries and one with the most recognizable style, light, but complex and extremely smooth on the finish.