SCOTCH

ay there, Jim. It sure has been awhile, bub.
I recently dined with a Jim at a Scottish restaurant. In fact, the Jim and I shared 4 scotch eggs and 6 drams of scotch. I had the haggis, which I later excreted in burp form for roughly 7 hours. But I digress. How is scotch made and what makes some scotches better than others? I bet my boss 10 dollars that scotch is made from ground up Scottish midgets.


I'm afraid you owe your boss $10. It is the coating of the scotch eggs that is made from ground up Scottish midgets.

Scotch, however, is that wonderful whiskey that comes from Scotland. (And if it is not from Scotland, it is not scotch.) There are many different scotches and they range from rough to exquisite. Whiskey can be made from many different grains. Rye whiskey is made from rye (of course), Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee sour mash whiskey is made from corn, and scotch is made from malted barley.

If you have been with us right from the beginning, you will remember the post about lager and ale. They are both malt beverages. Scotch is essentially a distilled beer (without the hops). This is the process of making scotch, in a nutshell.

Start with barley (a grain similar to wheat) and put it in a warm moist environment. This will make the seed think it is time to germinate. As the seed prepares to sprout, it starts to turn its starch into sugar. The sugar content will be highest at the moment just before the seed actually sprouts. At this point, the barley will be dried and roasted to stop the growth process. This process of preparing the barley is called "malting" and barley that has undergone this process is called malted barley or simply malt. This is the same basic process used for either scotch or beer. The malt is steeped in hot water to draw those sugars out of the grain. This barley soup is called wort. This liquid is then fermented and the resulting "beer" is then distilled. The end product is aged in barrels for at least 3 years, it is then scotch.

Every part of the process makes a difference in flavor. The time the malt is roasted, whether it is roasted over an open fire or smoked. Whether that fire is made from coke or peat. Where the water comes from. How long it is aged. What kind of barrel it is aged in. These and more determine whether a scotch is drinkable or divine.

The word peat is thrown around all the time when describing scotch. There are many peat bogs in Scotland and the water used in the process can pick up flavors by traveling through these bogs. Peat can also be dried and burned as a fuel and if it is used in the fire to dry or roast the malt, it is another way for the peat to impart its flavor. "Peaty" and "smoky" are what I love in my scotch, but that may not be what you are looking for. Extent of such flavors are all in the beholder. What I find to be just right, you may find to be over powering or weak.

I like to drink my scotches straight, though many people claim that by adding a little water and ice, it can bring out flavors that otherwise wouldn't be detected. One friend of mine told me he thought that was a way of justifying watering the scotch down to make it go farther. I think he has a good point. Scotch is actually already watered down. A few distillers will sell a limited amount of "cask strength", which is much stronger. Of course, like anything, you should decide for yourself what you like best.

Scotch can be divided into two major subdivisions, single malt and blend. The single malt whiskey is a whiskey made from 100% malt from a single distillery. A blend is a mixture of whiskeys from several distilleries and often contain whiskies made from other grains. A broad, general rule of thumb, your better scotches are single malt, though there are excellent blends available as well. I'm not sure this is a always true, but if your scotch's name starts with "Glen", it is probably a single malt.

Like French wines, scotches can also be divided into regions. Though each region can have its own characteristics, they still have more differences than similarities. A novice need not pay too much attention to regions.


One aspect of a scotch that makes a big difference is age. A scotch less that 10 years old is never going to be the highest quality (Of course, we have to remember quality is a relative term. A scotch of average quality may be better that many other whiskey's of high quality.) What makes scotch so good is a complicated question. If it were just the grain, the process and the peat bogs, anyone could do it. I've heard of Japanese buying entire Scottish peat bogs, shipping them back to Japan, and trying to make Japanese "scotch", to no avail. Like many things, scotch is very trendy. I don't mean to diminish its reputation, however, because it is such a popular drink (especially single malt), you will find no bargains. I've tasted scotches that have no rivals in my book. It is hard to find a truly outstanding scotch for less than $45 a bottle. Excellent scotches can quickly reach $80-$100 a bottle. They can go much higher than that, however I know nothing about them. They are too far out of may price range to even taste them. When the waiter at the Scottish Arms restaurant recommended the 21 year old Glenmorangie special reserve, I immediately thought it sounded out of my price range. Never, though, did I think it could be $105 a dram! Very palatable scotches can be obtained for $25-$35 a bottle. I just bought a bottle of 10 year old Glen Garioch, a highland single malt whiskey, for $22. I find it to be a rather smooth whiskey, but uninteresting. The Irish also make fine malt whiskeys. Not long ago, I would say Irish whiskey was "under appreciated", which in "Jimeze" means a bargain, but their prices are rising quickly. Tyrconnel, which is a very palatable single malt, pot stilled, Irish whiskey has gone from the low $20s to $29 in the past several years.

Of the four scotches we tasted, 3 were from the Islay region. The Lagavulin and the Laphroaig had the peaty, smoky flavor that I love. The Caol Ila, however, I found to be lacking in character and complexity. The Glenmorangie is a northern Highland whiskey that also has those characteristics I look for in a scotch. So good were three out of four of those scotches, that just the thought of them would send my tongue into instant flavor rushes. The taste is so distinctive and wonderful, my mind will recreate the experience time and time again for several days. I have never come across another type of drink that will do this to me. I guess this is why it is so popular and so expensive.

Some blends that friends have recommended are Famous Grouse, Pinch, and Chivas Regal.

High quality whiskeys and other spirits, that are made to stand alone are being manufactured in many areas. Vodkas, tequilas, and gins all have their high quality products that are meant to be enjoyed straight. Single barrel sour mash and 10 year old bourbon are being produced by a dozen distillers. These are my new choice for under appreciated whiskies today. Probably the greatest bargain in Jim's book of whiskies is the Tennessee sour mash George Dickle which is smoother and less expensive than Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels is a prime example of the over appreciated (over priced) product that does a better job of selling its image than producing a quality product.