Understanding Scotch Whisky Labels

Considered by a fair majority to be the finest whiskey* in the world, Scotch has been produced in the northern United Kingdom since at least the sixteenth century, when an order for

Perhaps the first, and most important consideration when glancing at a Scotch label is whether or not the spirit within is said to be a "single-malt," "vatted-malt," or "blended whiskey." The first category, single-malts, consists of spirits made entirely from roasted barley at a particular distillery. Vatted malts, also known as "blended malts," are blended spirits made from a combination of more than one distillery's single-malt whiskey. Finally, "blended malts," the are most commonly bottled and consumed, consist of blended whiskeys from multiple distilleries in combination with grain whiskey when bottled. The most popular Scotch whiskeys are blended malts, encompassing such popular brands as Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, and Johnnie Walker. The latter is the second most popular brand of whiskey in the world, with approximately four bottles consumed every second!

Although the region in which a whiskey is produced often does not have a significant impact on flavor (though coastal areas may impart a "briny" salt taste), it may be a consideration when building a collection or trying to assemble a larger sampling. Scotch whiskey is produced in one of five regions of Scotland, known as Campbeltown, the Highlands, Islay, the Lowlands, and Speyside. Only three distilleries remain in operation in the Lowlands and Campbeltown, while Speyside is now the whiskey-producing capitol of the United Kingdom. Islay is home to eight distilleries, and the Scottish Highlands contain approximately forty distilleries across the mainland and many northwestern islands. The region in which a whiskey is produced may be of important in consideration of flavor, as previously mentioned, coastal areas such as Campbeltown, the Highland Islands, and Islay may impart a salt-like, sea-air taste that some may find unfavorable, though many enjoy it a great deal.