Scotch is short for Scottish whisky – although Americans are just about the only people who use the shorted term for whisky made in Scotland. There are a number of categories of Scottish or Scotch whisky:
- Single malt Scotch Whisky
- Single Grain Scotch Whisky
- Blended Scotch Whisky
- Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
- Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
Malt whisky was born well before the fifteenth century, which is the first time Scottish records mention it. An old Scottish says that it was created to reward the Scots for having to endure the cold, wet climate of their homeland.The earliest evidence of Scottish whiskey is from 1494 – 1495, when Scottish Exchequer Roll included an entry of malt delivered to Friar John Car to make aqua vitae. In 1497, a barber brought a gift of whiskey to King James IV at Dundee. In 1505, the Guild of Surgeon Barbers in Edinburgh was given the monopoly of distilling and selling aqua vitae within the city boundaries. Generally, whisky was used for medicinal purposes. By 1550, however, increasing prosecutions for infringements of the barbers’ privilege suggest that whisky was becoming more popular generally as a beverage.
The 1600s and 1700s were marked by continuous disagreements between distillers and the government over taxation of spirits, and laws were enacted with the intents of putting the smaller home producers out of business. This only ensured a lively smuggling market for their product. Finally in 1823 Scotland’s Parliament enacted more lenient laws.
About 130 years ago a Scotsman named Andrew Usher is credited with being the first to blend malt whisky and grain whisky to reduce its pungency. The grain whiskies are made chiefly from corn (or corn and wheat) and are distilled in column stills at around 180 proof, which is somewhat below neutral spirits but very light in flavor. Malt and grain whiskies are aged separately for several years and then blended, with as many as 30 or 40 (or more) different malt and grain whiskies in a given brand.
Scotch becomes popular in the United States during the Prohibition years, when it was smuggled into the country from Canada, the Caribbean and ships at sea. The earliest brands were dark, peaty, and strong. After the repeal of Prohibition, Scotland’s distillers began tailoring their products to the lighter American palate. Scotch got under another boosts in popularity when American soldiers return from the World War having acquired a taste for it. A light bodied Scotch is not necessarily light colored since all Scotches have caramel added to ensure color uniformity, nor does light body mean low alcohol content. All scotches are bottled at a minimum of 80 proof; most are 86 proof.
History of Scotch Whisky