From the bonny bells of heather

They brewed a drink long-syne,

Was sweeter far than honey,

Was stronger far than wine.                      

—R.L. Stevenson

To this day, no one quite understands the mystique of Scotch whisky. Is it something in the top-grade barley, or the clear soft water filtered through spongy green moss? Is it the fresh mountain air or the lingering fragrance of the peat smoke? Nobody really knows. And nowhere else in the world but in the land of knobby knees has the distinctive flavor of Scotch whisky been successfully duplicated.

The prestige surrounding Scotch is occasionally mistaken for snobbery. There is, after all, a big difference between the drinker who savors the golden liquid, with its evocative images of bracken-clad moors and purple Scottish heather, and the drinker who quickly gulps, gasps and asks for another in the same breath.

Whisky-making was already a thriving cottage industry in the islands and glens of Scotland by the end of the 15th century. In those days, partaking of a wee dram was not without its dangers. The thrifty Scots have always abhorred waste, so the making of alcohol was a common way to use up cereals which had fermented after a wet harvest. Many cases of serious illness resulted before the supervision of whisky-making was entrusted to the Royal College of Surgeons of the City of Edinburgh in 1505.

The name whisky is derived from the Gaelic uisge beatha, meaning “water of life.” As the English tongue was unable to twist itself around these words, the term became whisky in the language of the Sassenachs.

Its survival is a tribute to the resourcefulness of the Highlanders (forerunners of the American bootleggers during the Prohibition era) who were forced to resort to smuggling and illicit distilling to dodge the heavy tax imposed on whisky by the English excise men during the 18^th century.

photo courtesy: Aberdeen and Grampian Tours Board

There are two main types of Scotch: malt and grain whisky. Malt whisky is made from malted barley in onion-shaped copper pot stills by a process largely unchanged for centuries. Grain whisky contains malted and unmalted barley, as well as maize, and is made in patent stills invented in 1831. It is milder both in flavor and in aroma than malt whisky.

In 1905, a British magistrate ruled that a storekeeper had contravened the 1875 Food and Drugs Act by selling as whisky the product of a patent still. Tempers ran so high that a Royal Commission was set up to look into the matter, settling the dispute once and for all: “Whisky” was to apply to both pot still and patent still products.

A drink that takes its time

Both malt and grain whisky must mature before distillation is complete – a process that, by law, must take at least three years, and can take as long as 15. To mature, the colorless liquid is placed in oak casks that have previously held sherry, which gives it a subtle flavor and a pale tinge of golden color. The whisky is now ready for blending. While a few malt and grain whiskies are still drunk unblended as “single” whiskies, today most are blends. Only after the practice of blending malt and grain whiskies began around 1860, did the taste for Scotch start to spread, first to England and then all over the world. “Water of life” it may have been to the hardy Scot, but the unblended whisky was too harsh for the palate of his English neighbor.

The art of the blender is highly specialized. He does not swallow any of the spirit, relying solely on his sense of smell and using a tall tulip-shaped “nose glass.” When in doubt, the blender will moisten his hands with the pure whisky and cup them over his nose – the infallible test. A blend may contain from 15 to 50 different single whiskies, which are left to “marry” in oak casks for at least six months. The age on the label is that of the youngest whisky used in the blend.

It was in the beautiful Speyside area of Scotland that George Smith took out the very first whisky license. Called The Glenlivet, today it is still the only distillery legally entitled to carry the sole name Glenlivet. Other distilleries which use the name must hyphenate it with the true name of the particular distillery such as Balvenie-Glenlivet and Dufftown-Glenlivet.

History tells us Smith received a brace of pistols from a local laird to defend himself against infuriated clandestine distillers who were threatening to close or burn the new “legal” enterprises. With phylloxera ravaging the French vignobles, and the prices of wine and Cognac soaring, the British aristocracy turned to whisky for solace. Smith was soon joined by a host of other distillers, whose names survive to this day: Arthur Bell, Thomas Dewar, John Haig, John Walker and William Teacher. Indeed, Scotch whisky is big business nowadays. One distillery, Ballantines on the River Clyde, entrusts its golden cargo to the surveillance of 100 white Roman geese.

On the whisky trail

Whisky aficionados can spend a couple of days following Scotland’s Malt Whisky Trail, which is located in the picturesque Highlands alongside the River Spey. Each of the seven distilleries is unique: the smallest working distillery is Benromach in Forres; Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown is one of the few Scotch whisky companies to remain in the hands of the original family; and Cardhu Distillery is the only malt distillery pioneered by a woman. Each offers guided tours and many have viewing galleries, tastings, gift shops and picnic facilities. Some have small admission charges.

Even if you are not traveling to Speyside, check with the nearest travel information center (TIC) to see if there are distillery tours in the area. The western island of Islay is known for its single malt whiskies, which have a distinctive smoky flavor derived from peat. Renowned names include Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg.

Visitors heading to the Isle of Skye can visit the Taliskar Distillery, which is sometimes described as “the lava of the Cuillins.” It was on the Isle of Skye that I had my first chance to see a replica of an illicit whisky still which was located in a wee thatched house built into the hillside behind the Colbost Croft Museum. It was a smoky, sooty place but the Scots insist that their national drink, “Goes down singing hymns.” Whisky lovers the world over will drink to that. . .