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Whisky casks have been stacked up outside Bunnahabhain distillery on the north of the Isle of Islay waiting to be filled with Whisky and transported for storage.
In his novels, Ian Fleming cast James Bond as a Scotch drinker. In their scripts and stories, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett’s hardboiled detectives consumed tumblers of Scotch. In his movies and his life, Humphrey Bogart drank Scotch.
We’ve got an image of the classic Scotch Whisky drinker. We see a man. He likes danger. He doesn’t say please. He probably leaves the toilet seat up. We call his machismo old fashioned. Or is it just old?
But Katherine Hepburn was a Scotch drinker. So was Dorothy Parker. And Igor Stravinsky, Winston Churchill, Dylan Thomas and Truman Capote. And in a famous scene from Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge turns her charismatic title character into a Scotch drinker, too.
Maybe Scotch Whisky isn’t what we think it is.
What we get when we ask for a Scotch at our neighborhood bar is actually Blended Scotch Whisky—a mix of malt and grain whiskies from a mix of Scottish distilleries. Malt whiskies are whiskies made from malted barley. Grain whiskies are whiskies made from corn, wheat or rye. These are the bottles on the railing beneath the counter of the bar. There are good roles for Blended Scotch in drinks with colleagues after work, or family at a barbecue, or friends at a house party. There are better roles for Single Malt Scotch, as a glass to accompany a conversation with a good friend or a femme fatale.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky is malted barley whisky made from a single distillery and aged for a minimum of three years. They’re the great whiskies of Scotland. They’re the bottles on the shelves behind the bar.
Scotch Whisky distilleries are separated into six geographical regions, every region with attributes, characteristics and styles. The regions are, from south to north, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islay, Highlands, Speyside and Islands.
Lowlands: The region just over the border from England. These whiskies are gently malty, with flavors of grass, ginger, cinnamon and toffee.
Campbeltown: At the southern tip of the Scottish peninsula. Salty, sweet and smoky Single Malts, with flavors of dried fruit and vanilla.
Highlands: The largest geographical region, with a vast variety of styles, from light and subtle to rich and fruity.
Islay: The southern island of the Inner Hebrides. Intense and smoky whiskies with rich, heavy flavors of peat, iodine and seaweed.
Speyside: In the northeast of the Highlands. More than half of Scotland’s distilleries are located in the region. Its Single Malts are fruity, nutty, elegant and mildly peaty.
Islands: The islands around the north, west and south of the mainland. The styles of these whiskies vary from island to island, from peaty and smoky, to flowery and sweet.
While Scotch Whiskies and their regions are analogous to fine wines and their terroirs, the two can’t exactly be compared. The flavors of a Scotch Whisky owe primarily to the house style of its distillery—the way a distillery malts its barley and ferments, distills and ages its whisky.
The best way to cast your own image of Scotch Whisky is to try a Single Malt from a good distillery in every region. Pour your Single Malt into a tulip-shaped glass. Add a couple of drops of water. Shoogle the glass gently. Study the whisky’s color. Part your lips. Nose the whisky. Taste the whisky. Savor its alchemy.
Your new image of Scotch Whisky won’t be what it is now. It’ll be more complicated than that. Less Humphrey Bogart, more Katherine Hepburn. Less Dashiell Hammett, more Dorothy Parker. Less James Bond, more Fleabag.
Sidebar
Single Malt Scotch Whisky isn’t inexpensive but it’s worth exploring. The whiskies on this list are representative of their distilleries and their regions, and they offer good values for their prices. (The age stated for a whisky means the youngest whisky in the bottle is a minimum of that age.)
Lowlands: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old, about $55; Glenkinchie 12 Year Old, about $75.
Campbeltown: Springbank 10 Year Old, about $70; Hazelburn 10 Year Old, about $85.
Islay: Ardbeg 10 Year Old, about $50; Bowmore 12 Year Old, about $55.
Highlands: Oban 14 Year Old, about $70; Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old, about $75; Clynelish 14 Year Old, about $75.
Speyside: Benromach 10 Year Old, about $45; Cragganmore 12 Year Old, about $70.
Islands: Highland Park 12 Year Old, about $55; Talisker 10 year Old, about $70.
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