Re: Trip to Scotland

Home to fine whisky.

The finer Scotch Whiskies are referred to as Single Malt Whiskies, then lower in the pecking order there are the blended whiskies which has lower quality grain Whisky mixed with some Malt whisky. At the very bottom is the grain Whisky.

In General the finest Malts are then classified into which area they are from, as the ingredients used (especially the water used) to make the whisky will leave some very distinctive flavours. I'm afraid there is a lot of snobbery when it comes to finest malts just as there is in fine wines. The Malt whiskies are marketed by the brewing companies for their exclusivity much like designer perfumes hence a lot of the finest whiskies are extremely expensive.

The two main famous types of malt whisky are made in Speyside and in Islay. Laphroaig is an Islay malt and has an acquired taste because of the 'peaty' flavour. 'Peaty' overtones are quite common for the Islay malts.

The Speyside malts are generally cleaner and lighter in flavour, some may say more bland, some may say more subtle but again that is subjective.

Of course there are many more areas in Scotland where Whisky is distilled. There are highland and lowland malts. There are some really nice Whiskies out there. But don't fall into the trap of thinking if it is more expensive then the better it will be. Probably the reason for the 'Cats P***' comment.

If I was to recommend a malt, it would be for a Speyside Malt for the beginner.

Some recommendations for Malts- Glenmorangie, Cardhu, Glenlivet, Miltonduff, Highland Park and Laphroaig (acquired taste for advanced drinkers)

Some recommendations for Blended - Grants.

I have also tried 'Tesco's Value Brand' Whisky (not sure if it is a blended or simple grain whisky) which is about a quarter the price of other well known single malts available in local supermarkets and found it surprisingly agreeable. I was expecting it to taste like the finest Cuban Whisky (which is pretty awful).

Also for the Ladies there are Whisky Liqueurs such as Drambuie and Glayva (my favorite). If you come a across a bottle of Glayva, the lady in your life will appreciate the gift.