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 The
commercial production of Scotch whisky began more than 300
years ago when an Argyllshire farmer produced the drink in
a simple device using a similar method to that of the monks
who were distilling centuries earlier. Distilling alcohol
from various fruit or grain was brought from China by Arab
traders to the Middle East, then to Europe, most notably France
where Cognac was produced from grapes. The method then travelled
from France to Ireland with monks escaping pillage and persecution.
They used barley instead of grapes in their process and now
the Irish lay claim to having the oldest whisky distillery
in the world. And from Ireland as with many other things,
it came to Scotland.
In the late seventeenth century a landowner,
Duncan Forbes, was granted the rights to produce whisky 'from
any of the grain grown on his estate' without paying tax.
When, in 1784, this 100-year-old monopoly was abolished, distilleries
rapidly sprang up throughout central Scotland and began to
export to England. The English war with France and high taxes
forced these small lowland distilleries out of business, but
the trade carried on using illicit stills. Remote Highland
glens were the ideal setting to conceal the cottage industry
that then sprang up, and the peat fires and pure water of
the glens, used with more traditional methods, produced an
even more palatable product.
In 1822 the visit of King George IV once again
made whisky widely popular, and changes were made in the law
reducing excise duties and encouraging legal production. Blending
became an important innovation with huge vats in which whiskies
were mixed to improve their flavour.
Scotland is divided into regions coinciding
with the type of whisky it produces. The distilleries below
a line from Dundee to Greenock produce lowland malts which
are lighter with a subtle flavour best suited as aperitifs.
Whisky produced above the line is considered Highland.
The east of Scotland from Dundee to Royal Loch
Nagar produce a whisky whose predominant flavour is malt,
although much depends on how it is casked. To the west from
Speyside to Oban the whisky is very well balanced.There are,
however, distinct flavours to be found in the Islays.
Speyside is the modern heart of whisky production
with over 30 per cent of Scotch malt whisky such as Glenlivet,
Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich and the MaCallan coming from this
small area. This is where the illegal trade flourished.
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