Let's talk about Scotch. This topic alone will cover several of my posts for this year and possibly into next year depending on how infrequently I write.
We'll start with its definition. To be a Scotch whisky it has to be produced at a
distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley. It needs to be aged in oak casks for at least three years and bottled at a minimum alcohol volume of 40% (80 proof.)
Distillers can purchase all of the ingredients outside of Scotland, but all of it is readily available in country. Barley is a pretty hardy plant and grows well in Scotland. Some distillers will proudly claim that they only use Scottish barley. I do know that barley is purchased from other countries to be used in Scotch if the distillers think that it will add additional flavor or character to the scotch (e.g. The Glenmorangie "Signet.")
I am not sure if there are any laws regulating where they can get their water from (e.g. an arctic glacier, bottled water), but it would be strange to use anything other than the water that the distillery is closest to. Though water from a glacier would be pretty cool...no pun intended.
Now the oak casks are a completely different story. I was told that many of the casks that they age Scotch in comes from American Bourbon distilleries. Part of the production of bourbon is that the cask used in its ageing can only be used once. Scotch production has no such limit, so they are able to purchase these casks at a price lower than if they constructed them themselves. The production of Sherry also creates an excess of casks form which the Scottish distiller can benefit from.
So, even though the ingredients can be outsourced, the magic has to happen within the borders of Scotland...or to put it simply, it's Scotch only if it's made in Scotland.
This is just a beginners definition of Scotch. There are actually more rules and regulations in regard to its definition, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with minutia. Instead, as I continue to post about production, regions, nomenclature, etc., I will explain rules and regulations specific to the topic covered. This way we can keep our focus where it belongs, on the Scotch.
