One of Scotland's greatest exports, Scotch, has a rich history dating back over 500 years. Unfortunately due to a few disagreements with the English its exportation didn't flourish until the last few centuries, but you wouldn't know it considering its popularity today.
One characteristic that makes Scotch special is the water that flows from Scottish springs, lochs and rivers, it can't be duplicated and without it the Scotch just doesn't taste the same. Many of the other characteristics that shape a single malt scotch whisky, include its ingredients (water, barley, peat, yeast and oak), production methods and maturation. Different areas even produce different flavors with the climate having a magical effect on the whisky. The unheated warehouse influence the components of a whisky: lower temperatures make for a smoother, more pleasant whisky and even the relative humidity means a loss in the whisky's strength and volume. Mature whiskies contain more than 400 components, each of which contributes to create important flavor and aromatic characteristics.
By law, the whisky has to age for a minimum of three years, but this is usually too short a time for a good whisky to develop. The ideal time for most single malts is from 8-16 years in barrel. Each malt ages differently: the lighter ones may mature younger; more robust whiskies may take longer to mellow. Because of the variations of climate even different areas require different duration's to reach maturation, some whiskies are even stored for up to sixty years.
In addition to single malt whiskies, which generally come from a unique region of Scotland, there are blended scotch whiskies. These blends, which are quite popular in America, can include varieties from all over Scotland usually combining a single malt and grain whiskies. These blends are generally smoother than single malt Scotch.
