Whisky distilleries are to Scotland as wineries are to the Napa Valley. But the biggest
concentration are in the Speyside area of northwest Scotland along the Whisky Trail. We visited
the Strathisla distillery, which is home to both a single-malt whisky, as well as the blended Chivas
Regal brand.
Whisky is actually pretty simple to make. They start by malting barley by soaking it in water for a
couple days until it begins to sprout. Then they dry it. This is called "malt." Some of the distilleries
traditionally used peat to dry their malt, so their whisky tends to taste smokier than others. After
the malt is dried, it is milled into a powder, mixed with water and yeast, and fermented for a few
days in a tun vat. Then it is distilled three times and put into barrels. These barrels have always been
used for something else such as American bourbon whiskey ,or port wine, or sherry. It is then aged
for at least three years, usually much longer.
So the things that distinguish one Scotch whisky from another are: the water source, how smoky
they make the malt, the shape of the still, the previous use of the barrel, how long it is aged,
and whether it is blended or a "single" malt.