In this second part of the Whisky Glossary we will continue with a brief explanation of some terms that are related to this spectacular drink:

Among the wide variety of drinks whisky is definitely one of the most appreciated. But as each great topic, it has its own language. Are you ready to enter into this amazing world by learning a bit of the “great spirit” vocabulary?

The single malt whisky is named after its elaboration in a single distillery, by fermenting malted barley or rye. For the most representative of these drinks, produced in Scotland, the product is distilled at least twice in copper stills, has a minimum alcohol content of 40° and gets aged for at least three years in oak barrels, which capacity can not exceed 700 liters.

Do you agree when people say that good things take while? As there are many things that are worth waiting for, the same rule applies to whisky.

Real whisky lovers appreciate the ones that have aged in barrels over many years and that unfold a special flavour once opened. They are certainly a temptation you won't resist. But what makes these long aged whiskys so special and most of all, how are they produced? In this post I want to give you more information about the topic.

World leaders are human. They have a favorite football team, movie, meal and even a favorite drink. Psychologists can probably get a lot from the information I will share with you in this post and they will for sure attribute all kinds of personality traits to each of these powerful leaders, based on the contents of their glass. Is it true that all beer or whisky drinkers have something in common?

Well, in the first assault we have Barack Obama and Angela Merkel. If this unrivaled couple gather together a holiday on a terrace by the sea on a sunny afternoon (we will give a bucolic touch to the matter), they both would ask for beer.

The Bourbon obtained its name because the clients in New Orleans used to ask for whisky produced in Bourbon County (Kentucky) where some of the most important cities for the production are placed.

The history of this drink goes back to XVIII century when the american farmers began to distillate the remaining grain of their harvest. A new industry and tradition has just begun: the real american whisky.  The whisky production became very extended and after a discussion about the taxes collected by the government (which ended in the whisky rebellion of 1794) many of the producers moved to the south of Kentucky and Tennessee where they found excellent conditions for the production which gave them an easy access to transport ways as well as rivers. In little time places as Bardstown and Louisville flourished to prosperous communities of whisky producers.

The malts of Speyside are the raw material for the Scottish malt whisky,  the most desirable of the world. This malt is distillated in Cairngorms, the area next to the Spey river in Moray and Aviemore Cairngorms, in the north of Scotland. The two most sold whiskies of the world come from Speyside and that tells a lot about the quality of the malts and their distillation process. The region with the biggest number of distilleries of any whisky producing area is Scotland. 

Today we will visit some of the whisky distilleries that you have to see when visiting Scotland. Scotland, apart from beatiful landscape and coasts, counts on one of the biggest and most popular whiskey productions and exportations which generate an income of 800 million euros. It is one of the most popular products of this land and the touristic visits to its distilleries are one of the attractions you cannot miss.

Scotland's National Day in honor of its patron, St. Andrew, is gone and the best way to celebrate it that I can think at this point (and please, do not ask me what time of the day I'm writing this post or you are going to draw some conclusions) is with good local whisky. Let's get a list of perfect Scotch to celebrate, to make a present or to end the day enjoying the relaxation.

For the exquisite ones:

Low clouds, green landscapes and a lot of whiskey. Strathspey region of Scotland has the highest concentration of whisky distilleries around the country. That is the reason why this region is a model for single malt and it is also the area of origin of 2 heavyweights of the distillates of this cereal, Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet.

The best of the Highlands for the best whisky that even has its own name: Speyside Whisky, as the region where they come from is crossed by the river Spey, a whitewater river that provides them with tasty salmon and worldwide famous whiskies.