Whisky Type Profile - Scotch
Overall, Scotch is known for:
Whisky Type Overview
Scotch whisky (Scottish Gaelic: uisge-beatha; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye in the late 18th century. As of 2020, there were 134 Scotch whisky distilleries operating in Scotland. All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Any age statement on a bottle of Scotch whisky, expressed in numerical form, must reflect the age of the youngest whisky used to produce that product. A whisky with an age statement is known as guaranteed-age whisky. A whisky without an age statement is known as a no age statement (NAS) whisky, the only guarantee being that all whisky contained in that bottle is at least three years old. The minimum bottling strength according to the regulation is 40% alcohol by volume. Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, blended malt Scotch whisky (formerly called "vatted malt" or "pure malt"), blended grain Scotch whisky, and blended Scotch whisky. The first known written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland of 1494. Many Scotch whisky drinkers refer to a unit for drinking as a dram. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, the word whisky comes from the Gaelic uisge beatha or usquebaugh, which means "water of life".
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Ahhhh yes, Aberlour. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, The Balvenie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Bowmore. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Bruichladdich. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Bunnahabhain. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, The Dalmore. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenfiddich. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, The Glenlivet. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenmorangie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Lagavulin. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Laphroaig. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, The Macallan. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Highland Park. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Talisker. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Auchentoshan. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Springbank. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Ardbeg. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Oban. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Jura. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glendronach. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Aultmore. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Caol Ila. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Kilchoman. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenfarclas. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Balblair. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Aberfeldy. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Ardmore. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Benriach. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Bladnoch. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Cardhu. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, The Arran Malt. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenrothes. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Benromach. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Cragganmore. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Craigellachie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Dalwhinnie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Deanston. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glen Elgin. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glen Moray. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glen Scotia. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenallachie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glengoyne. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glengyle (Kilkerran Whiskies). Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenkinchie. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Knockdhu (anCnoc Whisky). Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Mortlach. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Old Pulteney. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Tamdhu. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Tobermory (Ledaig Whiskies). Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Tomatin. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Ben Nevis. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Benrinnes. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Wolfburn. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Speyburn. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Clynelish. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Fettercairn. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Tomintoul. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glenglassaugh. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glencadam. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Tullibardine. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Monkey Shoulder. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Johnnie Walker. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Dewar's. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Chivas Regal. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Grant's. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Ballantine's. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, J&B Scotch. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glen Grant. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Glen Garioch. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Compass Box. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, Buchanan's Blended Scotch. Nice choice!
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Ahhhh yes, . Nice choice!
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What you smell and taste in a whisky is highly subjective.
Even the pros do not always agree on the tasting notes. Therefore, we have combined the tasting notes from several sources into a cross-section of the most likely Nose, Palate, and Finish to find the commonalities between two whiskies. We use the Aroma Wheel with its concentric circles of increasingly specific tastes and smells (general in the center; more specific the further out you go) to find Exact, Secondary, and General matches between two whiskies. We also take into account other factors such as ABV, region, and price (used as a rough proxy for quality). We then weight each factor based on what we believe to be the approximate importance it has in determining whether two whiskies are similar.
We're all different.
Again, we cannot stress enough that what you smell and taste in a whisky is likely going to be different than the person you're drinking it with. Whisky Mates is meant to be a guide to help you find what you like drinking, using the best methodologies available. In the end, rely on your own palate to tell you what you like and don't like.
