Wolfrock
Wine and Spirits
|
|
|
|
click the Browse button to view our selection of Single Malt Scotch
Lowland: The proximity of England had benefic consequences on this area when the Wash Act was pronounced in 1784. The benefic effects were visible only for a short time, because England realized very quickly that scotch whisky was taking rapidly over the English gin. A new tax was created in 1796: the Scotch Distillery Act. A large part of the distilleries from that area have nowadays disappeared. At the end of the XIXth century, about 20 distilleries were active in the area. Nowadays, just 2 of them are still plenty active: Glenkinchie and Auchentoshan. Bladnoch was recently bought by an Irish who is forced to limit its production for the moment. A pity...
Islay:
The Isle of Islay, on the West coast of Scotland, near the Mull of
Kintyre (where Campbeltown is situated) represents a special trend
in the whisky word.
The island is very small, beautifully, with very kind inhabitants. A whisky produced on Islay is very easy to recognize. It does not happen that often that such a small area produces such a typical and extraordinary spirit. To go to Islay, a ferry takes about 2 hours to cross the sea. There are 8 distilleries on the Isle. The "capital" is Port Ellen, according to some people, but could also be Bowmore, according to others. Situated south of Isle of Jura, Islay is a unique area in the world of Whisky. The sea spray is typical, and a quarter of its surface is covered by peat bogs. The island is covered by fertile soils, and is more sunny than the average of Scotland. It's ideal for producing barley. The distilleries are adapted to the typical climatic conditions. Peat is used for drying the malt. Highland: The Highlands area is the most important from the point of view of whisky production. Because of the very large number of distilleries settled on its territory, the area has been subdivided in several sub-areas.
Speyside:
The Speyside area is a region with an extraordinary concentration of
distilleries. It is named after the river Spey, which waters the
area, together with the other important river, the Livet. The
temperate climate and the many rivers made from this fertile area an
ideal region for the production of barley. The surrounding mountains
were historically very important, as they were considered as a
safety place for the moonshine distillers when the clandestine
distillery was still important.
Northern Highlands: The coast between Inverness and John 'o Groats in the extreme North of continental Scotland has some distilleries mostly settled near the sea, which explains the salted character of the whisky produced in that area: Glenmorangie, Pulteney, Clynelish and Brora amongst others.
Eastern Highlands:
From the dozens of distilleries
created after the Excise Act in 1823, just
some of them are still active nowadays.
Glencadam and Old Fettercairn still produce
their excellent whisky, while North Port has
been replaced by a Safeways supermarket and
Lochside has been transformed in an office
building.
Central Highlands: Somewhere in the valleys of Central Highlands, the smallest still active distillery from Scotland, Edradour has been bought in 2002 by Signatory Vintage, an important independent bottler. Others distilleries from this area are Glenturret and Aberfeldy. Western Highlands: Some of the distilleries settled in the Western Highlands are difficult to classify because their whisky is less typical than the ones of Speyside or Islay. Glengoyne and Loch Lomond could also be classified as Southern Highlands whiskies. Glengoyne is sometimes considered as a Lowlands, but has none of the characteristics of a Lowlands... Amongst the undisputable Western Highlands distilleries, Oban is situated on the coast and Ben Nevis in Fort William. The Isles: Besides the "continental" distilleries, the "Highlands" classification includes generally the whiskies produced in the surrounding Islands, with the notable exception of Islay, which is considered as a production area on its own.
* The Isle of Jura is situated at the
West of Scotland, between the continent and the Isle of
Islay. There is just one distillery on that island and
it is called Jura.
* Situated southern of the
Mull of Kintyre, the Isle of Arran has one
of the youngest and most promising
distilleries of Scotland, Arran.
* Still on the
West coast, Northern from Oban,
the magnificent Isle of Skye
settles one of the most typical
distilleries of Scotland,
Talisker.
|
|
Send mail to drew74@cox.net with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
