June 1st 2007 will be the 513th anniversary of the first written record of the distilling of Scotch Whisky (or as they called it back then Aquae Vitae). The distiller mentioned was Friar John Cor and since then the production of Scotch has become a multimllion dollar and multimillion gallon industry. Scotch is both a key export and tax revenue earner for the government of the United Kingdom but it is also a major part of Scottish culture and heritage. To celebrate this glorious drink, you are invited to have a dram and try to answer these questions about the “water of life”.
17. What Country is the #1 market for Scotch in volume?
18. When did the UK government first establish a legal definition for Scotch?
19. How many Scotch distilleries are there in Scotland.
20. True or False, Scotch Whisky matures and improves in the bottle.
1. Single Malt, Vatted Malt, Blended, Single Grain.
2. Oak.
3. Three years.
4. Barley
5. Whether or not the scotch came from one distillery (single) or more than one (blended).
6. The invention of the Coffey still, which led to the development of grain whisky (as opposed to malt). This was somewhat cheaper, but malt whiskys are considered by many to be superior.
7. The monasteries where distilling was centered, were dissolved and the monks forced out into the world to make a living, doing what they did best.
8. The term distillers use to indicate the whisky lost during the maturation process.
9. 55 Gallons.
10. Spirit.
11. Uisge Beatha. Uisge is pronounced “oosh-kay”, and whisky is the English derivation of the term.
12. In America “whisky: is often spelled “whiskey”
13. Over 2500, although many are not sold publicly but are instead sold to clubs and other organizations, and individuals.
14. 82.5 Million (31 bottles sold overseas every second).
15. 23%
16. USA (as of 2005).
17. France (as of 2005).
18. 1909
19. 100, of which about 40 are working at any given moment.
