To get you in the mood to read about Single Malt watch "Whisky
In The Jar" performed by The Dubliners. It's a rousing tune!
An Introduction to Single
Malt "Distillation of whisky has been performed in
Scotland for centuries. The earliest written record of whisky
production in Scotland from malted barley is an entry on the 1494
Exchequer Rolls, which reads "Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor,
by order of the King, wherewith to make aqua vitae."
Many people today would agree that single malt is indeed the 'water
of life!" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_malt_Scotch.
The Beverage Tasting Institute "Starting in the ninth century, Irish monks arrived in
Scotland to Christianize their Celtic brethren. Along with the Word
of the Lord they brought the first primitive stills, which they had
picked up during their proselytizing visits to mainland Europe
during the Dark Ages. The local Picts soon found that they could
create a stable alcoholic beverage by distilling their heather ale.
Simple stills came to be found in most rural homesteads, and
homemade whisky became an integral part of Gaelic culture." http://www.tastings.com/spirits/scotch.html.
A Beginners
Guide to Single Malt
This guide contains 10 Chapters
for those who are new to Single Malt Whiskey or for those who just
want to brush up on their knowledge. http://www.maltmadness.com/guide-01.html.
Single Malt Distilleries in
Scotland
"This list contains all the (legal) malt whisky distilleries in
Scotland that have been active since +/- 1975. Hundreds of other
distilleries that were active in the 18th, 19th and 20th century are
not listed, simply because the odds of ever finding a (genuine)
bottle of the whisky are astronomically slim. "Antique'
bottles appearing at auctions and on eBay are usually dodgy."
The Smallest Distillery in Scotland
Tom and Carol Stuart visited The Edradour Distillery on their tour of Scotland
in 2009. The picture below is one they took and have kindly allowed us to
use.
In the Malt Maniacs tastings of 2004"...no
fewer than three Edradours had won medals. We had tasted the
whiskies blind for the awards, and believe me there was shock when
we realized that all twelve judges (including me!) had something
good to say about at least one of the entries from Edradour. Here
are the 2004 winners;
