Scotch Whisky Naming Conventions

Look at enough bottles of Scotch whisky and you’ll start seeing the same words over and over again. How many distilleries have “glen” in their name? Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glengoyne, Glenfarclas, Glen Grant… you get the idea. Many of the distillers have names that describe where they’re located, which is why glen (which means valley in Gaelic) is so prevalent in so many names.

I started looking for common syllables in distillery names and come up with this short list.

  • Ben: It’s Scottish for mountain.
  • Burn: It’s Gaelic for fresh water but it’s also the name for a watercourse, artificial or natural, from large streams to small rivers.
  • Cairn: It’s a man-made pile of stones.
  • Dhu: The sgian-dubh, or skean dhu, is a small single edged knife that’s part of traditional Scottish Highland dress.
  • Duff: Duff is a surname
  • Glen: Gleann, and thus Glen, is Scottish for Valley with a river and is typically narrower and deep.
  • Knock: It’s another term for clock.
  • Loch: Loch is the term used for a lake or an inlet (Loch Ness? Lake Ness).
  • Strath: It’s a large valley that usually has a river and is wide and shallow.

I found it kind of fun to see what the origins of some of those syllables. For example, I thought it was interesting that there were different terms for a valley. You have strath for wide and shallow valleys and glen for narrow and deep valleys. Were there any that surprised you?

Rob Roy Drink Recipe

Rob RoyWhen it comes to scotch, I think it’s best served in a scotch tasting glass and with nothing else. Some prefer it on the rocks but I usually have it neat (without ice).

There are, however, plenty of scotch mixed drinks and it’s always fun to read about them to see what people have tried to elevate it. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the “Rob Roy,” which is considered the Scotch whisky version of the Manhattan. The Manhattan is pretty much the same recipe with rye whiskey replacing Scotch (you can use any type of whiskey or bourbon to make a Manhattan).

The Rob Roy is named after Robert Roy MacGregor, who was a Robin Hood-like figure from the 18th Century.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz Scotch
  • 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
  • Angostura bitters to taste
  • maraschino cherry for garnish

(Photo: stuartwebster)

90% of Whisky Sales: Blended Scotch

I was surprised to learn that 90% of all whisky sales are towards blended Scotch whiskies and not single malt whiskies. While The Star doesn’t cite a reference, I’m inclined to believe them because many of the most famous brands in whisky belong to blended scotches.

Who in the United States doesn’t know the name Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal?

In fact, for the longest time I thought that Johnny Walker Blue was the pinnacle of whisky (this was when I was younger and long before I discovered whisky). I’ve since learned that while Blue is delicious, it’s usually a mistake to equate pinnacle to price and there are certainly far more expensive Scothes out there!

90% of whisky sales are blends… pretty surprising!

Wood Finishes

One of my favorite Scotches is The Balvenie’s 12 year old DoubleWood. It spends most of its live in a traditional oak whisky cask and then spends a little vacation in a Spanish oak sherry cask. It spends a little time first with bourbon and then with some sherry. It seems that a lot of whisky producers are starting to offer wood finishes as a way to add a bit of variety and spice to their selection (according to Wikipedia, the late 1990s was when they started doing this… but I wasn’t old enough to appreciate it!). While I doubt the DoubleWood was the first, it’s certainly the one I appreciate most often (I also enjoy their PortWood, but as a 21 year old Scotch, it’s not something to enjoy every single day!).

Oak Cask

All scotches spend most of their life maturing in an oak cask that once held either bourbon or sherry. The Macallan, for example, relaxes in an American Oak cask that once matured Jim Beam bourbon. The oak itself can be of the American variety or the French variety, with each imparting different characteristics as a result of the tightness of the grain. By Scottish law, all Scotch must be matured for a minimum of three years and one day in order to be called Scotch whisky.

Here are the various wood finishes you might expect to see (notice how many of them finish in casks that once held sweet wines?):

  • Sauternes: It is a dessert wine from the Sauternais region (which is in Bordeaux) of France. Glenmorangie Nectar D’or is finished in a Sauternais cask.
  • Madeira: Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine (port) made on the Madeira Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. The Balvenie as a 17 year that’s finished in a Madeira cask.
  • Moscatel: Moscatel is a variety of grape and it’s used to make Muscat wine (port). The Arran Malt has a whisky that is finished in Moscatel de Setúbal wine cask (many distillers offer this, include Edradour, Benriach, and others.
  • Tawny Port: Tawny Port is a type of port using the Solera process.
  • Virgin Oak: Take a cask that was designed to hold bourbon or sherry and skip the bourbon or sherry. The Balvenie New Wood, 17 years, is an example of this.
  • Oloroso: A type of sherry, Glenmorangie Lasanta is finished in Oloroso Sherry casks from Jerez, Spain.

The above list is by no means a comprehensive list of all the finishes out there but it’s probably a good start. Note the absence of any Islays… their smokier character probably doesn’t lend itself to finishing.

GlenDronach Distillery

I discovered GlenDronach on Twitter, of all places, and learned that the distillery has been in business for almost 200 years. Founded in 1826, GlenDronach Distiller become the “largest duty paying distillery in the Scottish Highlands” in the 1860s. By 1920, the distillery was purchased by Captain Charles Grant, the son of the founder of Glenfiddich. After another change in ownership, GlenDronach was mothballed in 1996 until 2002. In 2005, the Chivas Brothers took ownership from Allied Distillers.

After all that, I was saddened to learn that no local liquor store carries them (at least the ones I visit regularly). They have several age expressions as well as special finishes (they may have been mothballed but the barrels were still waiting patiently it seems!):

  • 12 Year: Described as Rich, creamy, silky-smooth. Warm, rich oak and sherry sweetness, full mouth feel, raisins, soft fruits.
  • 15 Year: Described as Incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange.
  • 17 Year: Described as Sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.
  • 33 Year: Described as An avalanche of chocolate and mocha coffee, laced with spices, pineapple and raisins.
  • Sauternes Finish (14 yr): Described as Apple and rhubarb drenched in homemade custard, sweet deset wine with ripe sultanas and creamy heart.
  • Virgin Oak Finish (14 yr): Described as Spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist.
  • Moscatel Finish (15 yr): Described as Sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple with sweet ripe raising and alcohol infused figs.
  • Tawny Port Finish (20 yr): Described as Stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples balanced with an injection of liquorice and aniseed.

If you’re a local Marylander (I live in Howard County) and know of a place that sells them (I can’t wait to find out they’re available in my neighborhood store and I just missed it), please let me know!