Scotland is known for its whisky, rather than its wine - the climate being too cold and wet to allow grapes to ripen sufficiently for use in wine production. Whisky has been produced in Scotland for several hundred years, and the question of whether whisky came to Scotland from Ireland or vice-versa is a much debated topic.
Scotland is divided into six main regions: The Highlands, Islands, Islay, Campbeltown, Lowlands and Speyside. While some of these regions pertain to only a very small number of distilleries, some of them cover large expanses of land and require further sub-division.
Geographically, Scotland lies to the north of England, between 55 and 60 degrees latitude, and is characterized by areas of moorland, highland and coastal islands. (© Proprietary Content, Wine-Searcher) Despite this high latitude, the Scottish climate is temperate and oceanic, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream which brings warm water currents (and consequently higher rainfall) to the west coast of the United Kingdom.
Geography and climate affect whisky styles as they do wine styles, although in slightly different ways. The air and water around a distillery are of great importance, as they bring regional 'identity' to the whisky produced there - local spring water is used in almost every step of the distillation process. Coastal distilleries often produce whisky with slightly saline 'oceanic' notes, while the thinner, fresher air of highlands areas, and the heather-scented air of moorlands will also penetrate into local whiskies. Barley and yeast are the other two raw materials in whisky production, but these are not regionally distinctive.
One key feature of whisky production is the use of peat fires when drying out malt (part-germinated barley). Peat smoke lends a distinct flavor to the drying malt, which translates clearly through to the end product. It is in the west of Scotland where this characteristic is most common. This might be drawn as a parallel to the use of oak in wine production. (Copyright material, Wine-Searcher)
While other regions of the world have well-established or developing whisky production, none has yet posed a threat to Scotland's dominant status.
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