By law, a whisky cannot be called Scotch until it has matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years — and if you see the words “single malt,” it means every drop was made from malted barley at one distillery, not that it comes from a single cask. Those two rules do more to shape the spirit in your glass than any tasting note ever could. This is Guide № 004 in The Love Scotland Guide series.
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In this guide
- What Legally Counts as Scotch
- The Five Official Categories
- How It Is Actually Made
- Where That Smoky Flavour Comes From
- Regions, and What They Do and Don’t Tell You
- Myths Worth Retiring
- Frequently Asked Questions
More Love Scotland Guides
The Love Scotland Guide is a numbered series — one tightly focused subject at a time, each with its own downloadable collectible edition.
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