User:Ashzhibas/Скотч (виски)

Scotch whisky, or Scotch (persistent. Scotch whisky) — whiskey produced in Scotland. As a "national" product, this whiskey has a category of "name, legislated geographically", and is protected by state legislation of the UK, the European Union and the world Trade Organization. By the way, the modern word "Whisky" comes from the Gaelic "uisge beatha" or "usquebaugh", which means "water of life". Interestingly, whiskey was originally recommended as a drug to preserve health and prolong life, it was prescribed to relieve pain from colic, paralysis and even smallpox.

Short History
The history of the invention of the distillation process is unknown, but there is evidence that the ancient Celts were engaged in distillation of Braga and called this "fiery" liquid "uisge beatha" — "water of life". Over the past century, the art of distillation in Scotland has been improved, and "uisge beatha" gradually turned into Scottish whiskey.

The earliest records of distillation registration were found in Treasury tax reports dated 1494. On the first sheet of the report it is written: "to Give the monk John Cora eight points (Scottish measure of weight, 1 point = 218.25 kg) of barley malt for the production of "water of life"." Preliminary calculations have shown that it is possible to produce about 2400 bottles of distillate from such a quantity of barley, which indicates a well-supplied production of this drink in the monastery walls.

But the primitive equipment of the time and the lack of scientific approach to production lead to the conclusion that the alcohol produced was probably very strong and quite harmful to health. However, distillation technology has improved over time, and in the XVI—XVII centuries in this matter were made significant improvements.

Legislative regulation
Being enshrined in clear British legislation "The Scotch Whisky Act 1988", "The Scotch Whisky Order 1990 No.998" and "The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 No.2890", Scotch whiskey can only be called that product:


 * Which was produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals can be added) which were:
 * Processed at the distillery into mash;
 * Converted into a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzymes;
 * Fermented only with yeast cultures;
 * Which has been distilled with a residual alcohol percentage of less than 94.8 % so that the final distillation product has the aroma and taste inherent in the primary raw material used in the production;
 * The minimum percentage of alcohol content of the final product is 40 %;
 * Which is aged (matured) in a regulated excise warehouse in Scotland, in oak barrels, volume not exceeding 700 liters, and the period of maturation of at least three years;
 * Which preserves the color, aroma and taste obtained from the primary raw materials used in the production and maturation, and to which no substance has been added other than water and alcohol caramel.

Scotch whiskey, according to the law, is divided into five categories:

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky or blended malt Scotch whiskey is a blended whiskey made from several single malt Scotch whiskey produced in several different distilleries;


 * Single Malt Scotch Whisky or single malt Scotch whiskey — a whiskey produced and bottled on one(!) distillery. Single malt whiskey should be made from water and malted barley (malt), without the addition of any other crops, and distilled twice in strictly regulated copper stills (only a few Scottish distilleries practice additionally permitted by law triple distillation). Accordingly, full production must be located in Scotland;
 * Single Grain Scotch Whisky or grain Scotch whisky is a whisky produced and bottled on one(!) distillery. Whole grain whisky must be produced from water, barley grain with/ or without the addition of other complex or unsalted crops. The technology and features of the production of this whiskey should not overlap with the technology of production of single malt Scotch whiskey;
 * Blended Scotch Whisky or blended Scotch whisky is a blended whisky produced from one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with the addition of one or more grain Scotch whiskies produced at several different distilleries;
 * Blended Malt Scotch Whisky or blended malt Scotch whiskey is a blended whiskey made from several single malt Scotch whiskey produced in several different distilleries;
 * Blended Grain Scotch Whisky or blended grain Scotch whiskey is a blended whiskey made from several grain Scotch whisky produced in several different distilleries.

Production
Initially, Scotland produced malt whiskey, using barley as a raw material.

To obtain a wort of malted barley is used. For grain "imitate the arrival of spring" and it begins to germinate. If the grain is not dried in time, it will begin to give roots and shoots, forming new plants of barley. The malting process must be stopped in time by drying.

The collected malt is dried with hot dry air (sometimes it is done using smoke, for which the swamp peat is taken), mixed with water to produce wort, fermented and distilled. The resulting alcohol is aged in oak barrels from other alcoholic beverages; the taste of whiskey affects the composition of peat, water, drink previously contained in the barrel, as well as the location of the distillery (for example, on the beach or near the swamp) — barrels are stored leaky.

Most of the drink produced in Scotland is blended whiskey, a product of mixing malt and grain whiskey (depending on the brand, the blend involves a different number of varieties and proportions). For the first time blending technology was used in 1853 in Edinburgh distillery Andrew Asher. The optimal percentage of grain whiskey to malt is 1:2.

The blend may involve whiskey of different ages, with the label indicated as the age of the final product age of the youngest of those involved in the blend of whiskey. The age of whiskey is the period of aging in the barrel; whiskey does not "age", being poured into a glass container. Despite this, many experts note the fact of degradation of organoleptic properties of whiskey, after more than 25-30 years of storage in the bottle.[source not specified 888 days]

Areas
Now in Scotland there are more than a hundred distilleries that produce more than two thousand brands of whiskey.

The main areas of whiskey production in Scotland:


 * Highlands (Highland)
 * Speyside (Speyside)
 * Plain (Lowland)
 * Campbeltown (Campbeltown)
 * Isle Of Islay (Islay))
 * The Hebrides and the Orkney Islands (Island)

Scotch Whisky Association (Scotch Whisky Association) does not distinguish the last area, but refers to his distillery area of the Highlands.

Classification of Scotch whisky
According to the book of Erkin Tuzmukhamedov "Scotch whiskey", the Scottish whiskey Association divides whiskey into the following categories: Standard blend, Deluxe blend, Premium blend, Semi-Premium blend, Malt, Grain. Below are some of the famous brands of whiskey: