Kilchoman Distillery is Scotland’s newest distillery.

Kilchoman Distillery is located in the Inner Hebrides, on an island called Islay. Specifically, it is located just out of a town called Kilchoman. The location gives Kilchoman Distillery the title of the most westerly distillery in Scotland. It is also the first Scotch Whisky Distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years.

Kilchoman Distillery is so new that at this point it has not begun selling its whiskies. Their first sets of casks were filled on the 15th of December, 2005. The first set of Kilchoman Distillery Scotch Whisky is scheduled to be bottled and released in 2011, and be sold as a five year aged Scotch Whisky. At this point, an eight, ten and twelve year age is scheduled. There is also consideration of making separate release of Scotch Whisky for various malts.

The Kilchoman Distillery is equipped with one wash still and one spirit still. These combine to give the Kilchoman Distillery an operational capacity of 90,000 Liters. The current batch of ageing Scotch Whisky in the Kilchoman Distillery are held in bourbon barrels, but there are plans to implement sherry barrels in the future.

Scotch Whisky Distillation is an integral step to creating Scotch Whisky.

The main reasons for distilling Scotch Whisky is to increase its alcohol level, ridding it of any impurities like methanol. As each still is made individually for a brewery and the brewers charged with the supervision of the process are different from one establishment to another are different, it is only natural that the distillation process adds the “character” of each distillery into its Scotch Whisky.

There are two main types of stills used in Scotch Whisky Distillation, the pot still and the Cofey still. The pot still is predominantly used for single malt Scotch Whisky and the Cofey still is used for grain whisky. While the exact difference between the stills can be out of reach for most people, the essence lies in the number of times a whisky has to be distilled in each type.

The pot still used in Scotch Whisky distillation can be likened to a large pot. All the ingredients of the Scotch Whisky are placed in it, while heat is applied. The steam rises from the liquid mass and is condensed at the narrowed top of the pot still. This is typically done twice, to reach the desired alcohol and taste. Although the Auchentoshan distillery still uses a triple distillation method.

The Cofey still used in Scotch Whisky distillation works slightly differently. In essence it is like a series of pot stills in a horizontal chain. The distillation process is completed in one session as opposed to multiple batches like the pot still. This method also yields a higher alcohol percentage than the alternative pot still.

Laphroaig is a Scotch Whisky, the only one to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales.

The Laphroaig Distillery was established in 1815, in Port Ellen, Argyll, Scotland. The name Laphroaig derives from its location, as in English it translates to “beautiful hollow by the broad bay”. The distillery was originally operated by Alex and Donald Johnston, of Clan MacDonald. The distillery stayed in the family until 1887, when it was came under the control of the Hunter Clan. In 1954, the company was given to Bessie Williamson, as there was no natural heir to Ian Hunter, the owner at that time, at his death. Laphroaig is currently owned by Future Brands.

Laphroaig attracts a unique fan of Scotch Whisky. The company policy is to attempt to recreate Scotch Whisky as it would have been made 100 years ago. To achieve this, the Laphroaig distillery employs a number of various techniques, the use of bourbon barrels, both wash and spirit stills, water from the Kilbride Dam, the avoidance of chill filtering and possibly most importantly, the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. This all results in a Scotch Whisky which is considered to have a stronger than typical taste and until 2005 a higher than typical alcohol percentage (43% versus a normal 40%, in the 10 year blend). This unique taste has earned Laphroaig the honor of bearing the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales, as reportedly the 15 year age is his favorite type of Scotch Whisky.

Single Grain Scotch Whisky is a type of whisky made in a single distillery.

Single Grain Scotch Whisky is arguably the rarest type of Scotch Whisky on the market today. Currently there are eight different brands of Single Grain Scotch Whisky on the market. Although there are only seven distilleries operating in Scotland as of 2006.

By law, Single Grain Scotch Whisky has to be made in one distillery, although there are no regulations as to how many or what types of grains are used. Typically wheat, corn or unmalted barley is used in the production of Single Grain Scotch Whisky. The choice of ingredients in Single Grain Scotch Whisky necessitates the use of a Coffey Still. The rarity of the still and different skill set required for its operation lend themselves to being some of the reasons that Single Grain Scotch Whisky is not more widely produced.

Currently on the market it is relatively easy to attain a number of examples Single Grain Scotch Whisky. Most common amongst these is Black Barrel, Cameron Brig, Carsebridge, Dumbarton, Invergordon, loch Lomond, North British, Port Dundas and Starthclyde distillery Single Grain Scotch Whisky.

Vat 69 is a brand of blended Scotch Whisky.

Although in modern times Vat 69 is a brand of Scotch Whisky it was originally the name designated to a specific blend of Scotch Whisky. It is said that in 1882, the creator of Vat 69, William Sanderson, created one hundred different mixes of blended Scotch. These various blends were put in front of a panel of judges who’s responsibility was to decide on the best blend. The blend in vat 69 was deemed to be the best. The name of Vat 69 Scotch Whisky derives specifically from this event. The original recipe called for 40 different malt whiskies, all which were claimed to be at their “peak” ripening age. Although it is not acknowledged by the company itself, these must have changed since their inception due to changing ingredient quality and production methods. The Vat 69 range has also expanded to over five types of Scotch Whisky, with these varying further from one international region to another.

The production of Vat 69 blended Scotch Whisky began in 1882. Previous to its production, the creator, William Sanderson was in the business of wine and liqueur production. He had in fact been in this line since the age of thirteen, when he began an apprenticeship in it. And although he was fully qualified to do so, William Sanderson was personally against going into the business of Scotch Whisky production. It was not until his son joined the business in 1880 that he even began to consider it.

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