Scottish Whisky

The earliest record of Scottish whisky distillation dates back to the late 1400s and from 1644 whisky was highly taxed, leading to illicit distilling. Those is the Highlands could avoid the taxes easier than those in the Lowlands. As malt was taxed, the licensed lowland distillers used more raw grain to decrease their tax bill.

Highland judges often chose not punish the illegal distillers, as the magistrates were landowners, and the distillers were often their tenants. This situation remained until 1823, when punished were finally enforced on illegal distilleries and taxes on licensed operates decreased.

This is seen as the beginning of modern whisky production, and the industry was further boosted by the introduction of the column still in 1831. The still decreased production costs and improved the quality of the whisky.

There are 6 Scottish whiskey regions, and as with wine terroir, the Scotch produced in each region has it's own distinct look, taste and smell. The 6 regions are the Highlands, the Lowlands, Speyside, the Islands, Campbeltown and Islay.

Many of the most famous distilleries, such as The Macallan and Glenfiddich are based in the Speyside region but any whisky tour to Scotland should aim to take in a distillery visit in as many of the 6 areas as possible. We also recommend combining your Whisky focused tour with an exploration of Scotland’s food culture.