Scotch whisky is one of our all time favourites, with no doubt. But, do you know everything about you most beloved drink?
1. The word “whisky” translates roughly from the Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha as “water of life.”
2. To be officially named as “scotch”, it has to be aged for at least three years in oak casks. It must also have been aged and bottled in Scotland, by law.
3. 40 bottles of Scotch are exported every second. Whisky is Scotland’s second biggest export product, topped only by another very precious liquid, oil. In fact, one in 50 jobs in the country is supported by the whisky industry.
4. France is number one scotch consumer. More Scotch is sold in France in one month than Cognac in an whole year.
5. A sealed bottle of whisky will last unopened for at least, a century.
6. Water can help a whisky open up, allowing its aromatics and character to bloom. Every master distiller tastes his whisky with a few drops of room-temperature water added. Ice, on the other hand, masks Scotch’s complexities.
7. It’s called “Angels share”, the part of the scotch that evaporates every year from the barrell. After 25 years, more than 40% of the barrel will have gone to the angels.
