Talk:Scotch whisky

Expanding History Section?

I am interested in expanding the history section to include a broader, though still encyclopedic, augmentation to the quality additions already in place. What would you consider to be the high points? I would like to expand the phylloxera epidemic especially, and mention the turmoil that beset the market at the turn of the century. Staysharp (talk) 18:33, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Consistency of ABV, abv, and a.b.v.

Throughout the article, "alcohol by volume" is inconsistently abbreviated ABV, abv, and a.b.v. It's not at all a critical matter — just something I thought I'd get input on before I made any changes. The page for alcohol by volume lists the first two as acceptable. Thoughts? Indeepwinter (talk) 20:56, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

I think ABV is the most common, so a very slight preference form me there. MOS:ABBR doesn't give much, apart from that it should be typed out the first time it is mentioned. Martijn Hoekstra (talk) 21:02, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Category of Whisky

I've started a discussion about categories and status distilleries here. Ahwiv (talk) 19:19, 23 February 2013 (UTC)

There's no references for the section on Legal definition

Someone removed the template noting there were no references with no explanation. Soranoch (talk) 23:23, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I removed that template, because it was incorrect. There are two references cited at the end of the first paragraph – in the source, they appear as "{{sfn|Scotch Whisky Regulations|2009}}{{sfn|Scotch Whisky Association|2009}}". —BarrelProof (talk) 23:27, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

There are no references for the section "Legal definition". If I can't see them, then there are others that can't either. Please fix, and return the "unreferenced section" template until you do. Soranoch (talk) 23:36, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It is strange that you can't see them. Do you see them in the source (as I quoted)? Are you using the new visual editor? Are you using an unusual browser? Do others see them or not? —BarrelProof (talk) 23:55, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

They're certainly there. Maybe Soranoch's browser has issues with named references? Either way, I removed the tag again, as the section is certainly definitively referenced, and the tag is factually incorrect. oknazevad (talk) 00:10, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Taste?

I know that it can be a challenge to describe flavors but I came to Scotch to see how it tasted different from other whiskies. I know that Rye whiskey page contrasts its flavor to that of Bourbon whiskey. Since Scotch is thought to be so distinctive, it would be nice to know why. Newjerseyliz (talk) 17:49, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

That's a pretty difficult question to answer because it's not really an apples-to-apples comparison. Bourbon and rye are predominantly distilled from corn and rye, respectively, and that's why they're called bourbon and rye. Scotch whisky is so-called because of its origin and aging process, not because of the malts or grains used. Scotch whiskies are as different from each other as they are from bourbon or rye. --Laser brain (talk) 18:30, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

All single malt Scotch is made exclusively from barley, and the mash for all Scotch is legally required to contain barley, and non-single-malt Scotch is generally made in a way that attempts to taste somewhat like single malt Scotch. So a barley flavour is a distinctive characteristic. Most Scotch is also aged in used casks instead of in new casks (whereas Bourbon is always aged in new casks). That also gives it a different flavour. —BarrelProof (talk) 19:01, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

Well, I greatly appreciate you trying! I didn't get any response when I posted a similar question on the Bourbon article. I'm just trying to compare different types of whiskies. Newjerseyliz (talk)

I was surprised to find no mention of peat in the article: isn’t peat-smoke an important flavouring in at least some regions or varieties? There’s also only a brief mention of the barrels in which whisky is aged, again AIUI a major source of flavour according to the previous contents & so on. While I agree that taste itself is quite subjective, the production techniques intended to add (or remove) flavours could be discussed objectively—particularly those that distinguish Scotch whiskies from the other types. Moreover there could be mention of some of the chemical components known to affect the taste: see Whisky#Chemistry.—Odysseus1479 20:56, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

Blended what?

This section need expansion and clarification. What types of grains? Where do they come from? What percentage of the whisky do they comprise compared to malted barley? etc. Words like "grain" and "corn" could be misleading as they mean different plant sources depending on how and where they are used; "maize" would be more specific if that were the case. My understanding is that maize likely comes from the US as they have large industrial volumes at lower cost. If so, it would be interesting to note that "scotch" actually has some "american" in it... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Robertoff (talk • contribs) 19:25, 15 March 2014 (UTC)

Honestly, there's nothing that can be said categorically, other than bulk commodity grain, usually either wheat or corn (maize) is used to make grain whiskey. As for how much malt whisky vs grain whisky is in a blend, that's going to vary between any two blends, and may actually be a trade secret. Also, I think, if I'm parsing your words correctly, that your trying to focus on what percentage of the overall whiskey comes from a given grain, like a bourbon mashbill. That's not a valid calculation for a blended whiskey, of any national origin, as the grains aren't mashed together and are not necessarily the same from one batch to another. It's part if the nature of the light grain whiskey used as the basis of blends that the underlying grain doesn't really matter nearly as much, unlike a straight whiskey or single malt. So I don't know if anything can really be added to an overview article like this, or if that info is really relevant. oknazevad (talk) 20:25, 15 March 2014 (UTC)

Whisky vs. Whiskey

I thought (presumably by international trade agreement) that only whisky made in Scotland could be labeled as whisky, and that whiskeys bottled anywhere else (particularly in Ireland) had to be spelled as whiskey, so that there would be no confusion between the two. Is this not the case?209.179.40.208 (talk) 23:01, 26 March 2014 (UTC)