Distilleries of Scotland

There are many ways to differentiate between whiskies, some more helpful than others. Learning a few key marks of difference is a good practice due to the sheer number that now exist, from light and delicate whiskies one might enjoy before dinner to the hard-hitting peat monsters that can close out an entire week.

With well over a hundred distilleries producing near-countless expressions of whisky around Scotland, different regions of the country are often associated with their own distinct 'styles' of whisky. Certainly there is some truth to this; the Laphroaigs and Ardbegs of Islay have the infamous capacity to knock the head off an unsuspecting newcomer, while lowland drams such as those from Auchentoshan or Glenkinchie are far more easy-going. However, for every whisky that follows these trends you can find an exception.

Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain (hyperlink to Pronunciations) are generally un-peated despite being made on Islay. The newly emerging smoky spirit from Annandale in the south has some great potential, and Speyside is absolutely full of surprises. It is becoming increasingly common for distilleries to produce very different styles of spirit within their own walls, between variations in phenol levels in their malt, experimenting with yeast strains, and the endless options where cask maturation is concerned.

Each distillery produces something entirely unique, with their own stories, voices and whiskies which are in no way bound to their location. Your favourite drams may all hail from Speyside, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dip into the Islands every now and again; you might find something that will surprise you. Here you can explore the variety of whiskies to be found across the country and read more about the distilleries that take such care to produce them.