When you think of a man’s drink, what comes to mind? Baileys? Vodka? To many, scotch seems to be the drink of choice for grown men and seemingly this choice has been made for many, many years. There is most probably not a spirit, more endeared by men than scotch.

Scotch is made here in America, but the finest scotch is made in the Isles of Scotland. Scotch from Islay Scotland, can cost you a pretty penny. The scotch mentioned here from Scotland is from the Bruichladdich distillery in Islay Scotland, which is at the most southern of all Hebridian islands. The scotch made there is so rare that it can only be purchased at the distillery.

Here in America, scotch is not so hard to come by. A bottle of Wild Turkey costs, on average, about $22.00. Whereas a high end whiskey can cost up to $50.00 a bottle. Compare that to a fine scotch from is isles at around $120.00 per bottle and you will see the difference isn’t so much in the bottle, but in the spirit itself.

The majority of fine scotch distillers sell casks of their product as a whole for blending purposes as well as to private buyers. Usually the distiller name will be placed on a blended product however not the logo. This is an indication that the product is indeed blended and not single malt.

Most independent bottling companies will bottle products from single casks and may or may not be from the original bottling source. At this time many renowned distillers are trying to end the open market of bottling operations as it is infringing on their overall sales.

Some malt companies will incorporate more than one batch of their scotch into the cask selling to ensure the independent bottlers from selling it as a single malt product. Many independent bottlers will use merely a geographical region or an alias of the distiller, as to avoid any legal repercussions. This method of legal sneakiness is known as “bastard bottling”. Either way the society of scotch malt whiskey can still track the product by the distiller number.

Twelve: Is this indeed the magic number when it comes to fine scotch? In a matter of terms the answer is yes.

When trying to decide on a scotch it would be best to look for that magical number, as it will indicate to you that at least it has grown into full body. There are quite a few bottles out there that have aged longer, yet obtaining these gems can prove to be tricky. An old bottle of scotch is a real treasure.

Scotch, at least fine scotch, is meant to roll off the back of your tongue, and give you a warm and subtle punch in the tummy. Younger scotch, has not been given a chance to build a personality, hence it is not as smooth. It seems to be agreed that twelve years or longer is the magic number when it comes to the age of perfection for fine scotch. It may come in many different fashions and labels yet the song remains the same; good scotch has been brewing for awhile.

The notion that all scotch must be at least 12 years to be enjoyed is a common understanding among scotch drinkers everywhere. However, one company is out to prove them wrong. This scotch is just two years shy of the twelve year mark, but is growing in popularity.

Enter Glenkinchie; this ten year old malt is 86 proof and a very pale gold in color. It has a reminiscent fragrance of peat and a grassy meadow that ends rather sweet. Its body is light to medium, it is considered to be well-rounded lowland malt. In the end it stays dry, and carries a hint if ginger.

Originally formed in 1837 by a farmer, this malt clearly has some history. The original owner of the distillery sold it to another farmer who used the distillery as a cattle shed and sawmill. This property was again sold in 1880 and returned back to its natural intention to make fine malt just in time for the whiskey boom in the 1890’s.

This single malt will be enjoyed by the new and revered by the old Scotch single malt enthusiasts.