Single Malt Scotch is the whisky distilled in a single distillery in Scotland, that too in a pot still, and stored in oak casks, for a minimum period of three years, before they are consumed. It is made with malted barley as its main ingredient. The word 'single' in single malt scotch specifies that all the malts in the bottle come from a single distillery. Whereas scotch made from multi-distillery malts is usually called blended malt, vatted malt or pure malt. The term 'malt' denotes that the whisky is distilled from a single malted grain, with barley being the chosen one.
There are only three ingredients - barley, yeast and water, required in the production of Single Malt Scotch. All brands of single malt scotch are made using same method of preparation, but have variation in taste, either due to inexperience or intentionally. Talking about whisky production, water is present in all the phases. It is added to the barley, to promote germination, and also used to create a mash, when mixed with ground barley grist. Then, water is used to dilute whisky, before maturation and prior to bottling.
The barley used to make Single Malt Scotch is malted by soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to germinate. This results in production of enzymes, required to convert starch into fermentable sugars. The malt is milled into coarse flour, and added to hot water, to activate the enzymes that convert starches to fermentable sugars. Yeast helps in the fermentation of the single malt scotch. The wash is then distilled and kept in oak casks, to mature for a few years. The longer the maturation, the better would be the taste of the scotch.
