India-UK FTA makes whisky cheaper: A brief history of Scotch, what is single malt?

The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will lead to a reduction in the price of Scotch whisky, as the tariff would be lowered from 150% to 75% now and 40% over ten years. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, India is the fifth-largest market for Scotch whisky, importing 219 million bottles in 2021. Although India charges 150% duty, its import of this prestigious drink has increased by 200% over the past decade. So, the moot questions are: What is Scotch whisky? How and where did it originate? How did it become a favourite drink for millions of Indians? 

Where did it originate?

The word 'whisky' originated from the Scottish Gaelic 'uisge-beatha' or the Scottish word 'whiskie' or 'whusk.' The first written record of whisky was found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland of 1494. It was written, "To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae, VIII bolls of malt." It means 'eight bolls' of malt were given to Friar John last year to make 'aqua vitae' or 'water of life'. The term 'aqua vitae'  was used for 'malted spirit.' 

Historical reference to whisky

Aqua vitae was used to moisten the slurry of saltpetre, charcoal, and sulfur in the process of making gunpowder. Besides, history books also suggest that aqua vitae was the favourite drink of James IV, who was the King of Scotland from June 1, 1488, until his death at the Battle of Flodden on September 9, 1513.

What is whisky?

According to the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, whisky is the drink that is produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley, to which only whole grains of other cereals may be added. All of these things should be processed at that distillery into a mash. It must be converted at that distillery to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems. It must be fermented at that distillery only by adding yeast. 

Types of whisky

There are two basic types of whisky—single malt Scotch whisky and single grain Scotch whisky. 

A single malt Scotch whisky must be distilled at a single distillery as a batch process using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of 100% malted barley. It must be matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, though most of the single malt whiskies are older. 

Single grain Scotch whisky is different in the sense that, though it is distilled at a single distillery, whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals are added to water and malted barley. It is distilled continuously in continuous stills or column stills.

However, about 90% of the bottles of Scotch sold per year are blended whiskies. There are three types of blended whisky. Blended malt Scotch whisky is made by blending two or more single malt Scotch whiskies from different distilleries. Blended grain Scotch whisky is produced by blending two or more single grain whiskies. Blended Scotch whisky is made by blending one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.