After germination, the malt barley is dried of the heat of peat fires. It is the aroma of the peat which will give the whisky its particular flavour. The barley is then ground and mixed with water to form a wort. The wort is fermented and goes through two distilling operations, according to the methods of the craft. Malt whisky is obtained in this way, called single malt when it comes from one distillery only and pure malt when it is a blend of the different malt whiskies.
Grain whisky is made from a mixture of any malted and unmalted cereals.
A long maturation period is the key to the mellow flavour of Scotch whisky. Law requires that it be matured in oak casks in Scotland for a minimum of three year before becoming Scotch whisky. In fact most Scotch whisky is matured for five to six years or lomger. In the case of a blended whisky, law states the youngest be printed on the label. Canadian whisky, made from cereals, is marketed under numerous names and has a fairly light taste.