By Thomas Head Scotch whisky is an adult drink.
Nobody is born with a taste for it.
It combines the sweetness of barley with the earthiness of the peat used to smoke it, the freshness of Highland water and the slightly medicinal tang of sea air. The mixture is complex, and there is an enormous variety within this complexity. It is blended Scotch that you'll get when you order a Scotch at a bar or restaurant. Blends are not to be dismissed, but single-malt Scotches are the true aristocrats of the Scotch whisky world. Scotch whiskies are traditionally divided into four geographical groupings, each with some flavor characteristics in common.