2000 Alexander Murray & Co Highland Park 13 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

2000 Alexander Murray & Co Highland Park 13 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Orkney is the most northerly of Scotland's whisky-producing regions. Only two distilleries are located in the islands; Highland Park and Scapa. They produce whiskies that are full bodied and balanced, with smoky, salty characters.

Climate, weather and the Orkney whisky style

The archipelago covers around 380 square miles (1,000 sq km). The North Atlantic Gulf Stream contributes to the mild maritime climate here, and even at the high latitude of 59°N, Orkney enjoys milder winters and cooler summers than some parts of inland Scotland.

The climate is characterized by strong winds, which bring salty, tangy characters to the maturing whiskies. High humidity slows aging and leads to more even maturation over the years.

Some of Orkney's whiskies are peated, though the peat here is vastly different to that on the island of Islay. This is partly due to Orkney's much younger age in geological terms.

Malt whisky/whiskey is usually made from barley, which has a particularly affinity with the malting process, and was also the most easily available grain during the development of the modern whisky industry in Scotland.

Production process

The malting process takes place at the very start of the production process. First, barley is soaked in water prior to turning on a malting floor (see picture). It is then dried in a kiln, which catalyzes and then abruptly halts germination, releasing the starch in the grain.

Single Malt Whisky / Whiskey

This arguably the finest expression of whisky, made at a single distillery from malted barley, water and yeast. The style is produced in Japan, Ireland and most importantly (and famously) in Scotland. Indeed, single malt Scotch whisky is highly collectable and is easily one of the world's most sought-after and revered liquids, with many examples held in equal esteem with the world's top wines.

During kilning, peat fires are sometimes lit beneath the barley, which is an important factor in the flavor of the finished spirit: peat is a partially decomposed layer of vegetation extracted from boggy ground, which, when burned, gives the barley smoky, salty characters that translate into the finished whisky.

The malted barley is then heated in a mash tun with hot water, converting the starch into fermentable sugars and producing a sweet liquid known as wort. Yeast is added to the wort to start fermentation, resulting in the production of a beer-like liquid of around eight percent alcohol.

This "beer" is then distilled twice in copper pot stills; the first distillation makes a rough spirit around 25 percent alcohol that is known as "low wines", and the second distillation – carefully monitored – produces the spirit that will be aged in barrels to become single malt whisky. The shape and size of the stills are crucial factors in the character of the whisky. Each distillery has a unique still that produces the desired expression; many are given names, in the same tradition as ships.

Use of oak

While there may be some terroir factors associated with the distillery location and the environment within the buildings, it is the shape and size of the stills and number of distillations which is usually regarded as having the most significant effect on a young whiskey. Thereafter many other characteristics can be laid over this core character through aging in oak barrels.

Blended / Vatted / Pure Malt Whisky

Blended or vatted malt whisky is a combination of two or more single malt whiskeys. In contrast, standard blended whiskey will include grain whisky. Not surprisingly given the components, a skillful blender can make a product that equals most single malts in terms of quality.

Pure Malt is a tricky term; it has now been phased out of use by the Scotch Whisky Association as usage was inconsistent between single and blended malts. The phrase still appears on Japanese whisky labels, but seems to be applied to both types of malt whiskey.

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