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Nicknamed вЂњWhisky Island,вЂќ Islay is one big rocky peat bog off ScotlandвЂ™s southwestern coast. Love it or hate it, this is the unapologetic home of the smoke monsters.

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Scotch talk: вЂњA whisky drinker can most commonly expect a malt from the heart of the Highlands to be rich, full-bodied and fruity with a slightly dry palate, while Highland malts from the coast reveal fruit with a hint of smoke and a crack of sea salt.вЂќ-Stewart Buchanan, global brand ambassador for The GlenDronach If you want to know why whisky geeks go gaga over sherry butts, look no further. Matured for a minimum of 15 years in casks that previously held oloroso and Pedro XimГ©nez sherries, it unfurls a billowing wave of dark fruit and tobacco spice on the tongue. Expect elegance, above all else.Д«ottle to try: The GlenDronach 15 Year Revival ($98) is a heavily sherried expression that this revered purveyor brought back in 2018, after a three-year absence from shelves. Today, Highland producers lean heavier on a cleaner grain base often with fruity undertones. In past centuries, remote distilleries would have relied more on peat-fired kilns to dry their malt. One thing you know youвЂ™ll be drinking is a complex spirit that evolves on the tongue with every sip. The whisky made here is equally as diverse, ranging from smoky to sweet, limber to rich. Occupying the largest region by square mileage, the Highlands encompass a wide variety of landscapes from ScotlandвЂ™s craggy western shores to its windswept meadows in the north. Springbank is the closest to a legit mom-and-pop operation in all of Scottish distilling, while Glen Scotia is doing some truly innovative things with finishing.вЂќ -Aaron Goldfarb, author of вЂњ Hacking WhiskeyвЂќ Scotch talk: вЂњCampbeltown is kind of the forgotten region, but it shouldnвЂ™t be. ThereвЂ™s dark chocolate, lemon and grapefruit zest-convincing window dressing over the darker notes of charred oak and smoke at its core. Even if you donвЂ™t enjoy the overarching style, you have to admire its enduring individuality as the only town to be recognized as an entire scotch region.Д«ottle to try: Glen Scotia Victoriana ($80) is the full-flavored epitomization of its native region. The liquid rolling off the still often imparts a tinge of salinity encased in a lighter body with caramel-inspired intonations, splitting the difference between Islay and Speyside.

Springbank is the last operation in Scotland to do all of its own floor maltings, and Glen Scotia has been running its production under the same roof since 1832. But what this remote seaside village lacks in numbers it more than makes up for in history and pride. What was once the Victorian Whisky Capital of the World is now home to just three working distilleries.

With a very broad stroke, hereвЂ™s what you can expect in each category, along with a quintessential bottle for each. Still, you canвЂ™t deny geographyвЂ™s effectiveness in helping us break down an increasingly dense landscape of labels.

Some recommend taking this with a grain of salt-or barley, at the very least-as it may be nothing more than a fancy marketing ploy. Each of these respective provinces can be tied to a specific style or flavor profile. Typically, theyвЂ™re divided into the five primary Scottish regions of production: Campbeltown, the Highlands, Islay, the Lowlands and Speyside. DonвЂ™t fall prey to the allure of exclusivity: There are plenty of blends, single grains and non-age-statement malts worth exploring.

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While extra-aged single malt is a phenomenon all its own-the perennial preference of the finicky connoisseur-itвЂ™s worth noting that blended scotch remains the predominant driver of scotchвЂ™s success. And if you head to your local liquor store, youвЂ™ll see ample evidence on shelves dense with colorful bottles sourced from every corner of the country. became the spiritвЂ™s first ever billion-pound export market. Already the most consumed whisky on the planet, the liquid is now enjoying an era of unprecedented growth. If you love scotch, this is a wonderful time to be alive.

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