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In 1823, a more liberal act was passed and within a few years the number of licensed distilleries had grown from a dozen to over three hundred. It should be noted, however, that most of these were located on the edge of the Highlands or in the Lowlands where they were easily accessed. By law, a distiller with stills of over 500 gallons capacity could apply for a licence on payment of £10, but stills with a capacity of under forty gallons were made illegal. To add insult to injury, licensed distilleries were obliged to house a resident exciseman, a debatable asset under any circumstances.

Glendronach Stills

With the Industrial Revolution came engineering and the railways. Legitimate distilleries, which had for the most part begun as small scale operations, were streamlined but were still largely owned and controlled by the families who had founded them. At the same time, a speculative boom was being created among the Victorian investors of the 1890s – distilleries were showing a good return on capital and, in keeping with this, a large number of new brand names started to appear.

But it was all too good to be true, and within ten years the market became flooded, causing a large number of distilleries to change ownership. Some survived and prospered; others simply disappeared without a trace. Overall, ownership of the Scotch Whisky Industry in Scotland was to change dramatically after 1887, the year in which Alfred Bernard compiled his authoritative and invaluable book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom.

And there was another factor to contend with. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the production of grain whisky, entirely different from that of malt whisky in its distillation process and taste, was to lead to the revolutionary discovery of blending.

It began around 1827, when Robert Stein, by then the most prominent distiller in Scotland, took out patents for a still which was heated internally by steam, instead of by an external furnace. This apparatus had the advantage of distilling whisky in one continuous operation, unlike the traditional pot-still which had to be filled, emptied and filled again. Stein carried out some trials at his Kirkliston Distillery, at the same time encouraging his cousin John Haig to do likewise at Cameron Bridge Distillery. It changed everything.

But it was Aeneas Coffey, a Dublin-based exciseman, who, in 1830, was shrewd enough to further adapt, patent and market the idea. With 'Coffey's Continuous Patent' stills, it suddenly became possible to produce a light, palatable whisky, both fast and economically.

Up until then the strong consistency of a single malt whisky had been limited in its wider appeal, and in consideration of this, the manufacture of grain spirit from a mixture of barley and other cereals was revolutionary. Dramatically different from malt whisky, not only in its distillation but in its taste, grain whisky nowadays represents on average around 60 per cent of the contents of most bottles of blended whisky.

With the advent of blended whiskies, therefore, an entirely new dimension was added to the product's consumer appeal. Today, there are seven massive grain distilleries operational in Scotland, with 95 per cent of their production going into Scotch blends. Throughout the twentieth century, entrepreneurial Whisky Barons such as Tommy Dewar, James Buchanan and the Walker, Mackie and Teacher families took their brands to far corners of the globe.

However, it was the advent of a “whisky lake” and the re-emergence of single malts during the 1980s, which unexpectedly brought about the greatest escalation in the industry's most recent fortunes.

No longer were Scotland's distilleries allowed to be largely inaccessible to the general public. As the industry increasingly threw open its doors to visitors, no more were the magical malts of Scotland a connoisseur's secret. The pioneers were William Grant Sons with their imaginative facilities at the Glenfiddich Distillery on Speyside, and they were rapidly followed up by a flood of other charismatic brand names. Nowadays, the general public is actively encouraged to visit distilleries throughout Scotland, to experiment and to understand the difference between a blended whisky and a single malt, and to appreciate the regional variations.

Provenance is at the core of Scotland's single malts which are grouped within a number of regional categories – Speyside, Highland, Campbeltown, Islay, Islands, and Lowlands. Each single malt has its individual characteristics, emanating intimately from the surrounding landscape, vegetation and water supply which, in turn, is influenced by the manufacturing process and the wood of the casks in which the spirit is stored for maturation. In this manner, the astonishing variety and versatility of Scotland's single malts have become a connoisseur's delight. Every single malt is subtly different, spawning an entire road show of expert analysis, consumer information and publications on the subject.

AnCnoc

In Edinburgh, the 5-Star Scotch Whisky Experience on Castlehill which opened in 1987 houses the Diageo Claive Vidiz Collection which features 3,384 individual bottles of Scotch. In recent years this showcase building has been attracting over 300,000 visitors per annum.

* Distilleries mothballed at time of writing.

To name every blended Scotch Whisky on the market is a near impossible task. Above is a selection of malts to be found in most UK retail outlets.

Global influences and the escalating demands of overseas markets have inevitably played a critical role in attracting investment, but, despite the majority of distilleries being nowadays controlled by large, powerful international conglomerates, the iconic brand names and their unique historical provenance remain at the core of the Scotch Whisky Industry's ideology and they are therefore fiercely protected by the Scotch Whisky Association.

Although a similar trade organisation existed as early as 1917, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) in its current manifestation, was founded in 1942. With its headquarters in Edinburgh and offices in London, the SWA today comprises 50 members who represent more than 90 per cent of the industry's companies. Its role is to protect its member's products against imitation and exploitation through employing the legal definition that Scotch Whisky can only be designated as such if it is produced exclusively in Scotland, thus differentiating it from American and Irish whiskeys, or Japanese and other whiskies.

Scotch Whisky stands alone in having a legal status and a rigid code of definitions which remain uncompromising and unimpeachable.

In 1989, an exclusive society was also formed by the major companies within the Scotch Whisky Industry to build upon the image and worldwide prestige of their products. With its headquarters at Blair Castle in Perthshire, and a membership that is by invitation only, the Keepers of the Quaich has to date achieved a roll call in the region of 2,000 with a membership in 86 countries.

Today, Scotch whisky, blended, de luxe and single malt, is Scotland's largest export earner, bringing in the region of £4 billion annually into the British economy.

What could be more Scottish than tartan? If you buy a tartan scarf, tie, kilt or accessory from a website or shop you will naturally assume that you are getting an authentic Scottish product. Yet sadly, many people who have chosen a ‘Scots tartan’ in all good faith – often paying a high price – are being hoodwinked into buying fake Scottish goods which are actually made in China, India and Pakistan.

So what can you do to avoid foreign imitations and ensure that your tartan is as Scottish as its name? The Scottish Tartans Authority is an independent organisation dedicated to promoting the weaving of genuine tartan and preserving its traditional role in Scottish culture; only businesses selling authentic Scottish tartan can join. 

Scots Connection are proud to be members of the Scottish Tartans Authority and we guarantee that all of our high quality clan tartan gifts, clothing, kilts, skirts and fabrics are made here in Scotland.