Scotch

Scotch is made from three ingredients: grain, water and yeast and must contain no other substances aside from plain caramel colouring. First, the grain undergoes a three-step process known as malting. The grain is soaked, dried and milled to extract sugar. Then comes the water. Added in stages, it’s mashed and stirred to create a sweet, sugary liquid. Lastly yeast is added to turn the liquid into alcohol. To legally be named Scotch, a whisky must be made in Scotland where it’s distilled and matured in oak casks for at least three years before being bottled and have a minimum alcoholic strength of 40% alcohol by volume (ABV). Whilst other whiskies take inspiration from Scottish expressions, none have quite as much cachet as the original spirit.