Many who are in search of finding the best Scottish whisky may find themselves having to try every whisky type and kind to find what is best for their palate. Whisky is spelled without an "e" when pertaining to Scottish, Welsh, or Canadian whisky, while the Irish whiskey and the American whiskey are usually spelled with the added "e".
Whisky as a word was derived from a Gaelic term "uisgebaugh". This later evolved over time to "uisge beatha", related to the Latin phrase "aqua vitae" which means "water of life".
When asked, many whisky connoisseurs will point to Scottish whisky (also called Scotch in the US) as one of the best whiskies in the world because of its distinct smoky flavour. When choosing a Scotch, you will find either "single malt whisky" or "blended malt whisky". Of these, the single-malt Scotch is usually hailed as being of the highest caliber and is most expensive and most sought after. The minimum alcohol percentage (ABV) of Scotch whisky set by British law has to be at least 40%.
The Laphroaig single malt whisky is considered one of the most strongly flavoured of all Scottish whiskies, and is most frequently aged to 10 years, although the 15-years-old (now discontinued) and the 18-years-old varieties are common. The 27, 30 and 40-year-olds however, are rare and very expensive.
They usually have 40% to over 50% VOL, depending on the age. In 2005, it was voted as the best of the best in the Champions of Whisky competition. Laphroaig whisky has been the only whisky to carry the Royal Warrant of the Prince of Wales, which was awarded in person during a visit to the distillery in 1994. The 15-year-old is reportedly the Prince of Wales' favourite Scottish whisky.
Those in a quest of finding the best Scottish whisky know that they can either take it neat or with a splash of soft water.
