The history and origins of Highland whiskeys
For Britain, the defining political issue of the eighteenth century was the endless war with France. From Louis XIV to revolutionary France to Napoleonic imperialism, London found itself locked in an existential conflict with its neighbor across the Channel.
Wars are expensive, and as the war with France became urgent, so did the need for tax revenues. About half the cost of the wars with France was financed by various excise duties, including taxes on malted barley and the distillery capacity.
The Wash Act of 1784 and the Distillers Act of 1786 had, for the first time, drawn a precise geographical line between the Highlands and the Lowlands.
The latter introduced a licensing system for distilleries and raised tariffs in Scotland to British levels.
The Highlands had a lower excise duty, 1,1 pounds per gallon of capacity per year, but were limited to a tiny still per distillery to not exceed 40 gallons in size.
Only locally grown barley could be used and any whiskey produced had to be consumed in the local district.
Furthermore, the number of distilleries was reduced to two per parish. From a practical point of view it was difficult to enforce these regulations in the remote Highlands.
La illegal distillation was rampant, but most of the whiskey produced was consumed locally.
There was some smuggling going on in the larger Scottish cities, but little of this whiskey made it to England in appreciable quantities.
In the lowlands, the duty was valued at £ 2,10 per gallon of capacity per year. The law also imposed a duty of two shillings per gallon on spirits exported to England.
The duty was increased by six pence in 1788. The duty on stills was subsequently increased to three pounds per gallon of capacity.
In 1793, that duty was tripled to nine pounds and doubled again to 18 pounds in 1795. This was again tripled to 54 pounds in 1797 and doubled again to 108 pounds in 1800.
In 1803, the rate was raised once again to 162 pounds per gallon of capacity. Between 1786 and 1803, over 17 years, duties on stills had increased more than 77 times.
The cumulative effect of the tax hike was the virtual bankruptcy of the Scotch whiskey industry in the Lowlands. It also led to the development of what were, in effect, two different Scottish industries: the Highlands and the Lowlands.
Burdened by excessive taxes, Lowland distillers became mass producers of low-quality whiskey.
Read also: The regions of scotch whiskey
The product was practically undrinkable and most of it was exported to England, where it was rectified and turned into gin to satisfy the eighteenth-century London gin craze.
Highland whiskey producers, sure to ignore the tax authorities, have instead focused on making a quality whiskey to meet demand in Scottish cities.
Until about the mid-nineteenth century, Highland whiskey was considered to be far superior to Lowland whiskey.
That's why the first Scotch whiskey boom started with Highland whiskeys rather than easily accessible volume producers in the Lowlands.
Highland whiskey styles and characteristics
In general, Highland malts tend to be more robust, with more pronounced flavors and aromas and significantly greater weight and texture on the palate.
Also, there are regional characteristics which reflect the impact of climate and soil, as well as the fuel source used to dry malted barley.
Northern Highlands
Northern Highland whiskeys are full-bodied, sweet and rich. These malts display distinctive cereal aromas, along with notes of fruit and nuts. There is a lot of variety among the Northern Highlanders including Clynelish, Dalmore e Glenmorangie.
Southern / Central Highlands
Southern Highland whiskeys are mildly lighter, drier and decidedly fruity. The style has more in common with Lowland malts than its more robust northern cousins.
Here too the choice of barrel finish introduces a wider range of aromas and flavors than is typical of the region.
Read also: How to smell whiskey without tiring your nose
Western Highlands
West Highland whiskeys are full and pungent with remarkable tone of peat and smoke. Sometimes this can be accompanied by pronounced sweet notes of sherry and wood spices which create a satisfying sweet and smoky flavor.
Some West Highland malts may come close to their Islay cousins in the intensity of their peaty expressions and distinctive marine elements. The main expression of this area is the distillery Oban.
Eastern Highlands
East Highland whiskeys go from dry to sweet and from grass to very fruity. Those with a distinctive sweetish element and exotic spicy notes could easily be mistaken for a neighbor's malt Speyside.
