Quiz: how well do you know whisky?

19 September 2014 by in Spirits distilled, Wine and spirits

Now that the referendum is over and we’ve all breathed a sigh of relief over the fact that we won’t have to change our passports or bulk-buy haggis before the price rockets, we think that a drink is in order to celebrate the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So break out your whisky and, if you’re English, relish in the fact that import tax was just a bad dream! Glass in hand, why not try this quiz from Infinite Ideas’ newly signed book Spirits Distilled, by Mark Ridgwell, to see how much you know about the national drink of Scotland.

1.  In what year did an Excise Act lay the foundations of today’s scotch whisky industry?
A.   1644
B.   1707
C.   1823
D.   1827

2.  Scotch blends account for what percentage of all scotch sold in the world today?
A.   Over 75%
B.   Over 80%
C.   Over 85%
D.   Over 90%

3.  A mash for scotch may be distilled to what maximum level of alcohol?
A.   72% abv
B.   84.5% abv
C.   94.8% abv
D.   96.4% abv

4.  Which grain(s) are permitted in the production of scotch malt whisky?
A.   Barley
B.   Rye
C.   Corn
D.   All of these grains

5.  Single malts, bottled as such, gained global recognition in their own right from which decade?
A.   1880s
B.   1900s
C.   1930s
D.   1960s

6.  Which of these terms is a correct and legal description of a blend of malt whiskies?
A.  A vatted malt
B.  A blended malt
C.  A pure malt
D.  An individual malt

7.  Peat found in the Highlands typically contains what type of plant materials?
A.   Vegetable
B.   Seaweed
C.   Fruit
D.   Heather

8.  Which region in Scotland boasts the world’s largest concentration of individual  distilleries?
A.   Lowlands
B.   Speyside
C.   Highlands
D.   Islands

9.  Which single malt pioneered the current popularity of single malts?
A.   Glenfiddich
B.   Glenmorangie
C.   Glen Grant
D.   Glen Scotia

10.  In what year was a law passed requiring all Scotch to be aged for at least 3 years?
A.   1905
B.   1910
C.   1915
D.   1920

Answers will be posted on Monday. Good luck!

saltire

If you’re excited about the publication of Spirits Distilled, then why not take a look at the classic wine library too.