glen talloch
the scotch whisky
That feels right at home
anywhere
The Scotch whisky that goes with everything – that is not an empty claim. At a party, during a dinner for two, at a reception, to celebrate and make a toast or to relax in the comfort of your own home after a long day. On your sofa. Glen Talloch feels at home anywhere. The taste of the crystal-clear water from the Scottish Highlands. The best wheat and none of the chaff. The simplicity of the most delicious malts, blended and ripened in oak barrels. Bottled to create three unique yet affordable whiskies that will surprise you again and again – and again.
Pouring rain, ocean winds, the lost and lonely bark of a collie driving its flock of sheep together and every imaginable shade of green visible on the hills for as far as the eye can see. As soon as you enter the pub, the rich and spicy scent of haggis enters your nostrils. You take off your wool cap, blow some warmth onto your wet hands, kick off your rubber boots and hang your wax coat on the last available peg. You forgot to bring an umbrella again; you’ll probably never learn. As if people knew you were coming, your favourite stool at the bar is still empty. You join the crowd and the hustle and bustle of the pub embrace you. There is a fire burning in the hearth in one corner. Then a hand appears. Unbidden. It offers you a delicious glass of Glen Talloch. You are home. More than ever.
In this barren Scottish land that produces such wonderful wheat and where the water is purer than you ever thought possible, the locals have mastered the noble art of making whisky for centuries. The knowledge and expertise it requires are passed down from one generation to the next. It takes a few years of work before you can open a beautiful bottle of Glen Talloch in your own home. Let us take you on a tour of the six steps it takes to turn water, barley and yeast into an excellent, flavourful Scotch whisky.
We begin by “malting” the barley. Barley contains starch, which must be turned into sugars. During the malting process, the starch is converted into maltose, which is then converted into alcohol during fermentation. This is quite a lengthy process. You simply cannot rush the production of a delicious Glen Talloch. The barley is steeped in warm water for a few days, during which it swells and finally begins to germinate. Next, it is spread out by hand on a large surface known as the malting floor. The germinating barley is turned over a few times to achieve the best possible result. This process of germination takes just under one week. By that time, the green malt has absorbed the natural sugars, which means we can move on to step two.
At some point we stop the process of germination. This is usually done in a special type of oven named “kiln.” This kiln is fired in a traditional manner using peat, which is the main reason why whiskies often have that characteristic “smoky” flavour. The type of peat and the specific technique that are used (which often differ from one distillery to the next) largely determine how the whisky will ultimately smell and taste. Now that we have turned barley into malt, it is high time to move on to step three.
The malt is cleaned well with a sieve. Next, the malt is grounded into a flour known as grist. That is the reason why so many distilleries are located near the purest freshwater springs or alongside streams. After all, the water you use will have a significant impact on the final product. For example, the type of soil determines what minerals are found in the water. When we’re done, we’ll be able to taste the difference. The water is heated and mixed with the grist in a so-called mash tun. Then it is time for a few hours of mashing (stir). During this process, the sugars dissolve and are extracted from our mash tun. The maltose dissolves in the flour and we are left with a liquid that is cooled and then mixed with yeast. The resulting liquid is known as wort.
The wort is cooled and then transferred to large tanks called washbacks. These washbacks used to be made from wood, but these days it is increasingly common to use stainless steel models. After pumping the wort into the washbacks, we add yeast. Then it is time for the fermentation process to begin. The yeast helps turn the sugars in the wort into alcohol. As with the water and the other ingredients, your choice of yeast will affect the final taste and flavour of your whisky. Choosing the right yeast is the responsibility of the Master Distiller. The fermentation process usually continues for a day or two, resulting in a liquid known as wash. Wash has a relatively low alcohol content. So we still have a way to go.
Now that we have our wash, it is time to move on to the distillation process. This is done in large copper kettles known as stills; those well-known and characteristic semi-circular copper boilers. The shape of the stills directly affects the flavour and the body of the whisky produced in them. Whereas taller stills will generally produce a whisky with a more delicate, lighter flavour, broader stills are used to create a fuller, richer whisky. The wash is pumped into the first still and heated. The liquid vaporises and condenses in the neck of the still. This produces a liquid known as low wines. However, this is little more than an intermediate stage that still requires a lot of refinement. The low wines is then pumped into the second, smaller still (officially called a spirit still). The alcohol produced from the first batch usually has quite a sharp flavour and contains far too much alcohol by volume. For later batches, the reverse is true. The trick is to find the perfect middle batch. Once we have that, we can settle in for a long wait.
This “whisky” (although it doesn’t really deserve to be called that at this point) is cooled and poured into oak barrels. These barrels are stored in warehouses. Now begins the lengthy process known as maturation. During maturation, the wooden barrels affect the flavour and the aroma of the whisky stored inside them. Since wood is a naturally porous material, it is not 100% airtight. This means that “outside influences” also affect a whisky’s ultimate flavour profile. For example, many distilleries are built near the sea to allow the salty sea air and the brisk temperatures to subtly affect the whisky as it matures. To be officially classified as a Scotch whisky, it must mature for a period of at least three years. But the Glen Talloch blend matures for at least eighteen months longer.
Glen Talloch is the finest blended whisky for the most affordable price. We have managed to preserve this status quo to this very day. Although we are (and will remain) affordable, that does not mean we are cheap. Allow us to illustrate what we mean. We will show you the steps involved in the distillation of a delicious bottle of Glen Talloch.
As you know, Glen Talloch (all three variants) is a blended whisky, which means it consists of a careful mixture of different types of single malts and grain whiskies. Grain whiskies are relatively cheap to produce, but they also usually have a more generic and less flavourful profile. In fact, it is the malt that imparts the most flavour to a whisky, which is why we add such a high percentage – 30% – of malts to our blend. For years, the Glen Talloch blend has offered a unique combination of malt and grain whiskies from every corner, matured in different types of barrels and for various lengths of time (with a minimum of 4.5 years). This blend gives Glen Talloch its characteristic colour, nose and flavour.
Only few people know that the Scottish regulations are strict. In fact, most whiskies coming out of Scotland are not even worthy of bearing the acclaimed title of “Scotch whisky.” Genuine Scotch malt whiskies all come from Campbelltown, Islay and the three protected regions of Highland, Lowland and Speyside. Our single malts – which give the Glen Talloch blend its characteristic smooth flavour – all come from these Scottish regions. To earn the title of Scotch whisky, it must mature in oak barrels for at least three years. During this maturation process, the whisky develops its unique (natural!) scent and flavour and the whisky gets its characteristic golden hue from bearing on the barrel.
We won’t tell you exactly how we make our unique blend. That secret belongs to our Master Blender. What we can tell you, however, is what famous corners of Scotland’s well-known whisky regions our single malts and grain whiskies come from. There are six in total.
The most successful member of the Glen Talloch series. Thirty percent of its blend consists of world-famous single malt whiskies, each of which has matured for at least four years. This is a delicious, easily drinkable and smooth whisky that feels at home anywhere.
For a slightly more complex flavour (i.e. a deeper, richer flavour profile), we recommend our “12 years old.” This beautiful Scotch whisky has matured for twelve years (!) and consists of forty percent malt whiskies from various distilleries. Experienced whisky drinkers often call it complex and harmonious, which we fully understand.
Connoisseurs call the Glen Talloch Blended Malt a “vatted malt.” That is because this blend only consists of single malt whiskies – and good ones, at that! This also makes it the most complex whisky in the entire Glen Talloch series.
