First things first. To call itself a scotch whisky, a potential scotch whisky has a few hoops to jump through before it earns the moniker. It must be made from malted barley, it must have been aged for no less than three years in an oak cask, it must have no less than 40 per cent alcoholic volume and, of course, it must have been distilled in Scotland. The Glenlivet ticks all of these boxes and it was, arguably, where scotch whisky, as we know it, began. Now listen up...

Do know your history

There is evidence of whisky, or uisge beatha to give it its Gaelic name, having been distilled in Scotland for hundreds of years, and the argument for the first ever expression (that's whisky talk for batch) is a hotly contested debate. However, because the English levied large taxes on small-scale distilling of scotch whisky, throughout the 18th century the country was rife with illicit production.

In 1823 King George IV visited Scotland and asked for a dram of Glenlivet; little did he know he was supping some illegal liquor. So it's no great surprise that in the same year an Excise Act was introduced that permitted small distilleries at a reduced tax rate. The first to get an official license to distill was a chap called George Smith who owned The Glenlivet.

Don't confuse your blends

You will have all heard of a single malt and a blend, these are the two most common types of Scotch, and from loitering in the aisle at Waitrose you'll know that a single malt is on the whole more expensive than a blend. A single malt comes from a single distillery, not from a single cask as you may think, and a blended whisky is a blend of various single malts. Single malt does not necessarily mean better, just as more expensive doesn't always mean more delicious - let your supple little taste buds guide you.

Do know your catchment areas

Aside from blends there are four catchment areas for scotch whisky, or families if you like - Highland, Lowland, Speyside and Islands.

The Highland area is the biggest and encapsulates most of northern and western Scotland, and quite a lot of the east too. If you have ever been there you will agree that most of it is pretty highlandy. Because of the size of the Highland area the flavours of each tend to differ greatly, but generally speaking they are smooth and fruity whiskies, getting smokier and more full-bodied as you head north.

GQ's Highland favourites

Glenmorangie 10 Year

Old Pultney 12 Year

The Lowlands is the bit beneath the Highlands, the area includes Scotland's two largest cities Edinburgh and Glasgow, but there are only three operating distilleries. The characteristics of a Lowland malt are generally smoother bodied and the lightest of all the regions, maybe the lack of hills make it mellow?

**GQ's Lowland favourites

Glenkinchie 12 Year

Auchentostan Three Wood

The Island or Islay malts - pronounced 'eye-luh' - are generally from the islands around Scotland. An Islay whisky usually has a very distinctive taste. Some call it smoky or peaty, others say full-bodied and warm; we say delicious.

GQ's Islay favourites

Laphroaig 10 year

Talisker Dark Storm

Speyside is a small area on the eastern side of Scotland, named after the Spey river. For it's size Speyside is also the most prolific region, with no less than 50 distilleries snuggled into the rolling hills and glens. Speysides are characteristically sweet and fruity.

GQ's Speyside favourites

The Glenlivet Founders Reserve

Glenfiddich 12 year

Don't follow the rules when you drink it

So now you can hold your own talking about scotch whisky but what about drinking it?

We love the taste of it straight-up, but can sympathise with those of you who don't like it neat. But fear not, the ways to enjoy this classic drink are almost endless.

First off - ignore all "rules" you may have heard about drinking whisky. That's not a rule, merely a suggestion. You do not have to drink scotch whisky straight, no matter if it is a blend or a £1m single malt; you can add ice, water, coke, ginger anything you fancy.

Do embrace the nuances of a whisky's flavour when using it to make cocktails

Mike at leading Edinburgh cocktail den, Bramble, kindly showed us what he could conjure up with a bottle of The Glenlivet Founders Reserve, a bar stocked with every imaginable jus, eau, and essence and a little Nineties hip-hop. We learned that when making a cocktail with whisky you should remember that you're simply aiming to enhance the flavours of the whisky you are using, so in the case of The Founders Reserve which has sweet, zesty notes of apple, orange and toffee, we used mixes like syrups, vermouth, cassis and, our favourite - a ginger and Angostura Bitter mix poured over ice with The Founders Reserve and then a drop of a smoky whisky and a twist of orange peel above the glass to let the vapours settle on the surface.

Don't believe in a whisky faux pas

We asked Alan what the major faux pas were when it comes to drinking scotch whisky and as far as we could make out, there aren't any really. He told us that drinking it with anything is fine, whatever you like, just try it on it's own first and then add until you're happy. It's a drink that's as at home with you on a leather chair reading Hemingway by a fire as it is trying to remember the dance to the Macarena on a shiny podium in Oceana.

Do drink it from the correct glass

To appreciate the intensity of a whisky, avoid drinking your dram from glasses with straight edges. The reason being is that traditional 'nosing' glasses such as the Glencairn are designed in such a way to help capture and focus the aromas into your nose. After all, half of what we appreciate to eat is by the sense of smell alone, and that's a very important aspect of appreciating whisky.

Don't just knock it back

Nosing sets the scene, forms the ideas and prepares your mind prior to tasting the liquid. If you're new to smelling whisky, hold the glass away from your nose and slowly move it in - take short sniffs and keep your mouth open while smelling. This creates a circulation and enables you to get more of an aroma. If you feel a prickle on your nose because of the strength, smell the back of your hand. This is a familiar scent, and will reset your nose so that you can go back to the whisky with a new perspective.

Do store your whisky properly

Whether it's a brand new purchase or you're putting it away after a session, storage is simple. You should keep it in a cool dark place. And away from anyone but you...

Need a shortcut? Here's a summary of the most important and more interesting words in the whisky lexicon:

Nose

It means smell. Get your nose right in there and give it a whiff to attempt to distinguish the notes of the whisky.

Notes

Elements of flavours in the nose.

Legs

The length of the strands of whisky that run back down the glass after you've sipped it. The longer the legs the stronger the whisky.

Angels' share

A romantic name for evaporation; about 2 per cent of the alcohol is lost per year as the whisky ages.

Dram

Quite simply a measure of spirits, in this case whisky. Often preceded with 'wee', but don't take that literally.

Hog's Head

A 250 litre cask that the whisky is left to mature in.

Quaich

A traditional two-handed drinking bowl, often used for passing around at highland gatherings.

Franglechurn

A word you may find yourself saying, involuntarily, if you have too many drams.

GQ met Alan Winchester at the launch of The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve in Speyside earlier this year. For more information visit The Glenlivet

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