Situé dans un magnifique paysage de montagne au cœur du parc national de Cairngorm, Dalwhinnie est la plus haute distillerie d'Écosse, à 1164 mètres au-dessus de la mer
The production of single malt Scotch whisky is a craft perfected by time. Many of the masters you’ll meet on The Malt Whisky Trail are from families who have been making Scotch whisky for generations – from the stillmen who harness the power of the spirit, to the coopers who make the casks which underpin whisky’s flavour. Single malt Scotch whisky is made using an age old process, beautiful in its simplicity. It uses natural, raw ingredients: malted barley, fresh spring water, and yeast. The production of single malt Scotch whisky begins with malting the barley by steeping it in water and spreading it across a malting floor, allowing it to germinate. This starts the conversion of starch within the barley into sugars, which mixed with yeast will create the alcohol. Part of the process has an effect on the spirit’s end flavour – sometimes the barley is dried over peat, imparting a smokey flavour. Once it is dried, the malt is ground to a coarse flour called ‘grist’, and mixed with hot spring water in a large vessel called a ‘mash tun’. The sugars from the malt dissolve, creating a sweet liquid called ‘wort’. Many distilleries on The Malt Whisky Trail give the excess solid waste to local farmers to feed their cattle so that nothing is wasted.
