The great regional traditions and the landscapes that have shaped them
Named for the River Spey, Speyside is the beating heart of the Scotch whisky industry. Its glens, farmland and soft water have supported distillation for centuries. The regional style is typically elegant, fruit-forward and often finished in sherry casks. Notable distilleries: The Macallan, The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Aberlour.
The island of Islay lies off Scotland's west coast and produces some of the most distinctive single malts in the world, defined by peat smoke and by the influence of the sea. Notable distilleries: Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman.
The Highlands is the largest of the Scotch whisky regions and encompasses a great diversity of styles, from the delicate northern malts to the fuller-bodied whiskies of the west. Notable distilleries: Glenmorangie, Dalmore, Oban, Ben Nevis, Aberfeldy, Edradour.
Ireland's distilling tradition is among the oldest in the world. Once the dominant force in international whisky, the industry endured a long twentieth-century contraction before its remarkable modern revival. Notable distilleries: Midleton (Jameson, Redbreast, Powers), Bushmills, Cooley, Teeling, Dingle.
The Japanese industry was founded in the nineteen-twenties on the model of the Scottish tradition, but has developed a wholly distinctive character defined by an unusual precision of blending and by the influence of Mizunara oak. Notable distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu, Yoichi, Miyagikyō, Chichibu.
Kentucky is the historic centre of American bourbon production. The distinctive limestone-filtered water of the Bluegrass region and the sharp seasonal temperature swings together produce a whiskey of extraordinary depth and colour. Notable distilleries: Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, Four Roses.