A singular passion

WHILE I feel that I wrote quite a compelling piece brimming with sound logic exalting single malt whisky as clearly being Scotland's greatest wonder, I did feel that whisky would have come in the top seven, whether or not I (or anyone else) had written a single word. Some truths are indeed self-evident, and the tally of votes has steadfastly confirmed this assertion.

Useful information

• Scotch Malt Whisky Society (members only), The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith (0131 554 3451) and 28 Queen Street, Edinburgh (0131 220 2044), smws.com
• whiskylive.com
• celticmalts.com
• Tullibardine Distillery, 01764 682 252, tullibardine.com
• Laphroaig, 01496 302418, laphroaig.com

However, I was extremely pleased to be asked by The Scotsman to share my seven favourite malt whiskies with you, as this is much more personal - and also necessitated that each distillery mentioned below send to me a complimentary bottle for careful study. I do sincerely thank each of them.

In the obvious interest of full disclosure, please allow me to state clearly and distinctly that the following personal observations are in no way intended to be objective and/or categorical, but rather they are the very subjective, intensely personal impressions of a man given to many opinions and judgments; on the other hand, asking a person not to judge is much akin to asking him not to think, and to wax a bit Plato, the unexamined whisky is not worth drinking.

So please, allow me to share with you my favorite single malt Scotch whiskies:

LAPHROAIG

There are several whiskies distilled on the Isle of Islay, and I like them all; however, this is my personal favourite. I'm not suggesting it is the "best," but rather that I keep returning to it like a comfortable old overcoat. And what an overcoat it is! Warm and soft, it wraps one up in a richness of peat and smoke along with the smell and taste of the sea. Just a small splash of water seems to bring out the bloom of flavours, and there are many there to be savoured. This was the whisky which me and my band, Hayseed Dixie, enjoyed at our Loopallu Festival in Ullapool last September and we intend to repeat the experience this year. I state for posterity that I intend to be buried with a bottle of Laphroaig; not that it will do me much good at that point, but it should at least make my plot the most popular with the worms.

ARDBEG

Also an Islay malt, I first enjoyed a bottle of Ardbeg before performing at the last Edinburgh Hogmanay, when said bottle was placed backstage by musical director, Stuart Nisbet. Thanks, Stuart, for a fine introduction! This whisky is also possessed most notably of the flavours of peat and seaweed, but it has a more balanced maltiness than many of the island whiskies. On a cold and wet New Year's Eve in Edinburgh a couple of months ago, it was absolutely perfect. I'm not sure which warmed me more - the applause of 100,000 people or the Ardbeg. In the case of either or more likely both, I felt quite warm throughout the evening.

BALVENIE

Sometimes one isn't particularly in the mood for an intense, invigorating, full-body involvement of all the senses. Sometimes one doesn't really want to work that hard, but would rather be relaxed by a simple and pure pleasure like a sunset over a rolling autumn pasture. In this case, Balvenie is appropriately simple, sweet and elegant. Smooth and gentle, it has none of the peat or smoke of island whiskies, but rather pure malt sweetness with overtones of honey and vanilla. It is to my palate the closest in character to a Bourbon of all the whiskies I discuss here. I recommend it taken neat.

TALISKER

I call Talisker the weather of the Isle of Skye, from which it comes, in a bottle. It is rough-hewn, but not coarse. If Talisker were a cloth, it would be a fine tweed, woven together into a smart coat. I taste more of the sea and the wind from the sea in Talisker than in any other malt whisky.

OBAN

Much like the town for which it is named, this is an elegant whisky of dignified and intricate beauty. It is not as intense in peat as many of the island malts, but shares the flavour of the sea with them. I recommend a few drops of water to fully sense the layers of flavour.

HIGHLAND PARK

I first encountered this excellent whisky when we played in its hometown of Kirkwall, Orkney during our No Sleep 'Til Kirkwall tour in November of 2004. The name may sound a bit plain, but the whisky certainly isn't (and neither is the town of Kirkwall or the island of Orkney).

It is probably the most balanced of all the whiskies I've tasted (and I've tasted quite a few) in that it has elements of the sea, peat and smoke like most island whiskies but also a full malt flavour and no single element seems to outweigh any of the others. To drink it is to experience many layers. I recommend it neat from a flask while walking around the Ring of Brodgar and asking oneself, "What the heck were they doing?"

TULLIBARDINE

This is a crisp and clean summer whisky. Uncomplicated. Undemanding. It has a light and airy character. For those who think of whisky exclusively as a drink to warm oneself on a cold and damp winter's evening, I would offer them the refreshment of Tullibardine after working up a sweat in the garden. I recommend it with a couple of ice cubes.

7 FACTS

While some hold 'nothing should be added to whisky but air' the Scotch Malt Whisky Society suggests the addition of water. It specialises in cask strength whiskies at 55-60 per cent alcohol volume, enough to 'anaesthetise the palate'.

In centuries gone by, whisky was used as a substitute for money, with many references in the Statistical Account of Scotland to farmers paying their rent in spirits. Today the Bank of Scotland's £10 note features a set of stills.

The most expensive bottle of whisky was sold last May for £32,000 in England. The buyer of the 62-year-old Dalmore immediately uncorked it and drank it with friends.

'The Angel's Share' is the expression whisky-makers use to describe the proportion of whisky which breezes through the walls of the cask. Over ten years, the average cask loses around 20 litres.

Aromatic elements in whisky consist of only 0.2 per cent of volume, the rest made up of water and alcohol. Scientists have noted 300 different flavours in whisky, but authors of 'tasting notes' have found far more, including seaweed, custard, toffee, hay, blotting paper and blackberries.

The legend of SS Politician, sunk off Eriskay in 1941, inspired Compton Mackenzie's Whisky Galore, one of Scotland's favourite films and now being remade. The islanders, it is said, hid 24,000 bottles of whisky from customs men.