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This section includes information on wines and whiskies produced in the United Kingdom.
The sub-section on England covers the history, the authorised grape varieties, the wine production and the wine styles of major English wine regions.
The sub-section on Scotland presents in great detail the different styles of whisky production (malt, vatted, grain, blended) and it also contains an extensive reference in the separate whisky regions of Scotland.
Lowlands: North of the English border, and south of a line drawn between Greenock in the west, and Dundee in the east, Lowlands produces subtle whiskies of delicate floral, grassy character and little or no peat influence.
Highlands: This is a broad area, lying between Speyside and with distinct regional variation in the malts produced, ranging from richness and fullness of flavour (Northern Highlands) to sweet, delicate peatiness (Eastern Highlands), to maritime characters (Western Highlands), the clean fruitiness (Perthshire)
Speyside: It encompasses more than half of Scotland's distilleries. Speysides are essentially sweet whiskies, with just a whiff of peatiness, typically highly perfumed, feminine and elegant.
Islay: The peaty soil and Islay's maritime exposure on the west coast of Scotland results in the most robust, oily, heavily-peated, medicinal style of malts.
Campbeltown: At the toe of the Kintyre peninsula, it counts only two active distilleries, Glen Scotia and Springbank. The whiskies share a distinct maritime influence (salty and sewed characters) overlaid with smoky notes
The Scottish Islands: Orkney, Shetland (with Scotland's most northern distillery), Skye, Mull, Jura and Arran typically produce robust malts, at various degrees of peat and smoke intensity. Some are more akin to Highland malts, others evoke Islay malts.
