Scotland

Scotland's colourful and compelling history is peppered with tragic yet romantic heroes, notable fighters, innovators and politicians. Often the nation's history has been defined either by fierce internecine conflict or epic struggles with its more populous and richer neighbour, England. Yet from earliest times the influences of Ireland, Scandinavia and continental Europe have been as important, particularly in aspects of Scotland's creative and cultural development. The result has been a sophistication and ambition few associate with the land of warring clans and burning castles...

The Kilt

The skirt-like kilt which is familiar to us today evolved around the middle of the 18th century from the more commonly worn and functional belted plaid (in Gaelic, feileadh breacan or feileadh mor, 'the big kilt').

The original kilt

The feileadh mor was a longer untailored garment, around five metres in length, which was gathered and then belted at the waist to provide cover for both the upper and lower body. From the waist down, the feileadh mor resembled a modern kilt while the remaining material above the waist was draped over the shoulder and pinned there. This upper portion could be arranged in a variety of ways around the shoulders according to the demands of weather, temperature or freedom of movement required. At the end of day, the belt could be unbuckled to transform the feileadh mor into a warm covering for the night. The Gaelic plaid actually means 'blanket'.

The kilt evolves

The feileadh mor was simplified by disposing of its top half, leaving the belt and the skirt below. The resulting creation became known as the feileadh beg, or 'little kilt'. This was reputedly at the behest of an Englishman running an ironworks at Invergarry who felt his kilted employees needed a greater freedom of movement to do their work. Whatever the impetus for change was, the kilt now became a tailored garment with sewn-in pleats, making it neater and far more easy to put on and wear. The upper half of the big kilt evolved into the separate plaid (or sash) which is now worn at more formal events.

Proscription and survival

Following the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746, the kilt and and other aspects of Highland dress were outlawed and its continued survival during these years was largely due to its adoption by Highland regiments serving with the British army. Highland regiments still wear the kilt on regular basis (although no longer into battle) but it is not an everyday article of dress in Scotland. Visitors are more likely to see kilt-wearers at formal celebrations such as weddings and at Highland Games or similar gatherings. And although the kilt is typically regarded as being Highland dress, more kilts are now worn in the Lowland cities than in the Highlands.

The kilt today

Modern kilts have up to eight metres of material which is thickly pleated at the back and sides, with the pleats stitched together only at the waistband. Fashion designers have also tried to update the kilt and make it appeal to a wider audience by using non-tartan designs such as camouflage and material such as leather.

Whisky

Acknowledged as Scotland's national drink, whisky - in the Gaelic, uisge beatha (pronounced oosh-ga beh-huh), meaning water of life - has been produced here for longer than anyone can remember. Something that began centuries ago as a way of using up rain-soaked barley after a wet harvest, the whisky industry has now grown into one of the country's biggest earners, bringing in hundreds of millions of pounds every year.

Types of Whisky

Three types of whisky are produced in Scotland: malt, grain and blended.

Malt
Malt whisky takes its name and flavour from the way it is produced. The barley is allowed to sprout before being toasted over a fire in a malt kiln, and the mashing, distillation and fermentation processes begin. After distillation, single malts are allowed to mature for between eight and fifteen years on average before bottling. Single malts - whiskies from a single distillery - are familiar to most drinkers, and many of the big-name brands are single malts, for example, Macallan, Glenmorangie, and Glenfiddich.

Other types of malts include:
Single cask malts which are the product of a single distillation and bottled straight from the maturing cask. This process ensures that the particular character of the specific distillation is emphasized. Single-cask malts are normally stronger than ordinary malts - anything up to around 65% ABV (alcohol by volume) - and are usually about twice the price.

Vatted malts where single malts of different ages and from different distilleries (but usually owned by the same parent company) are mixed together.

Grain
Grain whisky is distilled in a different way from malt whisky, using a patent still. Its main ingredient - barley, maize or another cereal - is left unmalted, but one thing it shares with malt is that both have to mature for at least three years before they are legally allowed to be called 'whisky'. Unlike malts, grains get the minimum maturing time. The 10-year-old Invergorden is one of the few grain whiskies available since most goes to blending plants where it is mixed with single malts to form the third type of whisky - blended.

Blended
Single malts may be the most fashionable brands in the whisky industry, but the blends are its steady, background performers. Bells, Johnnie Walker, Whyte & Mackay and Teacher's are likely to be the varieties that most newer drinkers coming to whisky will try first. And no matter what impression you get from the ads or from 'connoisseurs', it's worth remembering that most of these blends can taste just as good as - and in some cases, better than - some the single malts you'll hear people raving about. Deluxe whiskies such as Dimple or The Antiquary are blends which have a higher proportion of older and better quality malt in their mix.