SCOTCH WHISKY REGIONS EXPLAINED - A Beginners Guide

In this episode, we explore the basics of the whisky regions in Scotland from Speyside to Islay. We also look at whether knowing the whisky regions actually helps you with understanding what to expect from a whisky in terms of smell and taste.
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[@b3aStYyY]

You earned a new subscriber Phil. Absolutely delightful content! Apart from being incredibly educational of course. Please please don't stop making videos!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Welcome aboard! Glad you found the video helpful!

[@iliyanivanov7337]

Probably one of the best educational video about scotch whisky information is presented in such a calmly way keep doing it this way. Got a new subscriber just in an instant from me. Thanks for sharing this information with us.

[@tammyshenanigans5154]

Brilliant! A lot of good information.

[@maxrpmpl]

@@FirstPhilWhisky greets from Poland 👍

[@gursimratbhatti6203]

Same 😂. Tried it after watching parks and rec

[@EM_life-gr8sn]

I wasn’t an alcoholic until I discovered Lagavulin... it’s nice to have a hobby..

[@neildonaghy123]

same mate. Lagavulin 16 was a game changer for me.

[@patthewoodboy]

also my favourite

[@outofmoneyman]

I wasnt an alcoholic until I discovered this channel.

[@jacobgray8210]

I only drink Lagavulin 3 times a week. Yesterday, today and tomorrow

[@Joshua-dx7zn]

Been wanting to try the Lagavulin 16. I have some Glenlivet 15 French Oak which is good (my 18 isn't open yet). How does it compare to that?

[@ianmcrae1974]

I'm born and bred in Scotland and a whisky drinker all my adult life and you even educated me, well done mate. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇳🇿

[@a_boogiie872]

When did Scottish Whisky start being imported to America?

[@jamieh3772]

@@a_boogiie872 mid 1800s

[@philippemartinsphil3404]

I am from Brazil, a true malt lover and we face all sorts of trouble finding different malts and accepting to pay the abusive prices. I will do a whisky tour around Scotland between April 6-17th and this video came in handy. Cheers

[@TiagoSC]

É um abuso uma garrafa de 70 euros virar 1000 reais!!

[@budj13]

Another excellent video, Phil. Your content is so professional and packed with information. Keep up the great work, mate.

[@trevordallas]

While I was in college, I worked at a private country club in Southern California. I bartended for many years, but quickly found a passion for wine, scotch, port and many other spirits. I worked with local distributors to craft tasting events for the members; mostly wine and Scotch tastings. One of the best ways to learn about any spirit is to attend tastings. It's there where you gain a technical understanding of how a specific Scotch is crafted, what makes them unique and aspects of the distillery itself. There is another equally important benefit to attending tastings- the people. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or an elitist who invents new adjectives to describe the taste on the palette - "wow, this has notes of a Louis Vuitton handbag...with a touch of charred plum that has been lighted bar-b-qued." Everyone at a tasting is open to learning, and that is what makes it special. It's important to hear it from other people; what they like, what they don't like, the stories, the recommendations, the immediate friendships and commonality...it's sharing your enjoyment. Anyways, well done video Phil. I could tell you got a little buzzed there towards the end...haha. The fruits of labor. :) Subscribed.

[@ninjs2932]

A Louis Vuitton handbag! Must be an expensive scotch.

[@dtac_10_29]

The more you drink Islay whiskies, the more it gets to you. Its like a bitter-sweet relationship.

[@UsedBrain4U]

For me it was love at first sip. Laphroaig is everything that I love about peat.

[@dtac_10_29]

@@UsedBrain4U I haven't tried Ardbeg. I have the 10 years and Uigedeali sitting on my shelf. Want to open it for some special occasion. As for other peated whiskies, I will say my fav so far is Laphroaig too (I have tried Talisker, Bowmore, Big Peat, Caol Ila & Lagavulin).

[@wingracer1614]

@@dtac_10_29 Fellow Laphroaig lover here. Get yourself a bottle of Port Charlotte 10. Great stuff.

[@sankadill]

It’s the “vindaloo” of Scotland

[@dtac_10_29]

@@wingracer1614 Sitting on my shelf too. Waiting for a good opportunity to open it hahahah

[@NikolaiMhM]

Thank you so much for this video. I am in love with Glenlivet and Macallan and now I know that I should look closely into Speyside region.

[@adamskitheangler3631]

Great video dude! A few pals and I were lucky enough to get some whisky training from a Macallan rep while working at a hotel in Perthshire about 10 years ago. It was great to taste different regions side by side and note the contrast in flavour (Scapa stays in my mind because it was salty in comparison to the others). We had to do our shift in the restaurant half-blootered afterwards though!

[@ss7300]

What a wonderful video. Thank you for guiding us through the regions.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful!

[@azzag2414]

Glad I tumbled upon this. After randomly buying bottles not really knowing what I was tasting I got onto working my way through Kilchoman whiskies, I feel I should expand my tastes but also so happy with these guys. Nice to listen to what you've shared here

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks mate! I’m a big fan of Kilchoman too. That’s fantastic, there’s so much to explore. The whisky journey is a fun one.

[@Phil60084]

Great video! Very helpful, well explained and straight forward enough to remember for a long time!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Phill! Glad it was helpful

[@billmuir4897]

Really helpful starters guide. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend 👍

[@taylorjames1985]

Great video yet again! Keep it up man looking forward to the next one. This could easily be a segment on a food and drink show 🤙

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks man! Appreciate it!

[@JohnnyBravo1878]

This is a great video. Great structure and very informative. Thank you

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful!

[@bobby-meetanagpal9840]

I love that one can see the effect of the elixir as the presentation proceeds after a few swigs :)

[@trevordallas]

LOL. I noticed that as well.

[@pedro4revenge]

Mate, you channel is incredible. Keep your good work and encyclopedical videos. Cheers from Brazil!

[@raybriffa3534]

That was incredibly well done. Really enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Ray! Great to have you watching.

[@johncallin51]

Hi Phil. Thankyou for all of the interesting and helpful information. As a Novice to Whisky drinking all of the information was very beneficial. I look forward to checking out your other KZbin entries. Thanks again. Please keep on doing what you do.

[@DavidMeggers]

I’m very new to whisky drinking (literally two months), this coincides with me moving to Falkirk, which amazingly has two very new distilleries. Really enjoyed this video and discovering the whole new world

[@perkinsdearborn4693]

I have experienced just a few Scotch whiskies. Those few have followed the regions of Scotland so for me, it has been useful to know particular types of Scotch. However, the more I get exposed to whiskey, I am finding that certain flavors repeat and are shared across the different types. Thanks for the video content. Subscribed!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Very true. Thanks Perkins, grateful to have you watching and join me here!

[@justincheung7957]

Great video, awesome edits and intro, keep up the great work

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thank you so much!

[@WhiskeyWarehouse]

We’ve been slowly getting into scotch, this video was very helpful understanding the different regions in Scotland. Now we have a better understanding of which region we should explore first. Cheers!

[@EEPhD]

I’ve done the Isla whiskey tour. On the way there we stopped at Jura. They make some really great whiskey, but it can be hard to find. While I like the smoky flavor, much of the Ardbeg is too peaty-it’s their trademark. We really enjoyed Bruichladdich, Laphroaig and Caol Ila, but the best Caol Ila isn’t exported, and most of their output goes into Johnny Walker blends. I tend to favor cask strength and sherry cask, but some of them also use bourbon casks that gives the scotch a unique flavor. There’s too many different ones to sample them all. So much Scotch, so little time. Plan to take at least a week because it’s hard to do more than three distillery tours a day.

[@DavidV4444]

Outstanding video, very well done!

[@jamblman]

I'm off to Scotland in a couple of weeks and want to check out a couple of distilleries. This has helped a lot. Great content, and so easy and relaxing to watch. Much appreciated. Just suscribed!👍

[@gmw44]

Thanks for the education on whiskey regions Phil, great content. Have subbed 👍🏾

[@andrewjones9589]

Scotch whisky is spelt without the e 😉👍

[@LukeWalstead]

Super helpful and well done video, cheers!

[@harmanjotsingh1185]

Beautiful explanation of the scotch varieties by region.. nice job buddy .. looking forward for more informative videos .

[@francolipinski]

Keep going Phil! This videos will be a classic in the whisky community in no time!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Franco, means a lot!

[@es330td]

Thank you for this explanation. I am book marking this to send to people who have questions.

[@kingtutt61]

I love your style, Phil. You have the perfect disposition for being in front of the camera. Some are too boring while others…(seem to be) too into them selves. You’ve earned my attention and …subscribing now! 😊

[@fjkulwin]

Hi Phil, just ran across this video and gave it a watch. Nicely done sir. I enjoyed this overview and actually learned a few things I didn’t know. Cheers!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Cheers! Glad I can add some value.

[@Atthapong15]

That was excellent and easy to understand!

[@mmitchellhouston]

Good video. Great information and I appreciate the quality of your video production and audio. Well done. I have subscribed.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Cheers Mike! Appreciate that

[@bquattrog]

Excellent video, very informative! Just getting into whiskey and this was a good watch.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Barry!

[@Twirlyhead]

Knowing the region is essential if one is a fan (or not) of mainly Islays, a worshiper of the gods of peat; less so with t'others. Informative video, thanks.

[@raulthefuture]

Really nice, video. Yea I guess knowing the main regions helps set your expectations in general. There will ALWAYS be exceptions as you said but I enjoy knowing something about the region the whisky I am drinking is coming from. Looking forward to another video, keep up the good work.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Raul! That's exactly it. I still like to know if a whisky is from Speyside or Islay as there usually is a big difference between the two and it adds to the story and experience by knowing where it all came from. Appreciate you dropping by!

[@JoeParkerPoe]

High quality stuff man. Keep it up. Subbed.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks for the sub!

[@matts15]

this is awesome man!! keep it up!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Mathias!

[@lockguy2652]

Excellent overview. I wish I had heard this when I started. Lol, I bought bottle after bottle tasting my way through the country. Was a long time bourbon guy, so it was fun getting to know a totally different spirt. Ardbeg is a game changing pour, what a beautiful whisky. Great video!

[@codybeaudreau3026]

Couldn’t agree more. I had tried and enjoyed a few other Islay malts before, but after about my third dram of Ardbeg 10, the complexity of flavors just blew me away. It’s smokey, grassy, medicinal and sugary sweet all at once. It’s my favorite whisky at the moment.

[@robgault2853]

I grew up in Scotland and didn’t know hardly any of this. Great video, thank you!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Rob! Great to have you watching

[@straupekarlis]

Hi, thanks a lot for these great videos. Super! keep going!

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Nice scenery, lovely country, cheers🎉 something to look forward too.

[@bjornrahm5195]

Great stuff, thanks mate!

[@matt014908]

As a first time watcher I can’t help but notice how your “yes and no” intonation and expression is so similar to James Hoffman, great content btw.

[@scottlalonde2878]

Great video, thank you, Phil.

[@NLphilipNL]

Love your work Phil, absolute treat to the novice whisky connaisseur :)

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks so much!! Grateful to share

[@mattsampson4394]

Really cool video thanks mate

[@Erikzors]

This is really interesting, I haven't "studied" whisky at all. But over the years of trying different whisky, my favourites have all been from the speyside region.

[@ringofasho7721]

I like speysides and islays

[@the.late.bloomer.]

Amazing content 👏 Thanks

[@leesimpson1677]

They also make The Botanist Gin on Islay. It's not cheap, but it's pretty good as they infuse it with botanicals from the island itself. It's made at the Bruichladdich Distillery, and although my favourite tipple is Ardbeg, I do occasionally treat myself to a bottle. Enjoyed the video.

[@huskyhooligans999]

🎉I just got one from the ballot!! First time after entering many.. chuffed to bits.

[@RiskyVentureMinerals]

Really awesome info! Definitely gets a subscription from me!

[@mojahangard]

Mate excellent video! You got yourself another subscriber!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks mate!!

[@ciaranfox8400]

Great stuff Phil. Probably the most satisfying subscribing I’ve done in a while. Keep it up. I’m a huge sherry cask fan but trying to direct my pallet towards the more “Islay” flavours.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Fantastic! Thanks Ciarán. The Kilchoman Sanaig could be a good one for you. It’s peated and also aged in sherry casks

[@jakolantern6790]

Just subscribed, great explanation and coverage.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks so much! Glad you found it helpful

[@relaxingnaturesounds2339]

PERFECT video! Thank you!

[@evenflowcss]

Just discovered this video on my Recommended feed. Good stuff man! Also, nice pun. 😂

[@r.e.r.whiskeymarch6310]

Great episode man 👏👏👏👍

[@Tyson-bf8bn]

Subscribed. Great video. Learnt a heap from this.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That’s fantastic. Thanks for watching!

[@williamherbert]

This was terrific, thank you

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks for watching!

[@DTiPNZ]

Hey Phil! Just had this video recommended to me, clicked it, thought 'oh sweet that's a Kiwi', then realised 'wait a second I know that guy'! Loving the content, instant subscribe!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That's crazy that the algorithm is making it pop up on the feeds of people I know! Cheers Daniel!

[@mrkmwatson]

As an American bourbon/ whiskey drinker, I a beginning to expand my palate to the different basis of whiskey/whisky. It takes time to broaden our minds on the differences and the benefits. It is so challenging to try and accept the differences, but that much more fun.

[@greglogan7706]

Just as in bourbon, there are lousy scotches and great scotches....

[@2thelight]

Great stuff thanks for sharing.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks for watching!

[@randomfpv22]

Nicely done Phil. I’m having a lagavulin 16 as I watch this

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Good choice 👍

[@WhiskyEvening]

Thank you for the trip through the regions

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching

[@kaloyanski]

Great video!

[@swissjack7953]

Phil. Fantastic video. I’m a wine 🍷 guy and no little about Whiskey 🥃 but totally get the notion of knowing the different regions and flavors to expect. How did you make those maps? They were slick. Great piece of editing!

[@Trucker-fg4eu]

A new subscriber and loving the channel. I’m fairly new to whisky and finding it very informative. My favourites are Tomintoul 10, Jura Journey & Glenfiddich 12 yr old.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Nice! The whisky journey is so much fun. Have a watch of my whisky for beginners video for more suggestions on what whiskies to try next,

[@carlitobrigante330]

Excellent primer!

[@hulkslayer626]

Very informative video. Currently a fan of Islay Scotch and am starting to broaden my tastes by getting into Speysides and Highlands. Highland Park 12 is one of my favorite non Islay Scotches so far.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That’s awesome! Enjoy the whisky journey! I make my videos for people like you. Hope they help

[@Joshua-dx7zn]

The Glenlivet 15 year in French Oak is wonderful.

[@titusbc]

Just discovered your channel... very accessible and well presented. Subscribed, 👍

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Glad to have you here! Cheers! 🥃

[@ninjs2932]

Speyside all the way... fell in love with Glenfiddich and stumbled on Glenlivet and then McCallan.. love em all, not knowing they are all from the same region. Thanks for the video..

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great to see a Speyside lover here! Thanks for watching

[@Expedition18]

Very well done video.

[@michaeltovey02607]

I found my spiritual home at the Glenlivet Distillery and regularly pay golden homage to the memory of the generous tasting session.

[@KanwarAnand]

this was life changing

[@romitsen3405]

excellently explained.

[@eboyblackout]

The content is so crisp, also have to say the content taken from other videos was so awesome!!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks! Glad you liked the video!

[@simonbach876]

Great video. helpful. 👌

[@George8sn]

Great video, even taught a Scottish whisky drinker a thing or two there... Though that's not to hard to be fair. My way of explaining it to my American cousins is, things like Grouse and Bells are the "coca cola of whisky" Laphroaig is like the root beer one 😂

[@stevemolina8801]

Great presentation, Thank you.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks! And thanks for watching!

[@Christian-lx3cg]

Great vids, I've watch most of your channel. One question: do you know the name of the BBC doc that some of the clips are from?

[@micheandmikey]

Yep, great content and extremely well presented. Cheers mate! (Just a bloke who drinks whiskey from across the pond). 😁🥃

[@franksantos3418]

Great video and thank you for the lesson/education. I could have used this 20 years ago😂 Cheers 🥃

[@bentriefus5961]

I went to Scotland last year and learned a lot of your stuff here, the main malter in Scotland is in Inverness and most single malts source their malted barley from this factory - you see a huge plume of steam bellowing from the chimneys of the inverness malting factory- and it is used as a windsock by pilots arriving into Inverness airport - close to Culloden field - a battle that is quite infamous as a betrayal of the clans by the English crown. Anyway - loved the content, I am an Ardbeg fan and love the peated flavours rather than the sweeter Speyside distilleries. Would love to see a little more on individual distilleries, much history and loads of family/politics are involved.

[@rustynaild4247]

Interesting stuff 🥃👍

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great to have ya watching! 🥃👍

[@praveenguggarigoudar1315]

Really enjoyed the video Phil! Never knew there was so much variation in taste profiles by region. I recently tried Laphroaig and the peaty, smoky flavor was quite interesting.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Awesome! Yeah, Laphroaig can change your world, as it can be so different from other whiskies. Enjoy the journey. If you like Laphroaig and smoky whiskies have a try of some other smoky ones like the Port Charlotte 10, Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg 10.

[@nickkahlon]

Very interesting and to the point.Subscribed......cheers from canada.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Glad it was helpful. Thanks so much!

[@stefanboyne1770]

Good video that, done a good bit of maintenance on some of the distilleries listed

[@TobiasBech]

Great vid!

[@DainiusArt]

Subscribed only after 1 video. So useful

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks and welcome!

[@RainXbox]

I'm a big whisky fan. My favourite is auchentoshan. Went over and done the distillery tour before COVID and I'd highly recommend it. Great day out and just a stone's throw from Glasgow. Great video

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Would love to do that! So good. Thanks! Great to have you watching

[@mrdeliberate5175]

It's incredible it takes an ozzy to make me finally decide I must visit Scotland. What a beautiful place that's only 2 hours drive away from me. Very interesting vid. Cheers mate!

[@edkes123]

Sounds like a Kiwi to me btw

[@jimmybaird8850]

He’s definitely kiwi

[@sankadill]

Omg you’ve insulted 22million people by calling kiwi an Aussie 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Seng_Eternal]

The GlenScotia is a fantastic cambletown. I got their 2021 celebration of the cask. It was.... Amazing

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

So good right!

[@smedleyhverovhe8919]

Great lecture, just subscribed.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Awesome! Great to have you join me here

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Join the new First Phil Discord Whisky Community for whisky banter, reviews, and meet other like-minded whisky folks: discord.gg/jEQfFc737Y

[@SgtMjr]

'Whisky for the gentlemen that like it. For the gentlemen that don't like it, Whisky!' Jock Sinclair

[@G4lip0li]

Well the region is a good indicator. You brough it to the exact point it is not a guarante but it helps. So really good Video and explanation. Love from Switzerland cheers

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Exactly! Appreciate that’s. Thanks for watching!

[@lagundafire]

Literally just got back from holiday in Islay. Pretty sure Google put this in my recommended for exactly that. But very happy about that!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That’s awesome! Did you visit many distilleries?

[@lagundafire]

@@FirstPhilWhisky we didn’t realise most distilleries seemed to be closed Sunday and Monday so only had time to do Lagavulin. But that was an awesome visit and some of the cask strength stuff they had there tasted amazing. The Lagavulin Distillers Edition was so good I had to buy multiple bottles to bring back with me 😂