When you accepted this glass of Scotch years later, however, and took your first post-collegiate sip, you were struck by the smoothness of the taste. What a difference a few years and an infinitely finer single-malt Scotch makes.

Before long, you noticed your friends had collections of Scotch at their apartments. Your business colleagues and clients would order only this drink. You would find yourself sitting in a room after dinner with some of your male friends, lighting up a cigar and sipping a glass of fine Scottish Whiskey.

Now you know that a good Scotch is one of life's finer pleasures, ranking alongside a glass of Guinness with a good head on it and a Monte Cristo. Perhaps you are interested in starting your own collection. Indeed, a well-stocked bar at any man's home is incomplete without a good variety of Scotch bottles.

Before you embark upon this new hobby, however, you should familiarize yourself with the necessary background. Not only will understanding the essentials of Scotch production make you a more discriminating consumer, but it will lead to undoubtedly many evenings during which your friends marvel at the breadth of your Scotch knowledge.

The following pieces will give you a basic background which should be sufficient not only in selecting the finest drinks from the local distributor, but also in astonishing your friends with your wisdom.

Let's start first with a brief background of scotch, followed by a short summary of the process it takes to make scotch.