Since the 1870s, most of the whisky sold and drunk throughout the world has been blended, but in the 1960s, single malts began to make a comeback when William Grant & Sons started to promote the product from their Glenfiddich Distillery as a single malt. Other distilleries soon followed suit, and recent years have seen a rebirth of interest in single malts.

Although each Scottish single malt has its own taste, many also share regional characteristics. Historically, there were four distilling regions: Highland, Lowland, Islay, and Campbeltown. The Highland whisky region has been subdivided into Central, North, East, and West Highland and Speyside. The last area, on the banks of the River Spey in northern Scotland, is home to more than half of the malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. The Speyside community of Dufftown, "The Malt Whisky Capital of the World," boasts seven distilleries.

An entire language has evolved to describe malt whiskies, which can be peaty, fragrant, nutty, spicy, peppery, smoky, toffee-like, malty, grassy, light-bodied, medium-bodied, or hefty, or have citric or medicinal notes. Distinctive flavors come from a number of factors, including the water and barley used, the fuel used to heat the drying kiln (especially peat), and the wooden barrels in which the whisky is matured.

Many whisky distilleries now welcome visitors, who follow the "Whisky Trail" from the Scottish Borders to Scotland's Highlands and Islands.

Credit: The Smithsonian Institution thanks William Grant & Sons for their assistance and support with this presentation.