First evidence was in 1494 and the first distilleries date from 1700s.
Matthew Gloag was the founder in 1717 the factory that we visited " The Famous Grouse" in Scotland ( Perth).
The regions of Scotland that products whisky are Lowland, Highland and Speyside.

How is the whisky mades of?

- MALTING
This is the start point of whisky. Ripened barley is soaked in water and then spread over the malting floor and occasionally turned. At this point it starts to germinate - the very early stages of growth-when it is then dried in a kiln to halt the germination al just the right stage.

- MILLING
Once the germinated or malted barley as it is known, is fully dried, it is then milled to produce a coarse type of barley flour known as grist.

- MASHING
Next the grist is mixed with hot water in a large, circular metal vessel, known as a mash tun. This process involves filling and draining the vessels a number of times with water of increasing temperatures to allow fermentable sugars to be released fro to grist. The end result is sugary liquid called wort.

- FERMENTING
The wort is then cooled and run into round wooden barrel-like vats called wash backs. Yeast is added and fermentation begins with the wort beginning to froth and bubble. This froth is called barm and the alcoholic liquid produced in this fermentation is wash.

- DISTILLING
The distillation process stars with the wash being pre-heated before first passing into the wash still where alcohol, called low wines is separated out from water and other products in the wash. This unrefined alcohol is then passed into a second still-the spirit still, where distillation is refined with only a small part of the resultant spirit, known as the middle cut being of high enough quality and suitable strength for malt whisky. The first and final runs of spirit through the still, called the foreshots and feints are passed back into the still for redistillation.

- FILLING
The refined, strong and at this stage, clear whisky is then ready to be cut with water to reduce the alcohol strength before being poured off into oak casks. It is from these casks that the whisky slowly acquires its distinctive amber hue as it matures.

- MATURING
The magic end process of maturing is full of mystery. Undisturbed for ever ten years,the whisky develops in taste, style and character. Attempts to reproduce this process outside Scotland have failed to capture the flavour that is known to be uniqueto Scotch whisky.

The Famous Grouse makes some different kinds of whisky.