Q: What's the difference between malt whisky and ordinary Scotch? A. Caskill, Aspendale, Vic

When I was a kid, the world was a simpler place – Dad drank Johnny Walker Red Label; Black if he'd received a well-heeled visitor, or maybe Chivas Regal. Now there's a market for bespoke and collectable Scotch malt whiskies, each bottle costing a small fortune. Malt whisky is made 100 per cent from malted barley, which has been allowed to germinate and then dried on a peat fire, whereas regular whisky – blended whisky or grain whisky – is made from unmalted barley or a mix of grains. Germinating the grain gives rise to enzymatic changes which greatly enhance the taste of the distillate.

Blended whiskies usually have some malt whisky added to add character to unmalted whisky. Malt whisky can be produced anywhere, and Tasmania is making a name for itself, but only Scotland produces Scotch whisky.

A single malt is the product of a single distillery. It has terroir, to use wine lingo. In this case, the terroir more likely derives from the use of local water and local peat more than the barley, as the barley is not always local. Scotch whiskies from the Isle of Islay, for instance, are very strong in smoky, iodine-like aromas, thanks to the local peat, which is rich in sea plants. Ardbeg Kelpie whisky ($220), debuted in 2017, is an outstanding example of a high-end Islay single malt. It's beautiful, but some may find its smokiness over the top.