Scotch question....

I wanted to buy a gift bottle of Scotch for a colleague, since one night we polished off the one in his desk. In conversation he indicated that the Scotch was double distilled. I admit that I do not know my Scotch and have only heard of Single Malt or Blended so what is double distilled, what brands do you recommend and are they easy to find? I have looked a bit but nothing that said Double Distilled jumped out at me. Please correct me if I have the info wrong.

most, if not all, Scotch is double distilled. Distilling is simply heating the liquid and capturing the vaporized alcohol, which cools in the coils, turns back into liquid and is recollected at the end of the coils. You can do this several times if you wish. Vodka is typically triple distilled.

Scotch, as all distilled spirits, begins as a clear alcohol liquid. Scotch gets it's color, and flavor, from the barrels. It retains more flavor from the fermented mash by being distilled at a lower proof and being less thoroughly filtered than that of vodka or gin.

To really find out what your colleague enjoys, a quick discussion about the regions from which he likes to get scotch from, will be most helpful. If he doesn't know the regional differences, he probably drinks blended Scotch. Johnny Walker Black is a good buy.

I do enjoy a good scotch so for starters, consider the price. The really top shelf:Glencinchne,Glenmorangie, Talisker, Oban, Laphroig Dahlwinnie to name a few. I particularly like the stuff from Islay.

You can go to this website and get some good info.

http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/

some more info on regional differences for the single malts:
http://www.scotchwhisky.com/english/about/malts/index.htm
http://www.sohowhisky.com/regions.asp

I'm more a Speyside guy. Enjoy Highlands and Lowlands too, but Islay is too peaty for my palate. The beauty of Scotch, is that there is such a wide variety, anyone can find one that suits them best with a little bit of hunting and experimentation.

happy hunting. and happy experimentation (the best part)!