The Ultimate Scotch Whisky Quiz

Planning a whisky pub quiz with some fellow Scotch enthusiasts any time soon? Our team here at the Scotch Whisky Experience have put together a selection of 30 whisky quiz questions that will test your knowledge of history, brands and production: the perfect way to liven up a Scotch whisky tasting party. But be warned, it’s a tough one, so choose your teams wisely and remember, no cheating!

At the bottom of this page you’ll also find a downloadable version of the quiz in full. Good luck!

30 questions / 50 marks

1. What is the (Scottish) Gaelic name for whisky, and what does it translate to?
   (3 marks – including one for the correct Scottish Gaelic spelling)
2. What is the name of the first distillery to open in the Scottish Borders since 1837?
   (1 mark)
3. Who perfected and patented the design for the Coffey Still (also known as the Continuous Still)?
   (1 mark)
4. Name the five whisky regions of Scotland
   (5 marks)
5. What loch does Islay distillery Ardbeg use as a water source?
   (1 mark, plus an extra mark for correct spelling)
6. Name the three ingredients required to produce Scotch whisky?
   (3 marks)
7. What distillery name translates to “hill of the juniper” from Gaelic?
   (1 mark)
8. Who was known as ‘The Father of [whisky] blending?
   (1 mark)
9. What company owns The Macallan?
   (1 mark)
10. What type of wood must whisky be matured in to legally be called ‘Scotch whisky’?
    (1 mark)
11. Name the distillery whose name means “valley of the green grassland” in Gaelic
    (1 mark)
12. Which distillery ran its stills for the first time on Christmas Day 1887?
    (1 mark)
13. Which Scotch whisky distillery currently has the tallest stills in the industry?
    (Hint: the stills are as tall as a giraffe!)
    (1 mark)
14. Name the six stages of Scotch whisky production, in the correct order?
    (1 mark for each, 2 bonus points if they are in the correct order)
15. What is the conversational name for the three different cuts of spirit as it comes off the stills? (Hint: think of body parts)
    (1 mark for each)
16. Robert Burns is a well-known Scottish icon, but what was his role in the whisky industry?
    (1 mark)
17. Which whisky distillery name translates to “corner of the field” from Gaelic?
    (1 mark, plus an extra mark for correct spelling)
18. In 2018, the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh celebrated an important anniversary – how many years had it been open to visitors?
    (1 mark)
19. Which single malt distillery is based in Girvan, on Scotland’s west coast? (Hint: it’s a Lowland whisky distillery)
    (1 mark)
20. The GlenDronach released a limited-edition bottling to coincide with the release of which film in 2017?
    (1 mark)
21. What was the name of the well-known malt milling machine, that put itself out of business by being so efficient that it never broke down or needed replacing?
    (1 mark)
22. Which Scottish town is the birthplace of John Jameson, founder of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey?
    (1 mark)
23. Which Highland whisky distillery refers to itself as “arguably the oldest working distillery in Scotland”?
    (1 mark)
24. Which Islay distillery received a Royal Warrant from Prince Charles in 1994?
    (1 mark)
25. Which popular HBO TV series did Diageo release a range of themed whisky bottles for the final season?
    (1 mark)
26. What does “Glenfiddich” mean in Gaelic? (Hint: it’s “_____ of the _______”)
    (2 marks – one for each half of the translation)
27. Which three Islay distilleries have views across the Sound/water of Islay, to the Paps of Jura?
    (3 marks)
28. Which Scottish whisky region is the most densely populated for whisky distilleries?
    (1 mark)
29. What is the name given to people who make whisky casks?
    (1 mark)
30. In 2017 Highland Park released a special bottling to celebrate 30 years of which Edinburgh-based, fictional detective?
    (1 mark)

30 questions / 50 marks

Scroll down for the quiz answers…

 

Answers

1) Uisge Beatha, The Water of Life

2) Borders Distillery

3) Aeneas Coffey

4) Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Campbeltown, Islay

5) Uigeadail

6) Barley, water, yeast

7) Tomatin

8) Andrew Usher

9) Edrington

10) Oak

11) Glenfarclas

12) Glenfiddich

13) Glenmorangie

14) Malting, Milling, Mashing, Fermentation, Distillation, Maturation

15) Head, heart, tail

16) He was an excise man (a tax man)

17) Auchentoshan

18) 30 years

19) Ailsa Bay

20) Kingsman: The Golden Circle

21) The Porteus Mill

22) Alloa

23) The Glenturret

24) Laphroaig

25) Game of Thrones

26) Valley of the wild stag

27) Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Ardnahoe

28) Speyside

29) Coopers

30) Rebus