On this Wikipedia the language links are scotch bonnet vs habanero the top of the page across from the article title. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye in the late 18th century. All Scotch whisky must be aged immediately after distillation in oak barrels for at least three years.

The first known written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland of 1494. Many Scotch whisky drinkers refer to a unit for drinking as a dram. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, the word whisky comes from the Gaelic uisge beatha or usquebaugh, which means “water of life”. The earliest record of distillation in Scotland is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland for 1494. To Friar John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae, VIII bolls of malt. Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1 June 1494.

The Exchequer Rolls’ record crown income and expenditure and the quote records eight bolls of malt given to Friar John Cor to make aqua vitae over the previous year. Latin for “water of life” and was the general term for distilled spirits. This would be enough for 1,500 bottles, which suggests that distillation was well-established by the late 15th century. The first known reference to a still for making “aquavite” in Scotland appears in the Aberdeen council registers, in a case heard in 1505 by the town’s bailies concerning the inheritance of goods belonging to a chaplain called Sir Andrew Gray, who died in 1504. It is probable that whisky was introduced to Scotland from Ireland as there is evidence of Irish whiskey dating back to 1405, which is nearly 100 years before it shows up in any Scottish. As a drink, Scotch whisky was a favourite of King James IV of Scotland. The Highland magistrates, themselves members of the landowning classes, had a lenient attitude to unlicensed distillers—all of whom would be tenants in the local area.