Scotland

Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, Scotch Whisky must be distilled and matured in Scotland, and it falls into one of five categories: Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Malt, Blended Grain and Blended Scotch Whisky. A regional name may appear on a label only if the whisky was distilled in that region. The protected regions are Highland, Lowland and Speyside; the protected localities are Campbeltown and Islay.

"Islands" is a common informal grouping for island distilleries, but it is not a protected name in the Regulations. The Scotch Whisky Association places the islands within the Highland region.

The first Scottish record of aqua vitae made from malt is the Exchequer Rolls entry of 1494-5. Illicit distilling in the Highlands was widespread until the Excise Act of 1823; the continuous still, installed in Scotland from 1834, made the blended whisky that carried Scotch around the world. See A history of whisky.