Slàinte Mhath
Avoid getting in a pronunciation pickle when ordering your dram with this simple guide to eloquent enunciation
Your pronunciation guide to Scotch whisky’s biggest tongue twisters
ON a recent Westminster Daily Commons order paper, compiled by parliamentary staff, the body representing distillers north of the border was named the “Scottish Whiskey Association”. Point of order, Mr Speaker!
As our learned readers will know, the organisation is, in fact, called the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. The addition of the “e” invoked a storm of light pelters upon the establishment.
It may all seem a bit petty but the nub of this is identity. The omission or addition of a simple vowel makes a world of difference in terms of provenance.
Pronunciation of certain Scotch whiskies is a similarly delicate business, especially for those who attempt to wing it and stumble through the guttural “ochs” and silent letters without doing their homework.
Be warned there are a few banana skins out there, but our essential guide will help avoid slipping up and make sure you can roll your tongue around these brand names, just as easily as the product rolls over it.
The makers of ancnoc concede this is a rather “curious whisky” by dint of its modern style steeped in traditional production. The paradox doesn’t end there. The enunciation of ancnoc is actually smooth and straightforward, easily pronounced as “ahknock” and translating from Gaelic as “the hill” reflecting the distillery’s Banffshire surroundings.
Founded in 1797, making it one of the oldest distilleries in operation, Glen Garioch is also one of the most commonly mangled-bymouth. There’s a natural temptation to emphasise the “a” and the “och” – but the clue is in the location, being Aberdeenshire. Garioch is a word from the local Doric dialect – meaning a granary – and this dram from barley heaven is pronounced “Glen Geery”.
Kilchoman may be the new kid on the Islay block, opening in 2005, but it is also afflicted by the same issue as some of its neighbours in its pronunciation. Some are drawn into swapping the “cho” for a “koh” but the “c” is silent, pronouncing as “Kil-homan”.
Still on Islay – venture to the wilder north-east coast – where it’s easy to trip up over Bunnahabhain. There’s a simple trick to this getting around this lightly peated malt.
Simply enunciate the “ooh” at the start and instead of saying “hain” at the end, think Islay-man-in-a-van. When put together, the delightful “Boona-hav-an” is as gently lilting as the Hebridean breeze.
Near Bunnahabhain sits Caol Isla. Its name is Gaelic for Sound of Isla and refers to the distillery’s location overlooking the strait between Islay and Jura. The rock to be avoided in this navigation is the “a”, or being drawn into some kind of bovine scenario along the lines of “cowisla”. When ordering or visiting Caol Isla say “Cull Eela”.
No stranger to these pages is Bruichladdich. Yet it’s another big name commonly cannibalised with too much emphasis on the “ich” at the end. Correctly pronounced “Brook-laddie”, this distillery’s Gaelic name is usually translated rather poetically as brae by the shore.
Founded by the Wemyss family in 2005, Wemyss Malts is an Edinburgh-based whisky and gin bottling company. This can often be referred to as “we-miss” but Wemyss is pronounced “weems” from the Gaelic word for caves and is a nod to the rocky outcrop on the Firth of Forth on which Wemyss Castle sits.
Tobermory has become synonymous in the minds of millennials – and their parents – with kids’ show Balamory. Avoid getting your collar felt by PC Plum when ordering a Ledaig, which should be pronounced “Le-chig”, from the Gaelic meaning safe haven.
Speyside isn’t spared the mis-pronunciation minefield, either. While Glenfarclas, Macallan and Glen Grant are trouble-free, Daluaine is another matter and can lead the novice on a bit of a reel with emphasis on the “aine”. The pronunciation, however, is “Dall yoo-an”. It derives from Gaelic an dail uaine, meaning the green meadow.
Gaelic for burn of milk, Allt a Bhainne is a sweetlypeated Speyside malt matured in traditional American oak casks. It’s used as a component in the Chivas Regal blend but if you ever have the chance of sampling the single malt, the pronunciation is “oll-ta-vane”.
Slàinte mhath! Pronounced “slanj-eeh-vah”.
“ancnoc has a modern style yet is steeped in traditional pronunciation