Scottish traditional culture


Whiskey:

“Scotch” or a Scotch whisky is the name of whiskey from Scotland.

Under British law, whiskey among other things must meet the following conditions to be called Scotch whisky:

At first the whiskey must be matured for at least 3 years in oak casks.
Secondly the maturing must have happened in a customs warehouse registered in Scotland.
Finally the alcohol percentage must be at least 40%.

Scotch whisky is also grouped by the area it is produced in. For instance highlands and lowlands whisky. The difference is often in the process of maturing and the alcohol percentage.

Known Scottish whiskey brands includes:
Dalwhinnie, Talisker and Cragganmore.


Sources:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky)
http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/43.html

Bagpipe:
The origin of the bagpipe is actually unknown. But there are some people who claims that it goes back to the old Egypt, Persia and Greece, while other think that it goes back to the old Roman empire where the emperor Nero has played the instrument. We can therefore conclude that it isn't a Scottish invention. The story then says that the bagpipe was brought to Ireland and Scotland by the Romans, and for some reason it later became their mark.

The reason why the bagpipe maybe can be traced back to such old civilisations is because that many herdsmen had the necessary materials at hand. These materials was a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe.

Although the bagpipe is played in many countries of the world it is associated with Scotland. It has long been used by Scottish regiments to play military music.
The bagpipe was developed as an outdoor instrument, as a way to stir soldiers to war. Its very high volume allowed it to be heard over the sound of battle.

Sources:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes)
http://www.bcfpb.com/id11.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090516234156AAvtLkQ

Tartan:
Tartan is a pattern, woven coloured stripes. Often seen on Scottish kilts, and associated to Scotland.
It is the national dress of Scotland.

In the end of the 18th century the Scottish Regions each had different patterns of tartan, and some Scottish clans also had their own tartan, if it was a very big or very important clan. Often you could tell where people where from by the pattern of their tartan.

Today we see tartan everywhere, on different items of clothing. But also on other materials than clothing