WHAT IS WHISKY?
WHISKY IS THE NAME FOR A BROAD CATEGORY
OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES THAT ARE
DISTILLED FROM GRAINS AND ARE
SUBSEQUENTLY AGED IN OAK CASKS.
THE GRAINS USED TO MAKE VARIOUS TYPES OF
WHISKY INCLUDE BARLEY, MALTED BARLEY,
RYE, MALTED RYE, WHEAT AND CORN.
THE SPELLING WHISKY IS GENERALLY USED FOR
THOSE DISTILLED IN SCOTLAND, WALES, CANADA
AND JAPAN, WHILE WHISKEY IS USED FOR THE
SPIRITS DISTILLED IN IRELAND AND IN THE
UNITED STATES.
HISTORY OF WHISKY
THE NAME WHISKY IS DERIVED FROM THE
GAELIC EXPRESSION UISGE BEATHA WHICH
MEANS WATER OF LIFE.
WHISKY WAS PRODUCED IN SCOTLAND AND
IRELAND FROM THE 10TH CENTURY ONWARDS.
THE INVENTION OF THE COFFEY STILL IN 1831
LED TO GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN WHISKY
PRODUCTION.
WHISKY GRADUALLY SPREAD TO THE UNITED
STATES, CANADA AND JAPAN.
TYPES OF WHISKY
THE MAJOR TYPES OF WHISKY ARE
SCOTCH WHISKY
IRISH WHISKEY
AMERICAN WHISKEY
CANADIAN WHISKY
JAPANESE WHISKY
SCOTCH WHISKY
SCOTCH WHISKIES
ARE GENERALLY
DISTILLED TWICE
AND MUST BE AGED IN
SCOTLAND FOR AT
LEAST THREE YEARS
IN OAK CASKS.
SCOTCH WHISKY IS
DIVIDED INTO FOUR
DISTINCT
CATEGORIES: SINGLE
MALT, VATTED MALT,
BLENDED AND SINGLE
GRAIN.
IRISH WHISKEY
IRISH WHISKEY IS A
GRAIN WHISKEY
MADE IN IRELAND.
THERE ARE SEVERAL
TYPES OF IRISH
WHISKEY LIKE
SINGLE MALT, PURE
POT STILL AND
BLENDED WHISKEY.
IRISH WHISKEYS ARE
GENERALLY
DISTILLED THREE
TIMES AND MUST BE
AGED FOR THREE
YEARS IN OAK CASKS.
AMERICAN WHISKEY
AMERICAN STRAIGHT
WHISKEYS MUST BE
MADE USING A MASH
THAT HAS 51% TO 79%
OF A SINGLE GRAIN.
BOURBON IS MADE
FROM AT LEAST 51%
CORN; STRAIGHT RYE
IS MADE FROM AT
LEAST 51% RYE.
AMERICAN WHISKIES
MUST BE AGED IN NEW
AMERICAN WHITE
OAK CASKS.
CANADIAN WHISKY
CANADIAN WHISKY IS
WHISKY MADE IN
CANADA AND AGED
THERE FOR AT LEAST
THREE YEARS IN A
BARREL.
MOST CANADIAN
WHISKIES ARE
BLENDED MULTI-
GRAIN WHISKIES.
JAPANESE WHISKY
THE STYLE OF
JAPANESE WHISKY IS
SIMILAR TO THAT OF
SCOTCH WHISKY.
THE TWO MOST WELL
KNOWN DISTILLERIES
ARE SUNTORY AND
NIKKA.
BOTH OF THESE
PRODUCE BLENDED AS
WELL AS SINGLE
MALT WHISKIES.
SERVICE OF WHISKY
WHISKY CAN BE
SERVED NEAT OR ON
THE ROCKS IN AN OLD
FASHIONED GLASS.
POPULAR MIXERS FOR
WHISKY ARE SODA,
WATER AND GINGER
ALE.
FAMOUS BRANDS
GLENFIDDICH
OBAN
JOHNNIE WALKER
CHIVAS REGAL
JAMESON
PADDY
JACK DANIEL’S
WILD TURKEY
CANADIAN CLUB
BLACK VELVET