Some Facts About Whiskey Or Whisky
Author: Darcy O'Neil

When discussing whisky the first thing that needs to be know is
that there are two legitimate spellings. The Scotts and
Canadians spell whisky without the "e", while the Irish and
Americans spell it with an "e" as in whiskey. This should be
the first indication that the world of whisky is a very
complicated one and has many regional differences in taste and
production. This is part of what makes whisky such an
interesting and enjoyable spirit.

Historically it is believed that the Irish were the first to
make whiskey, however the Scotts have also laid claim to being
the first whisky producers. The Irish used the term "uisce
beatha" ("Water of Life" in Gaelic) to describe whiskey, so it
must have been important.

Both the Scottish and Irish make whiskey the same way, except
for the malting and distillation process. In Scotland the
malted barley is roasted over open peat fires to dry, this
results in the grain picking up the peat flavour. In Ireland,
the malted barely is dried in closed ovens, and is never
exposed to the smoke. The process of mashing and fermentation
is much the same for both countries. In the distillation step,
the Irish, most of the time, distill their product three times,
which results in a very pure distillate which makes Irish
whiskey exceptionally smooth. The Scottish distill their
product twice and this results in more flavour in the spirit.

In North America there is Canadian whisky and American whiskey,
which has a number of regional classifications including Bourbon
and Tennessee whiskey. Each product in North America is unique
and is regulated by the government. Canadian whisky is the
number one imported spirit into the United States and is second
in consumption only to vodka.

American whiskey has a number of regulation depending on the
definition of the product. Bourbon must be made from fermented
mash of not less than 51% corn, rye, wheat, malted barely or
malted rye grain. It cannot be distilled at a proof higher than
160 and must be stored in new oak barrels at a proof of 125 or
less. Blended American whiskey must be made from at least 20%
whiskey aged two or more years with the remainder made from
unaged neutral grain spirit. American corn whiskey must be made
from a minimum mash of 80% corn. Tennessee whiskey follows the
same regulations as Bourbon, but is charcoal filtered (Lincoln
County Process), so it does not qualify as a bourbon.

Canadian whisky must be ages for at least three years, but for
the most part the Canadian government allows the expertise of
the distiller to define the characteristics of the final
product so there are no limits on distillation proof or barrel
requirements. Any Canadian whisky that is aged for less than
four years must have the age listed on the bottle. Most
Canadian whisky is aged for six or more years. Canadian whisky
is generally a blended spirit. The term "blended" means that
the final product is made from a number different types of
distilled product. For example, a Canadian whisky may be
composed of corn, barely, wheat and rye distillates that have
been aged in selected used or new oak barrels. Some Canadian
producers put all of the grains in one vat and ferment them as
a whole and pre-blend and age the distillate. Other producers
ferment each grain individually and age each distillate
separately and then blend a final product from a mixture of
spirits. Most Canadian whisky is distilled twice.

This article has only scratched the surface of the whisk(e)y
world. There are many regional characteristics of whisky and
many other counties are producing this fine spirit. It would
take a lifetime to explore the complete world of whisky, but it
would be a worthy attempt.


About The Author: Darcy O'Neil is a bartender with a formal
education in chemistry. His motive for becoming a bartender was
part by chance and partially to fulfill his culinary desires.
You can read more about Darcy on his bartending, spirits and
mixology site http://www.theartofdrink.com/blog.