About Whisky

Whisky is a distilled spirit made from a mash of fermented grain, matured in oak casks for a legally defined minimum period, and bottled at a specified strength. The grain may be barley, rye, wheat or corn; the water is drawn locally; the yeast varies from producer to producer. What defines whisky, above everything, is time in oak.

The word itself derives from the Gaelic uisge beatha — the water of life — a phrase that in turn translates the medieval Latin aqua vitae. Both are still visible in the earliest written records of distillation in Scotland and Ireland.

The two spellings are not interchangeable. Whisky, without an 'e', is used by Scotland, Canada, Japan and most other producing nations. Whiskey, with an 'e', is used by Ireland and the United States. The distinction dates to the nineteenth century, when Irish and American producers adopted the additional letter to differentiate their product from Scotch in export markets.

Whisky is grain, water, yeast and time. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Scotland and Ireland are the historical founders of the industry, and remain among the largest producers. The United States — chiefly Kentucky and Tennessee — produces bourbon and Tennessee whiskey in enormous volume. Canada has its own long tradition of blended rye whisky. Japan built a distinguished twentieth-century industry modelled on the classic Scotch template, and today produces whiskies of great international standing. A newer generation of distilleries operates across England, Wales, India, Taiwan, Australia and much of continental Europe.

In Scotland and Ireland whisky is inseparable from the national self-image, and the great distilleries of both countries are among their most recognisable cultural exports. In the wider world, whisky occupies a place in the social and ceremonial life of many cultures — from Japanese highball bars to American Kentucky Derby traditions.

Because whisky is shaped by its water, its climate, its casks and its production traditions, the geography of the distillery is central to its character. The maritime malts of Islay taste unlike the honeyed Speysides; the triple-distilled whiskeys of Ireland are smoother than the twice-distilled Highlands; the bourbon of Kentucky, aged in new charred oak, is a category unto itself.

Continue reading in History of Whisky or explore Whisky Regions.