What is whisky (or whiskey) - is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash (which may be malted, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat) or by distilling beer. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
How to taste whiskey
- Smell small breathing, and move
the glass away. Repeat
- Taste in the mouth and the
retro-nasal aromas
- Judge the after taste
- Neat – Most whiskey connoisseurs will recommend at least taking your first sip neat, meaning served alone, unmixed and not chilled.
- On the rocks – Since whiskey is a potent, high alcohol content liquor, many prefer to dilute it a bit to lower the alcohol by volume (ABV). Those drinkers order on the rocks, meaning over ice.
- Experts recommend enjoying whiskey at room temperature as cooling it numbs the flavors slightly. To avoid taking too much of the edge off, try whiskey stones to get to the preferred drinking temperature without diluting.
A more detailed description of how to enjoy a glass of whiskey Additional ones - link
Whiskey tasting chart
- Link
From the type of grain used
- Malt - malted barley
- Grain - not made from malted barley, any type of grain
- Corn – USA; 100% corn, Burbon
- Rye – USA, Canada; min 51% and must also be matured in oak casks for at least 2 years, spicy
- Oat – Germany, Austria; rich and creamy with notes of banana and honey
- Millet - Asia and Africa; very fresh and aromatic and typically brings complex notes of Asian fruits such as dates, ripe bananas and sweet lychees
- Wheat - at least 51% wheat, round and complex, fruity-spicy, and slightly bitter taste
- Blended - a mixture of different whiskies (malt, grain)
Different production, blending (column vs still pot)
- Scotch / Scotch whisky – pot still, Scotland, malt
- Irish whisky – pot still, Ireland, malt or grain whiskey
- Bourbon – USA; must contain at least 51% corn, the rest is a mixture of some barley for the fermentation process, as well as rye and/or wheat. Many bourbons use the sour mash process. Must be aged for at least two years in fresh, toasted casks made from American white oak. A finish or extra maturation similar to Scotch whisky is not allowed
- Tennessee Whiskey differs from bourbon in that it is additionally charcoal-filtered before it is filled into casks.
- Pot Still Whiskey. It contains Malt and Grain Whiskey, but both may only be distilled in Pot Stills.
More about the production of whisky - link
Different country whiskies - link
