WHAT IS WHISKEY?
Whisky (or whiskey) refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak).
Different grains are used for different varieties, including: barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn.
Whisky is not a geographically specific name, as whiskies are made all over the world. Exactly when or where whisky was first distilled is unknown. Due to undocumented beverage production of the early days, identification of the drink’s origin difficult. Also, it is possible that different populations discovered processes of distillation completely independently of one another.
The drink can be traced back to as early as the 15th century, and there is speculation that it was first consumed in Scotland or Ireland.
Today, the five major producing countries are Scotland, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Japan.
