Whiskey
Whiskey is a spirit produced from the distillation of grain. Debate still rages about whether the Irish Celts or Scots were the first to produce the “water of life,” but the first written recording of whiskey’s creation dates to 15th century Scotland. Origin isn’t the only debate concerning whiskey. Spelling is contentious, too. When distilled in Scotland, Canada, and Japan, it is spelled whisky without the e, while whiskey distilled in Ireland and the United States is most often, but not always, spelled with the e. Technically, whiskey is a distilled spirit produced from a fermented grain mash, distilled to no more than 190 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. All whiskey, with the exception of corn whiskey and “white” whiskey, must be aged for some period of time in oak containers. Whiskey is classified by country of origin (i.e. Canadian whisky) and may be further defined by the type of grain used (i.e. rye whiskey) or the way it is produced (i.e. single malt).
Top Whiskey Posts:
The Top 10 Whiskeys of 2018
The Top 10 Whiskeys of 2017
All About Dusties: 1970s vs. 2018 Bourbon Tasted Side by Side
Top 10 Bourbons Under $20
What Grains are Used to Make Whiskey (And Why?)
From Barrel To Bottle: How Wood Aging Impacts Whiskey
New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling is back at it again with another oddity: Crab Trapper, a bourbon-based whiskey “steeped with a custom crab, corn, and spice blend mixture, best likened to a Low Country Boil.” The green crabs used in the whiskey have an invasive species in New England for over a century, so using them…
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Long time rye drinkers have likely had their fair share of juice from Alberta Distillers, though more commonly via brands that source from the Calgary-based single-grain giant. A long time mainstay on Canadian shelves, the distillery’s own Alberta Premium brand has more recently made waves south of the border. Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye has…
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With Jackie Zykan’s abrupt departure from Old Forester a few weeks ago, the distillery’s 117 Series — which was billed as her creation and famously features her signature — will soon have to go in a new direction (or be discontinued altogether). This fourth installment in the series is Zykan’s swan song, a bourbon designed…
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Up until this point, every bottle that we’ve reviewed from Single Cask Nation has been scotch, but the independent bottler also offers a variety of spirits from around the world, several of which are distilled right here in the old US of A. In fact, they remain the only independent bottler of cask strength Wild…
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Cascade Moon — the upscale sub-brand of George Dickel — recently dropped two new releases. Also dropped has been the numbering system which came with its first two whiskies, dubbed No. 1 and No. 2. Going forward, Cascade Moon bottlings will be distinguished by unique labels and descriptive naming systems explaining exactly what’s in the…
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Adelphi is a well-known independent bottler of other people’s whiskies. After 100 years as a bottler, the company finally decided to get in on the game in earnest by building its own distillery and making its own whisky in the western Highlands of Scotland, operating under the name of Ardnamurchan. The first release, Ardnamurchan Small…
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The ImpEx Collection independent bottlings of whiskey and rum launched with much fanfare (at least for us) last year, and now the collection is expanding to offer its first Japanese whisky. This 17 year old grain whisky comes from an undisclosed distillery — hence the name — and is made from koji rice and barley.…
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It was a terrible, no-good two years for in-person spirits events (make that in-person events of any kind), but things are finally, thankfully starting to return to normal. Chris noted (with some surprise) that Whiskies of the World held its San Francisco event last fall but at a reduced scale. Washington, D.C.’s famous Jack Rose…
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Wyoming Whiskey is out with its second annual limited edition in support of the National Park Foundation. For this year’s release, the distillery has partnered with Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, to mark the park’s 150th anniversary. The bottle is available for sale at the park, throughout Wyoming, and in…
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One of the best whisky retailers in the world is The Whisky Exchange — and one of the retailer’s best product lines are its “Perfect Measure” sampler sets, which consist of numerous 30ml bottles of whiskies that you will likely have a hard time finding in any format, anywhere. Recently the company sent me a…
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