Whether you’re a novice or a connoisseur here’s some info to help you out in your whiskey journey. WHISKY or WHISKEY (both are the same, just differnt spelling) is alcohol made from fermented grains like corn, barley, rye, or wheat. It is oftern matured in oak casks that may be charred. One has to look at the country of origin many times to find out the type of whiskey.
HOW IT'S MADE
Whiskey production varies depending on the style being made, the country where it originates, and other factors, but the general process remains the same in most cases.
MALTING – All whiskey starts as raw grain—in the case of malt whisky, barley, which has to be specially treated to access its sugars. The barley is moistened and allowed to partially sprout, or germinate, a process called malting which secretes an enzyme that converts the barley’s starches to sugars. Germination is cut off when the barley is dried by heating.
MASHING – The sugars contained in the grain must be extracted before fermentation, and this is done through mashing. The grains that are being used—like corn, wheat, or rye—are ground up, put in a large tank (called a mash tun or tub) with hot water, and agitated. Even if the distiller isn’t making malt whisky, some ground malted barley is typically added to help catalyze the conversion of starches to sugars. The resulting mixture resembles porridge. Once as much sugar as possible has been extracted, the mixture—now known as mash or wort (if strained of solids)—moves on to the fermentation stage.
TYPES OF WHISKEY
WHISKY or WHISKEY – The “e” or lack thereof in the word’s spelling is purely orthographical. Whisky is whiskey is whisky. Certain countries favor one spelling over the other—for example, Scotland and Canada always use “whisky,” while Ireland and the United States tend to favor “whiskey.”
BOURBON – This is a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name ultimately derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise inspiration for the whiskey’s name is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. Bourbon has been distilled since the 18th century. The use of the term “bourbon” for whiskey has been traced to the 1820s, with consistent use beginning in Kentucky in the 1870s. Although bourbon may be made anywhere in the United States, it is strongly associated with the American South and with Kentucky in particular. As of 2014, distillers’ wholesale market revenue for bourbon sold within the U.S. was about $2.7 billion, and bourbon made up about two-thirds of the $1.6 billion of U.S. exports of distilled spirits.
SCOTCH – Is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland. Scotch whisky must be made in a manner specified by law. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye in the late 18th century. Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, blended malt Scotch whisky (formerly called “vatted malt” or “pure malt”), blended grain Scotch whisky, and blended Scotch whisky All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Any age statement on a bottle of Scotch whisky, expressed in numerical form, must reflect the age of the youngest whisky used to produce that product. A whisky with an age statement is known as guaranteed-age whisky. A whisky without an age statement is known as a no age statement (NAS) whisky, the only guarantee being that all whisky contained in that bottle is at least three years old. The first written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1495. A friar named John Cor was the distiller at Lindores Abbey in Newburgh, Fife, where, in October 2017, malt whisky production restarted for the first time in 522 years.
CANADIAN WHISKY - Of course, we know that Canadian whisky is made in Canada but what is it that makes it Canadian? In the 18th and 19th centuries, gristmills distilled surplus grans to avoid spoilage. These were rough and unaged. They soon began to add American corn because of its abundance but then added a small amount of rye, usually around 10%. Any whisky drinker knows that rye has a distinct flavor and soon people were asking for this new rye-flavored whisky. Now the term "rye whisky and Canadian whisky are used interchangeably. It even says so in Canadian law!
JAPANESE WHISKY - It's no coincidence that Japanese whisky is similar to scotch. They studied the process of making scotch and tried their best to recreate it back in Japan. The first westerners to taste Japanese whisky were American Expeditionary Force Serbia soldiers who took shore leave in 1918, a brand called Queen George. Japanese whiskey has made its mark in the whiskey world garnering respect after winning a few blind tastings beating out their scotch counterparts. In 2024 official rules will be in place to designate "Japanese Whisky". It must be fermented, distilled and bottled in Japan. Use some portion of malted grain in its mash bill and use water sourced from Japan.
IRISH WHISKEY - has to be made on the island of Ireland to be Irish whiskey. Distilled with cereal grains. Fermented with yeast. Distilled no more than 189.6 proof and aged a minimum of 3 years in a barrel no more than 185 gallons. Caramel color and water can be added. Bottled at a minimum of 80 proof.
What makes it interesting is that Irish whiskey is presumably where whiskey originated from. It is believed that Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfumes back to Ireland from their travels to southern Europe and made it into a drinkable spirit. At this time it was not aged and once distilled it would have been flavored with aromatic herbs such as mint, thyme or anise. The oldest documented record of whiskey was found in the Annals of Clonmacnoise where it was written after the head of the clan died after "taking a surfeit of aqua vitae". Surfeit means having an "excessive amount of" and aqua vitae means "water of life". So it seems that he drank himself to death.
In 1608, King James the First granted a license to Sir Thomas Phillips of County Antrim. The first license to distill. Bushmills lays claim to this license to say that it is the oldest licensed distillery in the world but… Bushmills did not register to trade until 1784 so… is it? It may be hard to believe that Irish whiskey was the most popular spirit in the world in the 1800s. At their peak they were distilling 10 million gallons a year! Then in the early 1900s the Irish war for Independence happened, trade war with Britain and finally prohibition in the United States just about collapsed the whiskey titan island. Put it this way, at the height there were 28 distilleries across the island and by the 1960s there were 3! It slowly started to come back in the 1980s and now Ireland has grown to 25 distilleries!
Pot stills were the norm in Ireland until the Coffee still was invented and patented which allowed continuous distillation, more product faster. Pot stills were almost put out pasture with only 2 companies still using them, Redbreast and Greenspot. With the resurgence of whiskey, there was a push to go back to the basics, using the pot still to get the most flavor out of the grains.
GLENCAIRN
Born in Scotland and shaped by the hands of Glencairn Crystal Ltd., the Glencairn glass is Raymond Davidson’s answer to how whisky should be experienced. He didn’t design it alone. Master blenders from five of the biggest whisky houses in Scotland helped carve its silhouette, ensuring it served the spirit, not the other way around. Its broad base gathers the whisky’s soul, and the tapered mouth funnels the aroma straight to the nose, where the story really begins. It became the first glass endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association and the go‑to vessel for every whisky maker across Scotland and Ireland.
STOLZLE
This is designed for you to bring along when you want to understand a whiskey before you truly drink it. Born from over a century of German crystal‑craft, it’s built tough. Its wide bowl lets the whiskey stretch its legs, and the tapered chimney corrals the aroma straight to the nose, giving you the full readout before the first sip.
But for us, the Stölzle is the scout, not the champion. It’s the glass you use to map the terrain. The Stölzle earns its place in the kit, no doubt. But the rocks glass is home base.
ROCKS GLASS
The Rocks Glass is the workhorse of the whiskey world. Also, known as an Old Fashioned Glass or Whiskey Tumbler. Thickwalled, wide-mouthed, built to hold a pour with confidence, designed with that thick bottom to muddle your ingredients. Called a Rocks Glass because some prefer thier whiskey over a few cubes.
Our Rocks Glass is a little different, made to fit in the side pockets of our WhiskeyVenture backpacks. Locked in and ready for wherever the story goes. Protected, portable, and always within reach when the moment calls for a real pour.
Other glasses stay home.
Ours Travels!
STORING
Storing whiskey is easy, make sure the top is on and keep it out of sunlight. That's pretty much it. You keep it that way for years and years and years...
