Whiskey
Whiskey is a distilled spirit, made from grain, and aged in oak casks.
There are several categories of Whiskies, the first being Scotch Whisky (no E), we here at ‘The Drink Chef’ will clarify Scotch Whisky as it’s own category. Then the other main sub categories of Whiskey are American Whiskey which is comprised of several whiskeys (Bourbon, Sour Mash or Rye Whiskey ect.),
Irish Whisky (also ‘sometimes’ no E), then Canadian Whiskey, and Blended Whiskeys.
American Whiskey
No matter where they come from, Whiskey is defined as the distillation of fermented grains, which are then stored in wooden casks to impart flavors, character, color & depth to an already fine spirit.
The word Whiskey comes from the ancient Celtic word ‘uisgebeatha’ (Scottish) or ‘uisgebaugh’ Irish, pronounced “wis-geh-baw”. It is easy to see how Whiskey was to be called after these origins. Both cultures claim the first origins of this fine spirit, however this is an argument to be held forever, being that the ancients were enjoying Whisky, long before they were concerned with writing down the recipe for it. We will never know for sure.
American Whiskey began quite late in the day of recent history. The first distilled spirits commercially produced in the new colonies were Rums, first found in abundance in our young nation in New England. The beginnings of Whiskey being produced ‘en masse’ was not until early in the 18th century. Early settlers at that time were primarily using Rye & Barley for Whiskey production.
Preceding this production of course would be the inevitable taxes. In 1791, the new government of the colonies was in dying need (literally) for cash to support itself. So… the excise tax on whiskey was born. Being that most early producers of Whiskey were homegrown outfits, or small family businesses, they were adamantly against these taxes. To the point of insurrection, riots & other nasty scenes. Well, we all know the taxman always prevails, as he did in this early case. So… at the time, our illustrious President Washington sent a force of militia to help along this mostly unknown scene in American history. This small insurrection was to go down in history as the ‘Whiskey Rebellion’. Though these inevitable taxes soon became part of the business equation of Whiskey production, early settlers opposed to these taxes had little choice but to move farther & farther out of the reach of the long arm of the tax collectors.
So… going out into ‘Indian Territory’ was an early fact of life for these Whiskey loving forefathers. Many newly immigrated but disgruntled Irish, Scottish & Dutch farmer / distillers soon found themselves in southern Indiana & Kentucky where the water was pure & the corn grew tall.
The first notable production of Whiskey distilled in Kentucky is widely attributed to the ‘Reverend Elijah Craig’, at Georgetown, in ‘Bourbon County’. Since corn was more accessible to him than Rye this corn Whiskey became known as Bourbon County Whiskey. The name stuck… nowadays Bourbon Whiskey must begin with at least 51% corn as its base grain. Each distiller then has its own idea of the perfect recipe, all guarded carefully.
Being very early in the game, Jack Daniel’s must be complimented here for upholding the tradition of Bourbon Whiskey, though their origins are quite close to this heart of Bourbon, the distillery of Jack Daniel’s lies in Tennessee, close but not in Kentucky. So… upon inspection of their bottle, you will find no reference to Bourbon, theirs is a proud heritage of ‘Sour Mash’ Whiskey. Following the lines of limestone that reach from Pennsylvania, through Indiana and into Kentucky & Tennessee, this shale rocky soil, naturally filters the water to allow the great American Whiskey still in wide production today.
Irish Whiskey
Irish Whisk(e)y is commonly believed to be a potato whiskey. This is not true. The misconception easily comes from the fact the Irish themselves have called their earliest (and illicitly) distilled Whiskey as ‘Poteen’ Whiskey. This term refers to the fact that they were first using a ‘Pot Still’. This traditional distilling practice was the production of choice in its early stages.
Whiskey in Ireland is distilled from the fermented grains, most commonly, ‘barley’, usually malted barley, then unmalted barley, corn, rye, wheat and oats. The recipe is quite similar to the one used in Scotland, however, the proud difference being, where the produce is farmed as well as the water and the unique distillation process also has a tremendous effect on the distinctive flavor of the end product.
The similarity to Scottish Whisky lies in the ‘still process’. Irish Whiskey uses three distinct distilling operations. The first two mostly mirrors Scottish distillation process, however differs in the third. This is why Irish Whisky is always ‘triple distilled’. In each ‘run through’ of a still, the resulting liquid is of varying strength. Called ‘feints’, these strong or weak fients can be blended into the final product or not. In the production of Irish Whiskey, only the ‘strong fients’ are used in the final distillation, producing the distinctive recipe & flavor of this fine elixir.
Irish Whiskeys must be aged in seasoned cooperage (aged wood casks) for at least four years but more commonly aged for seven to eight years before they are ready for distribution.
Irish Whiskey is a particularly smooth, medium bodied spirit, with a clean & unique flavor.
Canadian Whiskey
Canadian Whiskey is often mistakenly called Rye Whiskey because it was originally based on Rye, but no more. The distinction of Canadian Whiskeys is that each master distiller uses the straight distillations of each respective grain… rye, barley & corn mostly, and blends these distillates together in a secret recipe to achieve a pure light spirit. Each master uses differing product ratios and different processes to obtain ‘their’ blend. Distilled at least twice and aged commonly for 4 to 6 years, in new casks of oak, or even used casks that once contained Sherry, Bourbon or Brandy. Three years being minimum cave time, some producers blend their whiskeys before barrel aging and some wait until each whiskey has matured individually, then they blend. In either event, the end result is a fine, easy drinking, mellow spirit.
Canadian Whiskey is made with a combination of corn, rye and barley. The blending of these grains delivers Canada it’s distinctive liquor. These cereals are mashed, fermented & distilled, yielding a light bodied, slightly pale and mellow flavored Whiskey.
All major Canadian Whiskey producers offer primarily ‘blended’ Whiskeys.
The French drink more Whisky than Cognac
The phrase “The real McCoy” referred to whisky smuggled into the USA during Prohibition by Captain Bill McCoy.
.. or maybe not ..
A famous black inventor by the name of Elijah McCoy earned about 50 patents, the most famous one being for a metal or glass cup that fed oil to bearings through a smallbore tube. Machinists and engineers who wanted genuine McCoy lubricators may have originated the term “the real McCoy.” Elijah McCoy was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1843, the son of slaves who had fled Kentucky and died in Michigan in 1929. The McCoy lubricator was copied by many but the slogan used by the company that had the patent rights was that people should get “the real McCoy”
The shape of the conventional whisky ‘shot’ glass, being wide at the top and tapering in towards the bottom was originally designed to disguise the taste of raw grain spirit in inferior whisky by dissipating its smell. Serious appreciation of whisky requires a tulip-shaped ‘nosing’ glass which retains the ‘nose’ or aroma of the whisky.
