Whisky
Whisky is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages. The word whisky originates from the old Gaelic word ``uisce beatha'' which means ``water of life''. There is a difference in spelling. Scots and most others write it as whisky while Irish and Americans use the word whiskey.
A good whisky is made in many countries but many of us associate it with Scotland. It is believed that whisky was first mentioned in a document called Exchequer Rolls of Scotland made in July of 1495. More than half of all Scottish whisky distilleries are in Speyside located along the Spey river in the northeast of Scotland. Other famous parts of the world where good whisky is made are Canada, the USA (Kentucky and Tennessee), Ireland, Japan and New Zealand.
Whisky is made in the fermentation of various types of grains - barley, corn, rye and wheat. Whisky where barley has been used is malt whisky while all other types of this beverages are known as grain whisky.
Whisky has between 40 and 60% of alcohol by volume. According to an old Scottish belief some people could determine the strength of certain whisky by throwing some of it in fire and observing the colour of flame that was created.
Different whiskies can be mixed into a new drink. This blended whisky can contain up to 50 different whiskies. The first blended whisky was made in 1860's in Edinburgh, Scotland by Andrew Usher.
Scottish Malt Whisky
The quality of whisky depends on many factors like fermentation, distillation, time spent in wooden barrels or ``casks'' etc. Up to 4% of whisky is evaporated during process of maturing in casks. In Scotland this is known as the angel's tax or angel's share.
Glenmorangie distillery
In Scotland people traditionally drink their whisky out of something what they called quaich. It is a shallow cup with a handle on each side. The word quaich comes from the old Gaelic word ``cuach'' which means a cup. Quaich is usually a wooden one. Still there are also those made from stone, silver and other materials.
Traditional shallow cup, quaich
Most people drink whisky out of a glass vessel. There are also those who claim that almost any kind of vessel will do. In the past when a glass was expensive many people used a metal glass to drink whisky.
A glass with a wide top and thick bottom is popularly known as the whisky glass or rock glass. An expert will say you won't be able to enjoy that special whisky aroma in this kind of glass.
That is why you should use a glass who gets narrower towards its top or better said has a tulip shape. This glass will enable you to focus on the smell and taste of your whisky.
Pour your whisky and observe it a bit. First of all you have to swirl the drink in your glass and then notice those traces liquid makes on the sides of glass. They are known as ``legs''. It may sound unusual but a true expert can use them to determine how old the whisky is and how many years the drink has matured a barrel.
Before taking the first sip smell the whisky you are drinking. When the first sip is in your mouth keep it there for about 10 seconds. This act is called a ``tongue feel''. After that allow the liquid to move down your throat.
Many whisky enthusiasts find it rather silly but there are people who enjoy their whisky with ice. You almost certainly heard of a term ``on the rocks''.
Whisky can be used as ingredient of a cocktail. One example of such cocktail is Whisky Mac. It is a combination of whisky and ginger wine.
References Whisky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky About Whisky http://www.visitscotland.com/about/food-drink/whisky/about Quaich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaich Whisky Traditions http://www.scotland.org/features/whisky-traditions/ How to Drink Whiskey, http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/05/01/how-to-drink-whiskey/ Is there an ``art of drinking whisky''? http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/ArtDeBoire_EN.shtml The Scotch Whisky Guide http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/the-scotch-whisky-guide/ Scotch myths http://www.clangold.com/did-you-know/whisky-stories/scotch-myths/ 18 Facts You Must Know To Sound Smart About Whiskey http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-whiskey-2010-4?op=1 Speyside Distilleries http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/planning_your_visit/speyside_distilleries Scotch whisky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky Images Scottish Malt Whisky (photo by Dominic Lockyer, Flickr) https://www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/12121066656/ Glenmorangie distillery in Scotland (photo by Jack Shainsky, Scotland) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ifyr/1107213758/ Quaich (photo by Apie, Wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quaich.jpg