Whiskey

Whiskey is distilled from grain. The type of grain or grains used determined the type of whiskey.
Whisky – spelled this way for Scotch but as whiskey for Irish and other forms of the product is a distilled beverage made from cereals and normally matured in oak. It is a subject to a great deal of legislation and custom.

The major cereals used for the manufacture of whisky are barley, wheat, rye and corn.

There are many types of whiskey:
American
Blend Whiskey
Grain Whiskey
Malt Whiskey

American Whiskey – The most popular grains used are maize, rye, millet and barley. The most popular is Bourbon, which was originally produced in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

The most famous American whiskey is the bourbon whiskey. It is America’s native spirit and goes back to the pioneer days, when early Irish and Scottish distillers brought their whiskey distilling traditions to Western Pennsylvania.

Blend Whiskey – Blended whiskey is a combination of malt and grain whiskies. Blended whiskey are composed from a dozen to fifty different grain and malt whiskeys. The typical ratio is 60 percent malt whiskey to 40 percent grain whiskey.

The more malt whiskey that is used, the more expensive the whiskey. The practice of blending took off in the second half of the 19th century.

Grain Whiskey – The only difference between malt whiskey and grain whiskey is that other grains such as maize or wheat are used as well as barley.

It is distilled in the patent still, by a continuous process. It matures more quickly than malt whiskey.

Malt Whiskey – The initial stages of whiskey production are almost identical to the of beer. Malt whiskey is distilled from fermented barley malt with no adjuncts, consequently the malting barley should contain high levels of starch and low levels of protein.

It is produced only from malted barley traditionally dried over peat fires. A single malt whiskey comes from one single distillery and has not been blended with whiskies for another distilleries.
Whiskey