A Brief Introduction To Whisky

Aqua vitae, the drink of life, isn''t water it''s alcohol and it has been around for millennia. It was the Babylonians in Mesopotamia who first started distillation in order to produce perfumes. This eventually developed into wine production and spread, largely through the monasteries, from the Middle East and Africa to Europe.

Way back in the 12th century, whisky was being produced in Ireland and Scotland was making bottles of the stuff in 1494 evidenced by Scotland''s Exchequer granting malt to Friar John Cor to produce as much as 1,500 bottles.

Whisky, like many spirits only gets better with age and a 40-year-old bottle for example can sell for a sizable sum and depending on the specific year and region, bottles of this liquid gold can sell for hundreds of pounds. Because of this history, whisky is a prospering industry worth more than ?4 billion to Scotland''s economy alone.

Whisky is not just made is Scotland though. Legally, to be called a Scotch, the whisky has to be produced in Scotland, but all other types of whisky can be made throughout the world.

Highly popular and commercially successful whiskies are made in the US. Here they are often referred to as bourbons or ryes and also have strict rules governing their production and alcohol content. Tennessee is one of main whisky areas in the US made internationally famous through the brand Jack Daniel''s.

Like Scotland, Ireland has a long history of whisky making and is thus one of the largest producers of whisky in the world. Irish whiskies are traditionally distilled in pot stills, are generally made of 100% barley and the copper pot still gives the whisky a noticeably spicy taste. Irish whisky must be 100% produced in Ireland by law and aged in wooden casks for at least three years.

However, there are now more countries entering into the whisky market. Sweden and Finland have started developing distilleries and Germany is expanding on its forays into the business made 30 years ago. Aspiring to make Scotch-like whiskies outside of Scotland, Japan is also developing a name for itself internationally.

Production and consumption are inevitably linked. The more we drink the more we need the produce. Our taste for whisky seems to be growing. According to the Aberdeenshire whisky maker Glendronach, Sweden has emerged as one of its key new markets and overall worldwide sales now amount to ?2.4 million making it a highly profitable arm of the business.

By: Darren Seabrook

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Darren Seabrook is an author and whisky connoisseur. They recommend Master of Malt for 40 year old Whisky.