whiskey

Also known as “whiskys”,“whisky”. Whiskies is a generic category for spirits distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wood. Whiskies may be distilled from a single grain or multiple grains. In theory, whiskey can be made anywhere, but the majority comes from specific countries, such as the United States (Bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, American straight whiskey, American blended whiskey, Tennessee whisky); Canada (Canadian whisky in its various iterations); Ireland (Irish whiskey, blended and single malt); Japan (Japanese whisky in its various iterations); and Scotland (Scotch whiskey, blended, single malt, and vatted; inclusive of all disparate regional characteristics). Many categories of whiskey are protected by law. Since the 19th Century invention of the continuous still made neutral spirits plentiful and cheap, it has been common for some whiskey producers to add neutral spirits to their products: such whiskey is usually termed “blended”. Recipes that simply call for “whiskey” are leaving the choice up to you, particularly in the American context, where the default choices are straight rye or bourbon. In Canada, “whiskey” is usually spelled “whisky” and implies a Canadian blend. Outside the US and Canada, “whiskey” implies (by default) a barrel-aged distillate of fermented malt barley, which is produced most famously in Ireland, Scotland and Japan, but also in many other places. The term “whisky” used alone usually implies Scotch. The term “whisk(e)y” suggests a choice of any whiskey that suits the recipient.