"A spirituous liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grains, usually rye, barley, oats, wheat, or corn, and matured in wood casks, usually for three or more years. Inferior grades are made from potatoes, beets, or other roots. Scotch whisky, usually blend, takes its dry, somewhat smoky flavor from the barley malt, cured with peat, used in its preparation. The somewhat similar Irish whiskey, for which no peat is used, has a full, sweet taste. American whiskeys, classified as rye or as bourbon (a corn liquor), are higher in flavor and deeper in color than Scotch or Irish whiskeys. Canadian whiskey, characteristically light, is produced from cereal grain only. First distilled in monasteries in 11th-century England, whiskey has been manufactured commercially since the 16th century."

Well - that last part isn't completely true.
When the first whisky was distilled exaclty and whether it originated in England, Ireland or Scotland is still in debate. The most popular theory has Irish monks hopping across the Irish Sea to Scotland around 700 AD to spread the gospel and the secret of distillation. Nowadays whisky is produced all over the globe. You'll find distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, Canada, the USA, New-Zealand, India and even Japan.

But wait a minute! - we're getting ahead of ourselves here...
First check out the next chapter on the proper whisky language...

This website is dedicated to one particular type of whisky; Single Malt Scotch.
I'll get back to 'single' and 'malt' part in the next chapter - first I'd like to explain my preference for whiskies from Scotland. Not because Irish or American whiskies are inferior to Scotch whiskies by definition, I assure you. It's just a matter of personal taste, really. Over the years I've come to taste some nice American "bourbon" and Irish whiskies, but none of them had the individuality and character of single malt Scotch that I love.

Individuality and character are not appreciated by everybody though - as my limited social circle proves... Why don't you make an informed decision by yourself? Just compare an American or Irish whiskey you already know to one or more of the single malts from Scotland, mentioned in chapter 9 of this mAlmanac.

When you check your dictionary you may find that 'whisk(e)y' is spelled either with or without an 'e'. As far as I know, there's no logical explanation for this, but when a whisky is produced in Ireland or the US, it's usually spelled as 'whiskey' - otherwise as 'whisky'. Don't ask me why, I guess this is just one of those inexplicable things in life one simply has to accept - like the success of rap music or spontaneous combustion.

The production of whisky became sort of an 'industry' in 18th century Scotland.
Apart from fondling their sheep and shaving their legs the Scottish farmers had very little entertainment in those days. Shortly after the recipe for whisky was published in 'Distillation For Fun & Profit' dozens of distilleries were established.

Nobody likes to pay taxes. Hiding high in the Highlands many Scots managed to elude the English tax collectors time after time. Only after the taxes were reduced following the Excise Act of 1823 most distilleries were legalised.

O.K. - Let's start with the basics.
Your average dictionary might describe 'WHISK(E)Y' something like:

Production practices gradually became more professional and the fame of whisky
soon spilled over the borders of Scotland into England. Especially after a massive
wine louse (phylloxera) infection wiped out the French brandy industry in the 19th
century the popularity of whisky grew quickly. Scotch whisky production got another boost during the years of prohibition in the USA. More than a decade of legal distilling hadn't dulled the Scottish smuggling instincts and they were more than happy to jump into the new markets.