Scotch Whisky.
There is no e in the word 'Whisky' when the whisky is made in Scotland (and Canada). Other countries such as Ireland spell whiskey with the e. Some countries like the United States use either method depending on the brand. I will grade you on this at the end of your first bottle.
SPIRITS
Beers, wines, and similar products made by fermenting grains, fruit, etc. can then be distilled, i.e. boil the liquid and catch and condense the resulting steam resulting in a drink with a higher alcohol content. This condensation is known in general by the name of spirits. Spirits include vodka, whisk(e)y, brandy and etc. Understandably there is a lot of expertise in making spirits that are drinkable and occasionally very tasty . Some think the word 'spirit' came from the observation of the wispy wraith-like steam before it was condensed. And almost invariably the various countries name of the resulting drink had a meaning similar to 'water-of-life'. Eau-de-vie in French speaking lands, aquavit in Nordic areas, vodka (a shortened version) in Slavic lands and usquebaugh in the Celtic tongues (and again the various Gaelic spellings - if you look back at my Meandering Introduction ... you will note that I used a variation on usquebaugh there). Seemingly the usquebaugh was shortened to usky and then anglicized by the English to whisky. One of the reasons for talking about spirits is that a few hundred years ago the Scots made a decision to not flavor their whisky post production with fruit or seeds or spices the way many countries were doing with their distilled spirits in order to improve the flavor. Instead they were going to rely on the process itself to give their whisky its distinctive flavor.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
just noticed (28 Apr '12) that I have been remiss in completing this particular page on 'background of Scotch Whisky. Some family members home for the weekend - so will probably get on this in the first of the coming week.
07June2012 - reading this tonight and thinking how time slips away - well charge it off to a full life as a retired old duffer and a lasting bout of Carpal Tunnel that makes typing a bit of an effort. I promise to continue the above (I, somewhat biased of course, was impressed when I read it over - and I can't wait to see what I say next).
07June2012 - reading this tonight and thinking how time slips away - well charge it off to a full life as a retired old duffer and a lasting bout of Carpal Tunnel that makes typing a bit of an effort. I promise to continue the above (I, somewhat biased of course, was impressed when I read it over - and I can't wait to see what I say next).
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