Contents
I have a friend who loves to travel with his wife. They have already visited many countries of the world. Interestingly, he always brought me a bottle of some kind of alcohol as a gift, which is considered traditional (or simply known and widespread) in the country where he was visiting.
So I tried German beer, French wine and cognac, American brandy. But most of all I was struck by Irish whiskey. I was wondering what kind of drink it is and who else produces it.
Top Whiskey Producing Countries in the World
In order to understand which whiskey is better, you should pay attention to some ratings. Of course, much depends on the individual preferences of the person, but there is still a generally accepted opinion.
That is, the fact that this product is exported in such quantities to almost all countries of the world probably says something. This just shows that this is really good whiskey in this case.
In the first place in the world ranking is the UK, but it should be understood that for the most part we are talking about Scotch whiskey.
In second place is Irish whiskey. By the way, it is believed that this country almost invented it. Just the mention of this drink was first noticed in the writings of an Irish monk. The United States is in third place. Personally, I see this rating as such. The first place belongs to Scotland and Ireland, and then all the others.
Important! American whiskey even has its own name – “bourbon”.
Scotch whiskey features
That Scotland, that Ireland, both of these countries can partly be considered the birthplace of whiskey. It is in their territories that historians find traditional recipes for making this alcohol.
Chivas Regal 25.
Scotch whiskey is different in that in most cases the malt (from which the drink is made) is smoked on peat smoke. That is why you can hear hints of smoke in its taste. It is distilled a maximum of two times. It’s a bit heavy for me, though it has a rich flavor.
Johnnie Walker Black label.
As for exposure, it lasts at least 3 years. Interestingly, used oak barrels are used for this. Mostly from bourbon or Spanish sherry (fortified white wine).
There is a so-called “finish” option, when whiskey is aged in barrels from two different alcoholic beverages. Such experiments give new tastes to a seemingly familiar drink.
Ballantine’s.
Here are the top three Scotch whiskeys in my opinion. In the first place I will put Chivas Regal 25. It costs about 25 rubles. It stands out for its mild taste with a rich fruity bouquet. There is also a common Johnnie Walker Black label.
It will cost about 1500 rubles. It has a complex taste, made up of 40 types of scotch tape. Ballantine’s for 1000 rubles will take the third place. Distinguished by chocolate flavor.
Important! Scotch whiskey is also called scotch.
Features of Irish Whiskey
This whiskey is much closer to me. First of all, it is not smoked. It is also worth noting that it is often triple distilled. The drink becomes cleaner and lighter. These are the two main features of Irish whiskey.
Jameson.
With regards to aging, oak barrels from other alcoholic beverages are also used here. True, in this country they do not use the “finish” method. Maybe that’s for the best. As for me, it is not always good when there are a lot of things in one fragrance at once.
Proper Twelwe.
As for barrels, they are also used after bourbon and sherry. In the preparation, in addition to malt, a mixture of malted and unmalted barley is also used. The first ingredient adds flavor, but the barley is for strength.
Tullamore DEW.
I will put Jameson in the first place here. The fact is that it is produced in many versions, and the price can vary from 1500 to 30 rubles. No less famous is the Proper Twelwe, created by the famous MMA fighter Conor McGregor.
Has a spicy woody taste. Tullamore DEW is twelve years old and is the second most popular in Ireland. Used to make classic Irish coffee. It costs about 3 rubles.
Important! The word whiskey is spelled differently in Scotland and Ireland. In the first case Whiskey, and in the second Whiskey.
Popular whiskeys from other countries
The whiskey recipe is known all over the world, so it is not surprising that it is well prepared in other countries. The first after Ireland and Scotland are the USA. As already mentioned, their whiskey can still be called bourbon.
Jack Daniel’s.
Bookers.
My top pick from America is Jack Daniel’s. He is very famous. It costs about 1500 rubles. Its flavor is very mild as the whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal. Bookers is considered premium whiskey and will cost 6000 rubles. It is distinguished by the fact that it passes cleaning through the lime layer of the soil.
TAP 357.
Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve.
TAP 357 is a representative of Canada worth about 3000 rubles. Its taste is distinguished by notes of tobacco leaves and cocoa. An unusual combination, as for me, but this is the only thing that attracts. Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve from Japan is also good. The taste is raspberry and currant. It costs about 7000 rubles.
I’m a little amazed at the variety in terms of preparation that whiskey has. Many representatives of this series are radically different in taste. What do you think a real whiskey should taste like? Perhaps you know specific brands that you can recommend?
*Alcohol abuse is harmful to your health!