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I didn’t understand the taste of whiskey before. And in general, it was not clear why people love him so much. Well, alcohol is alcohol. What is this crazy price tag they cling to it?
Perhaps I would have wondered about this further if I had not tried real good whiskey myself. Now I am ready to share with you all the wisdom of choosing this divine drink.
Whiskey producing countries
Here are 5 countries producing good quality whiskey:
- Scotland. It is considered the ancestor of the production of whiskey. When exactly this drink appeared is not known for certain. The flavor variety is simply amazing. They make a drink with the taste of raisins, honey, malt, nutshells, wood and many others. There are also quite unusual in my opinion: can you imagine whiskey with the taste of ichthyol ointment?
- Ireland. The Irish are arguing with their “colleagues” about the first country in which whiskey appeared. After all, Ireland was the first to export whiskey. Perhaps now it would be the main country in terms of the volume of alcoholic beverages sold to it. But the economic embargo, “arrived” from the British, did its job – supplies decreased, production decreased. Now the Irish have returned to the global whiskey market.
- USA. Immigrants from Iceland and Scotland brought and began to produce whiskey. For production, rye was first used, but later it was replaced with corn. A purely American approach to the manufacture of whiskey, gave birth to such a variety as “bourbon”, which, due to prohibition, almost sunk into oblivion. But the drink was saved by the renewed interest in it in European countries and in the Land of the Rising Sun.
- Canada. The same emigrants began to produce whiskey in this country. While Americans were suffering under Prohibition, enterprising Canadians were producing alcohol in incredible quantities. First, they smuggled cheap, but low-quality whiskey into the United States, and then they began to import it legally. Other alcohol is often added to the Canadian drink, so the taste is somewhat changed.
- Japan. Having fallen in love with Scottish whiskey, the Japanese decided to copy the production technology and make it in their own country. Almost all of the whiskey produced is drunk by the Japanese themselves, so its export to other countries is minimal, which does not contribute to the growth of its popularity in the world market. Perhaps over time, everything will change, because Japanese companies monitor the quality of their products.
Whiskey made in Scotland on the label is written as Scotch whiskey, in Ireland – Irish whiskey. If produced in the USA or Canada, the name is written only as Bourbon.
Now this alcohol is produced in other countries. An interesting taste, for example, in drinks from France, Germany, Austria.
The countries of Africa and Asia are not far behind, but in many ways their drinks can not be called “whiskey”. Although there are quite interesting types and varieties of whiskey in these countries.
What is in whiskey
The composition of the original drink includes no more than 2-3 components. Grain is the basis.
Different countries use different products. These are barley, rye, wheat, rice, corn. Plus, they take water for cooking (in some cases, exclusively spring water). American whiskey also contains sugar.
Barley gives the drink a dryish taste, rye makes alcohol more tart, even bitter, corn gives a mild taste. But the taste qualities largely depend on the distilleries in which the whiskey was produced.
Whiskey “on sale” can be good?
Since the technology for the production of the drink is quite complicated, it will not work to buy it cheaply. But this does not mean that quality whiskey can only be bought at exorbitant prices.
On average, the cost of “affordable” quality drinks starts around 5000 rubles. Everything below is also worthy of attention.
But one thing is for sure – whiskey cannot cost less than 1000 r. Or maybe, but this is no longer whiskey, but some other drink.
Whiskey may be on sale, but do not believe in big discounts, most likely something is wrong with it.
Lalique’s most expensive whiskey, The Macallan, was auctioned for $460.
The best whiskeys
If each country has its own raw materials for making whiskey, then they have a common manufacturing principle – the distillation of grain wort. Also known as distillation. There are several varieties of this strong drink:
- Malt whiskey. Barley is used for production, so the addition to the name Malt is placed on the label. Single malt is spelled Single Malt, blended malts are Pure Malt or Blended Malt. For beginners, I suggest trying Glenfiddich or Tullamore DEW. I was not at all impressed with Red Label. Its “brother” Black Label is much better.
- Grain whiskey. On the bottle, or rather on its label, there should be the inscription Grain. Wheat and rye are used for production. In its pure form, it is unlikely that you will be able to see, or rather taste, whiskey, but grain-malt whiskey is not difficult to find. They say Teeling Single Grain is not bad. Have you had a chance to try it? I’m interested in your opinion.
- Bourbon. Whiskey is made from corn mash. You need to look for this drink under the name Bourbon. The most famous Jack Daniels drink has a special taste and aroma. Jim Beam for lovers of stronger drinks.
- Blended whiskey. It is a blend of malt and grain musts. Blended whiskey is the most popular variety because it is not expensive. I would like to note the Teachers Highland Cream whiskey, which has incorporated an unusual combination of flavors. Well, for those who prefer a milder taste, I recommend trying Chivas Regal Revolve.
We can talk about whiskey endlessly. Well, I deliberately did not mention the names of all the most worthy brands of this drink.
I want to ask you, what is the name of your favorite whiskey? Share your experience about the drink.