During the winter my mind often turns to whiskey. It’s my standby fix for winter ailments. Whenever I get a cold—or sometimes when it’s cold and miserable—hubby will make a hot toddy consisting of whiskey, lemon juice, hot water and honey. Delicious!
Thirteen Factoids About Whiskey
- Irish and American whiskey is spelled with an ‘e’ while the Scottish leave the ‘e’ out of their whisky.
- Once whiskey is bottled it stops aging or maturing. You might as well drink that bottle because it’s at its peak as soon as you purchase it.
- It’s said whiskey was first made in Ireland, although Scotland also makes this claim.
- Whiskey is distilled in oak casks. The casks give the drink both its flavor and color.
- Whiskey can be made from wheat, barley, corn or rye.
- Malt whiskey is made from malted barley.
- Whiskey appears in historical records around the 1500s.
- It’s said Queen Elizabeth the first liked a tipple of whiskey.
- In 1661 excise tax was applied to whiskey, driving production underground.
- There are four distinct regions producing whisky in Scotland. The Highlands, The Lowlands, Islay and Campbelltown.
- The whisky from each region has a distinctive taste.
- Most of the major whisky breweries in Scotland are now owned by international companies.
- Mctears Auctions in Glasgow is the most famous auction house for rare bottles of whisky.
Do you like the odd nip of whiskey/whisky? Which brand do you prefer?
These are some very interesting facts. I went to Nashville, TN for a few days and there are a few whiskey distilleries in the area. I didn’t tour. I did visit a bar called Popcorn Sutton’s. He was a Tennessee man who bootlegged his own whiskey and handed out business cards to customers when he was alive.
We don’t tend to drink American whiskey. I mean how can we with a good Scottish surname like Munro. I’d be interested in doing a tour though. It’s on our list!
You can never know enough about whiskey. Thank you for posting all those cool facts..
LOL – it’s a good cure all.
I’m more a beer girl. Or wine. I like knowing all these facts, though.
Carol, I prefer a nice glass of wine too. The whisky is strictly medicinal.
Ah! So that’s what’s going on with the spelling. I couldn’t figure it out.
Obviously, the Irish took whiskey to the US and kept with their spelling.
Loved this, although I can’t drink whiskey straight. I make the same hot toddy when I’m sick, too.
I have to agree. Straight whisky doesn’t taste good. I have to doctor mine with lemon.
This is a fun and informative read :)
I never drink whiskey but still enjoy the information. I wonder why Scottish erased the ‘e’ letter
I bet they did it to be contrary :)
Sometimes the smallest nuggets of information can clear up things we never realized confused us. I just thought whiskey was supposed to be spelled whiskey and that without the “e” was wrong. I stand corrected :-)
It was a question in a City & Guilds exam when hubby and I worked in pubs.
Actually, Americans tend to spell Munro with an e on the end. You guys have an e fixation. LOL
Interesting post. I’m don’t drink much, but a tipple of whiskey sounds intriguing–who knows–I could be like the queen and develop a taste for it. :)
The queen liked sugar too. That was a fact in one of my previous TTs. She had lots of bad habits. :)
Yay. I finally got in.
#2 was new to me. I didn’t know that before. Thank you.
Interesting, no? A lot of people don’t know about the aging. It’s only while it’s in the barrels.
Whiskey! Yum.
I don’t drink much, but whiskey is a favourite. Johnny Walker Black Label. I like it with a bit of water. Nice added to coffee, too.
Now vodka…I don’t get the appeal of vodka.
I still celebrate the release of each book with a double nip of 25 year old Scotch whisky. Although I can’t quite follow the ancient recommendation of holding it in my mouth for a second for each year of aging, I do sit there and let it dwell for some time.
I’ve sampled many whisky/whiskeys over my years at sea and have soft spots for both Bushmills and Wild Turkey, but my current tipple was brought home for me from Scotland, a single malt from the home distilery of my Highland Clan. (one of three that I have discovered direct links to – I suppose that makes me a blended Scot. Like many whiskys.)
I don’t drink at all. I have tried a few drinks including whiskey and rum and vodka…but they all give me a headache and I’m a belligerent drunk,..LOL
When I was growing up, my grandfather had a hot toddy for his cold ‘every night.’ grin.
Interesting post, Shelley, though I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of whiskey (or hard liquor in general).