What is whisky?
Whisky (or whiskey) is a spirit made from grain and stored in wooden barrels. The grain is mashed (i.e. the grain is crushed and mixed with hot water so that the starch is converted into sugar, which later becomes alcohol) and then distilled. The maturation in the casks for at least three years ensures the golden brown colour of the finished whisky and also significantly determines its taste. The alcohol content of Whisk(e)y is at least 40% vol..
Whisky or whiskey?
Whether you write whisky without or whiskey with an e depends on the origin of the drink. In the United States and Ireland, it is usually whiskey with an e; on the other hand, whisky is almost always spelled without an e in Scotland, Canada, Japan, Germany and thus most other whisky countries of origin. Often the different countries also have different raw materials and production rules, but these cannot always be clearly related to the different spellings. In the following paragraphs, you will find all the important information about the different types of whiskey and whiskey.