A History Of Whisky

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 20
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Aqua vitae, the drink of life, isn''t water it''s alcohol and it has been around for millennia. It was the Babylonians in Mesopotamia who first started distillation in order to produce perfumes. This eventually developed into wine production and spread, largely through the monasteries, from the Middle East and Africa to Europe.

Way back in the 12th century, whisky was being produced in Ireland and Scotland was making bottles of the stuff in 1494 evidenced by Scotland''s Exchequer granting malt to Friar John Cor to produce as much as 1,500 bottles.

Whisky, like many spirits only gets better with age and a 40-year-old bottle for example can sell for a sizable sum and depending on the specific year and region, bottles of this liquid gold can sell for hundreds of pounds. Because of this history, whisky is a prospering industry worth more than ?4 billion to Scotland''s economy alone.

Whisky is now being produced all over the world. Although to be called Scotch, a whisky has to be produced in Scotland, all other whiskies can be made all across the globe.

Highly popular and commercially successful whiskies ...
... are made in the US. Here they are often referred to as bourbons or ryes and also have strict rules governing their production and alcohol content. Tennessee is one of main whisky areas in the US made internationally famous through the brand Jack Daniel''s.

Like Scotland, Ireland has a long history of whisky making and is thus one of the largest producers of whisky in the world. Irish whiskies are traditionally distilled in pot stills, are generally made of 100% barley and the copper pot still gives the whisky a noticeably spicy taste. Irish whisky must be 100% produced in Ireland by law and aged in wooden casks for at least three years.

However, there are now more countries entering into the whisky market. Sweden and Finland have started developing distilleries and Germany is expanding on its forays into the business made 30 years ago. Aspiring to make Scotch-like whiskies outside of Scotland, Japan is also developing a name for itself internationally.

Overseas markets are also growing as whisky is becoming more widely palatable. For example, the Aberdeenshire whisky maker Glendronach, has just revealed that Sweden has emerged as one of its key new markets. It said worldwide sales of the product now amount to ?2.4 million making it a highly profitable arm of the business.

Bonny Kominek is an author and whisky connoisseur. They recommend Master of Malt for 40 year old Whisky.