Whiskey
Whiskey is a spirit produced from the distillation of grain. Debate still rages about whether the Irish Celts or Scots were the first to produce the “water of life,” but the first written recording of whiskey’s creation dates to 15th century Scotland. Origin isn’t the only debate concerning whiskey. Spelling is contentious, too. When distilled in Scotland, Canada, and Japan, it is spelled whisky without the e, while whiskey distilled in Ireland and the United States is most often, but not always, spelled with the e. Technically, whiskey is a distilled spirit produced from a fermented grain mash, distilled to no more than 190 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. All whiskey, with the exception of corn whiskey and “white” whiskey, must be aged for some period of time in oak containers. Whiskey is classified by country of origin (i.e. Canadian whisky) and may be further defined by the type of grain used (i.e. rye whiskey) or the way it is produced (i.e. single malt).
Top Whiskey Posts:
The Top 10 Whiskeys of 2018
The Top 10 Whiskeys of 2017
All About Dusties: 1970s vs. 2018 Bourbon Tasted Side by Side
Top 10 Bourbons Under $20
What Grains are Used to Make Whiskey (And Why?)
From Barrel To Bottle: How Wood Aging Impacts Whiskey
You know you’ve hit peak whiskey when Coors gets in on the game. Molson Coors, in fact, started its whiskey operation in September 2021 with the launch of Five Trail Blended American Whiskey. This eluded us at the time, but now the brand is out with batch 002, a blend made in partnership with Bardstown…
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It’s round 16 for the Parker’s Heritage Collection, this one an unusual blend of of two different bourbons, one of which has been double barreled. The two bourbons are then blended post aging to produce this once-only limited edition. The details are complicated, so I’ll let Heaven Hill explain it all: This edition consists of…
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Recently, Glenfiddich launched a curious special edition — a 12 year old single malt finished in Amontillado sherry casks after initial aging in both American and French oak. While single malt Scotch finished in Amontillado is virtually unheard of, here’s the weirdest part of the release: It’s available only in California and Florida. The rest…
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Frey Ranch recently launched a single barrel bourbon line. Naturally a single barrel rye was up next: “Our Straight Rye Whiskey has really been a hit for Frey Ranch, racking up awards and recognition from our fans – in fact, both our Straight Rye and our new Single Barrel Rye received Double Platinum recognition from…
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Author David Jennings is widely regarded as the most prominent Wild Turkey historian in the whiskey world. After spending years among the ranks of bourbon enthusiasts on Reddit, David’s insight on obscure laser codes and his methodical approach to identifying the characteristics of “Dusty Turkey” was rewarded with recognition in major publications. From there he…
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To call Jackie Zykan‘s first release of Hidden Barn Bourbon a blunder would be a charitable understatement, as the whiskey — all seven barrels of it — proved underdeveloped and mostly uninteresting. The 4 to 5 year old whiskey, sourced from a Kentucky operation called Neeley Family Distillery in Kentucky, was “Made the Hard Way,”…
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Hot on the heels of their enjoyable Rum Cask Finish, Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit Distillery is out with another addition to their Reserve Series line, and it sure sounds tailormade for the holiday season. The distillery first released a Pedro Ximenez sherry-finished rye whiskey as a much more limited Distillery Exclusive way back in 2019, and…
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Dickel has been cranking out special edition whiskeys with double-digit ages as part of its ongoing Bottled in Bond series for a few years now. But for the holidays, the distillery has dropped an even older bottling that hits a full 17 years of age, though it’s not bonded, entering the bottle at 46% abv.…
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Jack Daniel’s has formally renamed its Tennessee Tasters’ Selection series (which was a mouthful) to the more straightforward Distillery Series. The idea remains the same, however: These are experimental, one-off releases that are available only in Tennessee. The 8th and 9th installment in the series both start with JD Straight Rye Whiskey, then finish them in…
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The mad fanaticism over all things whiskey continued unabated in 2022, but with quality like this on the market, it’s hard not to see why. Some of this stuff is so insanely good that we can fully understand the wild price hikes and long lines and lotteries just to win the chance at buying a…
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