"A spirituous liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grains (usually rye, barley, wheat or corn),
matured in wooden casks, usually for 3 years or more. Inferior grades are made from potatoes,
beets, or other roots. Scotch whisky, usually blend, takes its dry, somewhat smoky flavour from
the barley malt, cured with peat, used in its preparation. The somewhat similar Irish whiskey, for
which no peat is used, has a full, sweet taste. American whiskeys, classified as rye or as bourbon
(a corn liquor), are higher in flavour and deeper in colour than Scotch or Irish whiskeys. Canadian
whiskey, characteristically light, is produced from cereal grain only. First distilled in monasteries
in 11th century England, whiskey has been manufactured commercially since the 16th century."

It seems that your average dictionary writer doesn't get out much.
There's so much more to whisky than can be described in a single
paragraph. What's more, that last part about the origins of whisky
isn't completely true. When the first whisky was distilled and whether
whisky originated in England, Ireland or Scotland is still heavily debated.

But wait a minute!  We're getting ahead of ourselves - first check out the next chapter on the proper whisky language...

'Malt Madness' is dedicated to one particular type of whisky; Single Malt Scotch whisky, to be precise.
I'll get back to 'single' and 'malt' part in the next chapter - first I'd like to explain my preference for Scotch
whisky. It's not because Irish or American whiskeys are inferior to Scotch whisky by definition, I assure you.
It's just a matter of personal taste, really. Over the years I've come to taste some nice American "bourbon"
and Irish whiskies, but none of them had the individuality and character that I love in single malt whiskies.
Individuality and character are not appreciated by everybody though - as my limited social circle proves.
If you've never tried a single malt whisky before and your first encounter is with Laphroaig 10 years old,
you're in for a big surprise - and I can't guarantee it'll be a pleasant one. You'll either love it or hate it.

When you check your dictionary you'll find that 'whisk(e)y' is spelled in
two ways; either with or without an 'e'. As far as I know, there's no logical
explanation for this, but when a whisky is produced in Ireland or the USA,
it's usually spelled with an 'e' as 'whiskey' - otherwise just as 'whisky'.
Please don't ask me why; it doesn't make much sense to me either...
I guess this is just one of those inexplicable things in life one simply has
to accept; like the popularity of rap music or spontaneous combustion.

Whisky production became sort of an 'industry' in 18th century Scotland.
Apart from fondling their sheep and shaving their legs the Scottish farmers
had very little entertainment in those days. Shortly after the recipe for malt
whisky was published in 'Distillation for Fun & Profit' the Scots had found
themselves a new hobby and dozens of distilleries were established.

Nobody likes to pay taxes. Hiding high in the Highlands many Scots managed
to elude the English tax collectors time after time. Only after the taxes were
reduced following the Excise Act of 1823 most distilleries were legalised.
Production practices gradually became more professional and the fame of
the Scottish whisky slowly but surely spilled over the borders into England.
Still, the whisky industry remained a largely local affair for many years.

O.K. - Let's start with the basics. Your average dictionary might describe 'WHISK(E)Y' like:

Things changed considerably after a huge wine louse infection (Phylloxera)
in the 19th century wiped out the vineyards in France, and pretty much the
entire brandy industry along with it. The popularity of whisky grew quickly,
both in England and overseas. Scotch whisky production got another boost
during the prohibition in the USA. Decades of legal distilling hadn't dulled the
Scottish smuggling instincts and the Scots jumped into the American market.
When prohibition ended, 'Scotch' had already earned its place in the market.

The most popular theory has some Irish monks hopping across the Irish Sea to Scotland around the year 700 AD to spread the gospel - along with the secret of distillation - among the barbarians. However, these Irish monks didn't invent distillation itself; this was discovered by Arab scholars.

Rumour has it that Laphroaig was the only whisky that still
could be sold legally by apothecaries during the prohibition
that plagued the US in the 1920's, because of its medicinal
taste. I guess the government officials who tried it couldn't
imagine anybody drinking this stuff out of their own free will.
And that is just one example of the character and style you
can find in single malts. It's not for the faint of heart...
But don't just take my word for it...
Why don't you make an informed decision by yourself?
Just compare any American, Irish or blended Scotch whiskey
you already know to one or more of the Scottish single malts
mentioned in chapter 7. You won't be bored, I promise.

Whisky Magazine (www.whiskymag.com)
Malt Whisky Companion (Michael Jackson)
Appreciating Whisky  (Phillip Hills)
 Whisky Bible (Jim Murray)
Malt Whisky  (Charles Maclean)

The earliest forms
of whisky were most
likely distilled from
ale or beer. They
were not matured
in any way, so in
those early days it
probably tasted
more like wodka.

These days, whisky is produced all over the world. You can find whisk(e)y distilleries in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Canada, the USA, Australia, New-Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela and even South Africa.