Whisky/Whiskey basics for Beginners
Left to right: Method and Madness (Irish), Jameson (Irish), Talisker Skye (Scotch), Jack Daniels (Tennessee Whiskey) and Glenfiddich (Scotch).
As a beginner within the world of Whisky I wanted to share the knowledge I have accumulated in recent times, if you're a newcomer or a novice interested in Whisky hopefully I'll be able to pass along what knowledge I have!
For the purpose of this article I will be using the spelling 'Whisky' when referring in a general way to the drink.
WHAT TYPES OF WHISKY ARE THERE?
Loads! Whiskies are usually categorised by location or the type of grain used, for the purpose of this article covering basics I will be focusing on the three main locations; Scotland, Ireland and the US.
WHICH IS BEST?
All three are usually noticeably different and even a novice with basic information should be able to tell these differences with just a taste. To answer the question, of course they're all equal and which you prefer is largely down to taste.
HOW DO THEY TASTE?
Once again as this article is covering the basics I would have to make some generalisations when referring to the different types, in some instances the styles of Whisky can overlap in taste and smell.
If I were to drill it down to the most basic and simplistic descriptions I'd say:
SCOTCH: Smokey, sweet and harsh.
IRISH: Smooth, easy and drinkable.
AMERICAN: Sweet, easy and drinkable.
*Disclaimer: I am aware that these basic tasting notes are very simplistic and there are many tastes and varieties within each category.
WHY IS IT CALLED WHISKY? DID THEY USED TO WHISK IT?
No. The word Whisky is an English language translation for a Gaelic term meaning 'Water of Life', in Gaelic it is 'Uisge Beathe', which in archaic versions of Gaelic would have been pronounced something like 'Ooishka Baha', when shortened to 'Uisge' it is not far away from the English pronunciation 'Whisky'.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask below! Thanks for reading. :)
I'm not really a big drinker, but I'm going to try Conor McGregor's 'Notorious' whisky if/when it launches.
Hey @mckeever, I'm not much of a drinker these days either but I must admit to enjoying a glass of Whisky on occasion.
Yes, McGregor's Whisky is of interest to me also, usually these celebrity endorsed spirits are of a poor standard (Thinking specifically of David Beckham's "Haig Club"), but I'm aware that McGregor is working with the Jameson guys in Cork and all of their products are superior so I will definitely check it out.