Spirit Whiskey

Spirit whiskey comes in many varieties and is a very popular drink to produce and purchase all over the world. Spirit whiskey can come from many different ingredients and mixtures and is produced in many countries including the United States, Ireland, and Germany. Spirit whiskey is distilled from fermented grain mash, which can be pure or a mix of grains. There are a few international standards that are followed when producing whiskey, among them that the whiskey is fermented from grains, distilled, and aged in wood. There are a few exceptions to these rules about spirit whiskey, one of which is that corn whiskey made in the United States does not have to be aged.

Spirit Whiskey Origins

The original words for whiskey mean "water of life," and the beverage has been around in written records since 1405 in Ireland and appears at many other points in history. Spirit whiskey can come from malted barley or grains. With spirit whiskey there are many flavors because of the many types of grains and mixtures that it comes from. Spirit whiskey can come from a single grain or malt or it can be blended from many malts. Spirit whiskey also is affected by the distillation process. When it comes to distillation, a spirit whiskey can be distilled between one and three times for flavor and purity. Many types of Irish spirit whiskey are distilled three times.

Spirit Whiskey Regulation

Spirit whiskey is moderately regulated in the United States and in other countries. Typically, the spirit whiskey needs to be made from malt or grains that are mashed and fermented. Then it must be distilled or purified. After distillation, spirit whiskey is aged for at least three years; this must be done in wooden casks that are usually made of oak. There are many grains that can be used to make grain spirit whiskey, including rye, barley, wheat, and corn. Corn whiskey does not need to be aged if produced in the United States, unlike other whiskeys. Spirit whiskey can also contain multiple grains, and if two or more are used it is considered a blended whiskey.

About Spirit Whiskeys

There are quite a few very popular spirit whiskeys in the world. Wheat whiskey is one of the rarer types because most whiskey made with wheat is a blended type. One of the most popular whiskeys in America is Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, which comes in standard and the more refined Gentleman Jack. Some Australian types of whiskey include Limeburners Single Malt, John Christie’s Single Malt, and Smith’s Angaston Whiskey. Some of the most popular brands of spirit whiskey come from Ireland. Jameson, Green Spot, Tullamore Dew, Midleton, and Redbreast are just a few of these, all of which hail from famous Irish distilleries. Spirit whiskey has a long standing tradition as the drink of choice for many, and as a result its brewing process is storied and complex. Spirit whiskey distillation will continue to adapt with time, but the time honored methods have always produced very fine beverages.