# of divers

Friday, March 15, 2013

Whiskey Business

Jack Daniels is a bourbon

Only whiskey with a Kentucky origin can be called bourbon.

Bourbon is distilled in Bourbon County

William Wallace is seven feet tall!

Myths! Falllacies! Uncertainties! Lies!


just-mini-bourbons.com

Who brought whiskey to America?

This is certain to be an endless debate 
(and a topic you may wish to avoid around Irish and/or Scottish gatherings of sorts).

whiskey/whisky? tomato/tomäto?

There are many myths and confusion surrounding the whiskey/bourbon debate.

For clarity,

Whiskey is defined by Dictionary.com as 'an alcoholic liquor distilled from a fermented mash of grain, barley, rye or corn, and usually containing from 43 to 50 percent alcohol'

While Bourbon is defined as 'a whiskey distilled, chiefly in the US, from maize, especially one containing at least 51 percent maize and aged in charred white-oak barrels'

American Bourbons


The two are often used interchangeably.

I must at this time interrupt myself to seek permission for a bit of storytime. Permission granted? Yes?
Why thank you kindly!

Ahem...

Once upon a time, descendants of European countries (including the Irish and Scottish) set sail to sea (say it 5x fast) to find America.

They brought with them the process of distillation (a concentration of alcohol via vaporization and condensation), and it is said that they toted more alcohol than water as they set forth to the new world.

As all settled in the new 'This Land is My Land', the resident Native Americans were introduced to the process of distillation allowing their fermented fruits to lend themselves to future alcoholism.

Barley, rye, and wheat were the key ingredients for creating the distilled spirit. Seeing that we had little barley and vast amounts of corn available as natural resources, maize soon replaced wheat in the process. Thus revealing the birth of whiskey in America as the adored lovechild of corn, rye, wheat, and a charcoal barrel aging process.


The answer to 'How do you spell whisk(e)y?'

The answer is... both ways
whisky is from Canada, Japan, Scotland or Wales
while whiskey indicates that it originates from Ireland or America

For the record, whisky is the correct American spelling according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms decree created in 1968. Nevertheless, many distilleries had been producing the goodstuff for quite some time using the letter 'e', and elected to avoid this, which is why you'll find both spellings in the United States, or what I like to call 'cowboy country'. 

We seem to enjoy making things complicated around these parts. Henceforth, America's aversion to the metric system.

So Bourbon is simply the name for American whiskey. It does not have to be distilled in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It can be distilled anywhere in the United States.

That being said, should you ever set foot into a bar and are served Jack Daniels when ordering bourbon,  I suggest you quietly leave. A good bourbon should stand on its own. If you do enjoy bourbon and coke however, order it with Jack in lieu of a top-shelf variety. Spend your hard-earned moneybucks elsewhere.

Being armed with this knowledge, it is now your duty to drink whiskey (responsibly of course!)


a whisky fueled vehicle?

I demand it

The villagers have spoken.
She's gone aw'rye!

I'll take mine in a standard whiskey or sherry glass.
Neat-o, with a wee side of room temperature water, and a straw to pick up just a few droplings.
Merci beaucoup.
Cheers!

Cheese Tip:

Tastecheck the Midnight Moon Chevre, a goaty from California's very own Cypress Grove. Its sweet toffee finish paired with the oaky and caramel smoothness of a Four Roses Bourbon is a toothsome delight.


You mustn't forget the dark chocolate.



The polyamorous marriage of these three magical treats combined is a certain bliss of another kind...

Enjoy the weekend my friendfolks.

Don't forget to throw thunderbolt smiles at those who try to stand in your pathway.

x
     

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