[what Is whiskey?]
It is my personal belief that whiskey may be the most misunderstood spirit on the market today. It’s actually an umbrella term for any alcohol distilled from grain, but there are three different styles, each distinct and special.
>> bourbon (and its up-andcoming brother, Rye)
Is it true that all bourbon has to come from Kentucky? No. Is it true the best bourbon comes from Kentucky? That’s subjective. Is it true bourbon has to be 100 percent made in the U.S. of A.? Absolutely. Along with being entirely American-made, Bourbon has to be a minimum of 51 percent corn and aged in new, charred-oak barrels. Sure there are other rules that go more into depth about aging (minimum 2.5 years, but if it’s younger than 4, that must be stated on the label), and laws concerning proofs—but don’t worry about those too much. As for rye, it has the same characteristics, except it has to be made from a minimum of 51 percent rye.
>> irish whiskey
Irish whiskeys must be made in Ireland, and they are on the smoother side of the whiskey family, in my opinion, which comes from being triple distilled. Little known fact: There are actually not that many whiskey distilleries in Ireland; I came up with four major ones by my last count.
>> scotch
First, not all Scotch has to be smoky. It does, however, have to be made in Scotland. The interesting thing is that since Scotch typically carries a higher age statement than most other whiskeys, it’s aged in already-used barrels. Often they will have agreements with bourbon distilleries to reuse their old casks. Scotland has many different whiskey-producing regions. Here are some basic Scotch-drinking guidelines. If you like smoky, go for an Islay; if you don’t like that style, go for Campbeltown or some Lowland distilleries. If you would like to drink the high-end names, you’re more than likely drinking whiskeys from Speyside or from the Highlands. This over-simplification is only because Scotch itself could easily take up two or three months’ worth of articles!
[Cory Cuff is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and the restaurant & Bar manager at Cielo in the Four Seasons St. Louis. Have a question? Email us at wine@townandstyle.com or connect with us on Facebook.]
