Whisky
There is a liquid that exists, usually amber in color, which beguiles the spirit and soothes the mind. It can taste of peat or brine or even of seaweed, and often of the wood which surrounds it while it matures. There are combinations called blends created for smoothness and often for new flavors, and there are singles which preserve the uiniqueness and individual flavors buried deep within the liquid.
People, I have found, are easily and often unfairly separated into two opposing camps. Smokers vs. non-smokers, for example. Semite vs. anti-semite. Marina vs Mission (for the locals). Often these categories are meaningless and serve only to illustrate an isolated point or two, and even then they have to be qualified endlessly. With that disclaimer, let me say that there are two types of people: whisky drinkers and non-whisky drinkers. The distinction is obvious.
For all you non-whisky drinkers out there, allow me to explain how this works. Whisky is a alcohol from Scotland, and I'll explain below how it's made in case you wish to be educated on the finer things in life. The minimum you should know is that there are two kinds: blends and single malts. Single malts are inidividual batches, made in the same way, from the same barley, etc. Even though they are all whisky, different single malts can taste and feel very different - they're wonderfully uinique. Blends are combinations of different single malts. Often blends are made in order to make whisky more palatable for non-whisky drinkers, but there are several blends out there that are actually a quality combination of different single malts that produce a taste all their own. Making a good blend is an art, just as making a good single malt is an art.
Whisky is often enjoyed with cigars, and has been a favorite of many past men of note, like Churchill. It's also designed for sipping and reflecting or conversing, not getting drunk. That's just a waste of good whisky. If you want to get wasted, go get some Bud Light or something.
Whisky is made from malted barley, water, and yeast. The barley is soaked for a few days in vats of water, then spread out on a large surface to germinate. Germination is then stopped by drying out the barley in a kiln - which is usually heated by burning peat, a natural fuel in scotland, hence the peat tast of some whiskies. The barley is then gound up, put in hot water, and then yeast is added. Now you have alcohol, except of course it has to be distilled several times to separate the alcohol from the rest of the crap (known as the wash). Once you have a good quality, it is then put into oak casks and stored in cool dark areas for a minimum of 3 years, at which point it is officially whisky. Of course, usually you want something that's been maturing for at least 10 years to drink well, and the quality/type of oak cask matters too, since the whisky often takes on the color and flavor of the wood.
As you might have guessed, I am a whisky drinker. If you ever get the urge, please come on by and have a drink with me.
There is a liquid that exists, usually amber in color, which beguiles the spirit and soothes the mind. It can taste of peat or brine or even of seaweed, and often of the wood which surrounds it while it matures. There are combinations called blends created for smoothness and often for new flavors, and there are singles which preserve the uiniqueness and individual flavors buried deep within the liquid.
People, I have found, are easily and often unfairly separated into two opposing camps. Smokers vs. non-smokers, for example. Semite vs. anti-semite. Marina vs Mission (for the locals). Often these categories are meaningless and serve only to illustrate an isolated point or two, and even then they have to be qualified endlessly. With that disclaimer, let me say that there are two types of people: whisky drinkers and non-whisky drinkers. The distinction is obvious.
For all you non-whisky drinkers out there, allow me to explain how this works. Whisky is a alcohol from Scotland, and I'll explain below how it's made in case you wish to be educated on the finer things in life. The minimum you should know is that there are two kinds: blends and single malts. Single malts are inidividual batches, made in the same way, from the same barley, etc. Even though they are all whisky, different single malts can taste and feel very different - they're wonderfully uinique. Blends are combinations of different single malts. Often blends are made in order to make whisky more palatable for non-whisky drinkers, but there are several blends out there that are actually a quality combination of different single malts that produce a taste all their own. Making a good blend is an art, just as making a good single malt is an art.
Whisky is often enjoyed with cigars, and has been a favorite of many past men of note, like Churchill. It's also designed for sipping and reflecting or conversing, not getting drunk. That's just a waste of good whisky. If you want to get wasted, go get some Bud Light or something.
Whisky is made from malted barley, water, and yeast. The barley is soaked for a few days in vats of water, then spread out on a large surface to germinate. Germination is then stopped by drying out the barley in a kiln - which is usually heated by burning peat, a natural fuel in scotland, hence the peat tast of some whiskies. The barley is then gound up, put in hot water, and then yeast is added. Now you have alcohol, except of course it has to be distilled several times to separate the alcohol from the rest of the crap (known as the wash). Once you have a good quality, it is then put into oak casks and stored in cool dark areas for a minimum of 3 years, at which point it is officially whisky. Of course, usually you want something that's been maturing for at least 10 years to drink well, and the quality/type of oak cask matters too, since the whisky often takes on the color and flavor of the wood.
As you might have guessed, I am a whisky drinker. If you ever get the urge, please come on by and have a drink with me.
posted by slithytoves at 7:34 PM
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