International holidays - International Whiskey Day

March 27 is International Whiskey Day This alcoholic drink is produced everywhere It is loved by Americans, British, Irish and Canadians Today whiskey is produced even in India and a number of African countries Scotland and Ireland claim the right to be called the birthplace of the amber drink This dispute has been going on for centuries and most likely no one will emerge victorious Time passes, and every year it becomes more and more difficult to get to the bottom of the truth Whiskey, which is preferred by true gentlemen, has a rich history The best alcohol was produced in medieval monasteries Monastic orders did this for economic and medical purposes They knew the secrets of winemaking, and they were the first to produce whiskey in the second half of the 15th century At first the drink was called the water of life - “aque vitae” The Scots and Irish at that time spoke a Celtic language, in which the name of the drink sounded different - “uisce beatha” It was subsequently shortened to the more laconic “whisky” The monks made this drink primarily for medicinal purposes He was credited with miraculous properties It was believed that whiskey could slow down the aging process and rejuvenate the body, promote the recovery of patients, sober the mind and fill a person with vitality The monks used simple but labor-intensive technology First, they sprouted barley by soaking it in water The malt was then thoroughly dried over peat smoke This added special notes to the rich bouquet of taste of the drink The dried malt was thoroughly ground and again filled with water It was infused before the fermentation processes began After this, the sweet raw materials were distilled at least twice The finished drink was diluted with water, poured into oak barrels that were previously used to store wine, after which the whiskey was infused for several years The most interesting technology used by the monks was the use of wine barrels This method has become the most common Many centuries ago, monks were guided by practical considerations They simply did not have such a large supply of containers The whiskey had to be poured into something, and the only thing on hand was wine barrels Over time, the monks noticed that a drink kept in such a container acquires a number of characteristic features An oak barrel is saturated with wine vapors, which subsequently not only give the whiskey an original taste, but also color it that same amber color Pure whiskey is clear, just like regular alcohol There is a legend about almost black whiskey, which can be called the oldest among alcoholic beverages In fact, it doesn't exist More precisely, it cannot be obtained naturally Today, many unscrupulous businessmen tint whiskey with caramel The oak from which the barrels were made contains active substances When interacting with alcohol, they give it a characteristic taste and take away “unnecessary” extraneous elements No matter how carefully the monks guard their secrets, everything secret sooner or later becomes clear The recipe for making whiskey left the walls of monasteries and quickly became public knowledge Today there are many different recipes for making whiskey Ahead of the rest of the world in the production of amber drink are, of course, Ireland and Scotland In these countries there are small family companies that export whiskey to different parts of the world The drink is produced in small batches, so the price for one bottle of this pleasure is quite high As William Faulkner wrote: “There is no such thing as bad whiskey Some whiskeys are just better than others”