Whiskey, whiskey or whiskey is an alcoholic beverage obtained by distillation of fermented mash of grains such as barley, malted barley, rye and corn, and further aging in wooden barrels, white oak traditionally. This liquor is sold with an alcoholic content of between 40 and 62% by volume.

There are different types of whiskey:
Malt Whisky: made completely from malted barley and distilled in pot still ", still used for the distillation of this type of whiskey, onion shaped. Before being bottled, is aged normally for a period of between 8 and 15 years. It is a whiskey tasting, powerful and strong character.
Grain Whisky: made from malted barley, corn and other cereals, it is also possible malting. It is usually distilled to "Coffey stills, continuous distillation stills.

The single malts and grain are combined in different ways

A mixture of malts (Vatter Malt): mixture of single malts from different distilleries, which is known as "pure malt". If a whiskey is labeled "pure malt" or just "malt" is almost certain to be a vatted malt. It is also often labeled as blended malt whiskey. Grain whiskeys are not involved in its composition. Currently there is a new name for this type of whiskey called "Blended Malt".

Whisky from a single distillery (Single Malt): whiskey from a single distillery but containing mixture of several barrels of whiskey, unless it is described as "single-cask." Typically, the name of the whiskey will coincide with the name of the distillery and indicate the years he has remained in the barrel or have been matured in a barrel which had previously content port wine, sherry or bourbon. The development of these whiskeys is malted barley, fermented, distilled into two or more times and matured in barrels for at least three years.

Pure pot still whiskey: whiskey distilled in an alembic pot still "(as a single malt) made from malted barley and malt. Unique to Ireland.

Blended whiskey (blended): mixture of whiskey and malt grain (between 10% and 15%), all of whom came from several distilleries. They are cheaper whiskeys.

Cask strength, literally "strength of the barrel" is a whiskey that receives no dilution before bottling, directly from the / barrel s / s selected, while maintaining their graduation.

Whiskeys do not mature in the bottle, only in the barrel, so the age of a whiskey is the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects what has interacted with a barrel of whiskey, changing its chemical composition and taste. Whiskeys that have spent many years in the bottle often have more value, although they are "old" not necessarily "better" than recent whiskey matured in barrels for a similar time.