Whisky… A Spirit to Raise Your Spirits

Whisky is a drink that is cherished by both men and women of all ages. It is a drink that is slowly sipped, with friends or alone. Whisky is compared to liquid sunshine whose pouring into a glass is like light music for whisky lovers. Its amazing taste and flavor and large number of varieties make it one of the most popular drinks in the world. Whisky is also considered to be good for your health. It also makes you lose weight. Ashok Malkani takes a look at the variety of whiskies available and the countries manufacturing this nectar. Questions like what is the food that pairs well with this golden liquid and the cocktails that can be concocted from this liquor are also discussed.

- Ashok Malkani

To raise your spirits there is nothing as good as sipping the spirit of your choice. As Frank Sinatra remarked, “Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.” And the most coveted spirit, according to the majority of the people, is Whisky. It just whisks your worries away! And as they say, one good thing leads to another so just one drink does not seem to be enough. Like Mark Twain said, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” It is said that Love makes the world go around. Whisky makes it go round twice as fast!

Whisky, according to experts, can only be called as whisky if it’s been aged in oak, although the minimum length of time varies from country to country. Whisky is also spelled as whiskey. The extra “e” comes from Ireland and traveled to the U.S. in the 18th century with Irish immigrants. The Scots spell it as whisky. This is also the spelling for all whiskies except those that come from Ireland and the U.S.

The term whisky, or whiskey, comes from the Gaelic word Uisge Beatha, meaning “Water of life”. Phonetically the word sounds like “usky” which, eventually came to be pronounced as “whisky”.

Whisky is not just a drink. It is much more. There are lots of reasons why people love whisky. Some people love it for the warmth it brings to them. It takes the edge off a long day.