1895 The Mixicologist by C F Lawlor

T H E l\IIX I COLOG I ST .

99

WHISKEY. Whis ky or whiskey, a spirit distilled for drinking, which orig inated, at least so far as regards the name, with the Celtic inhabitants of Ireland and Scotland, and its manufacture and use still contin u es to be closely associated with those two countries. Distilled spirit first b ecame popularly known as aqua vitce, and it was orig inally u sed only as a powerful medicinal agent. It was not till about the middle of the 17th century that it came into u se in Scotland as an intox icating beverage. It is only the finer qualit ies of matured malt and g rain \Nh iskey that can be u sed as simple or unblended spirit. In the United States whiskey is distilled chiefly from corn and r ye, wheat and barley malt being u sed, though only to a limited ex~ent. W hiskey is greatly improved by age; it is not mellow, n or its flavor agreeable until it is several years old. \Vh isk ey seems to b e th e most favored drink in America for pu rposes of s timulation , and in uncertain moments when one is undecided as to wh at to take it is gen– erally regarded by s teady d rinkers as the purest and most reliable d rink. They appear to know good whisk ey by the t aste of it.