Whisky or whiskey is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. "Whisky" is used for those distilled in Scotland and Canada, while "whiskey" (with an "e") is used for the spirits distilled in the United States and Ireland, but there are exceptions. The Welsh version is wysgi. The name has evolved from the Gaelic uisge beatha (water of life). Whisky is drunk straight, with water or ice, or mixed with other spirits.
Whisky is sold in several styles. Malt whisky consists of whisky made from 100 percent malted grain, and malt whisky from one distillery, rather than blended, is called single malt. Other grains used include barley in Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, rye in Canada and the United States. Pure pot still whiskey is made in Ireland from a combination of malted and unmalted barley. Various types of straight whiskey are produced in the U.S. which are aged in new, charred, oak barrels. Blended whisky is made from a combination of any of these whiskies or with the similar grain whisky or neutral grain spirits, which are much less expensive produce than the other types of whisky.
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