Whiskey Essay

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According to U.S. law, American whiskey, like any whiskey of the world, is a distilled spirit created from a fermented mash of grains. The spirit is then aged in oak barrels and must come out the other end with the taste, aroma and characteristics of a whiskey. Hmmm. Not really much help, is it? Today, American whiskey comes in a wide variety of forms - and being able to understand both the major and subtle differences between them is a skill most spirits service professionals need on an almost daily basis. After all, whiskey drinkers can be full of questions!
In this course, we will focus on the American Whiskey segment - as distinct from Scotch, Canadian, Irish or Japanese (yes, that's right - the Japanese make whiskey too!). We will look at the different commercial segments, origins, leading brands, taste profiles, how to read a whiskey label, basic whiskey mixology, and perhaps of key practical use, strategies to up-sell or encourage trade-up among your whiskey customers. When you're ready to begin, click the button above labeled 'Overview' to get started.
Overview
There are 4 primary types of what is referred to as American Whiskey, the most popular of which is bourbon. Bourbon is made from a combination of grains such as corn, rye, wheat, malted barley and malted rye - but its point of difference is that the mash must contain at least 51% corn, with the spirit aged in new, charred American oak barrels. If it's called “Straight bourbon whiskey”, it must be aged for a minimum of 2 years - but otherwise the length of aging is up to the maker. Next is “Rye whiskey” - a whiskey whose mash bill – or list of ingredients – contains a least 51% rye. Rye whiskey actually came before bourbon whiskey since it was the favorite i...

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...e” button on the bottom of your screen. A pop-up quiz will allow you to test how much has really sunk in. Feel free to come back to this course whenever you need to refresh your memory – we know a lot of information gets thrown at you in the spirits industry. And remember, there’s a handy cheat-sheet print-out that would be very helpful behind the bar or on your clipboard.
From centuries-old whiskey brands to brand-new flavored options, there’s a lot going on in the industry. We hope the insights gained in this course will allow you to understand and place each whiskey offering as well as know how to serve it when the time comes. Throughout the world, American Whiskey stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s finest spirits. Now, you understand how it became America’s native spirit.
Good luck! And thank you from everybody here at Innovative Marketing Solutions.

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