Whiskey Spirits

    FOR

    DUMmIES‰

    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page i01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page iiWhiskey Spirits

    FOR

    DUMmIES‰

    by Perry Luntz

    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page iiiWhiskey Spirits For Dummies?

    Published by

    Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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    Copyright ? 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

    Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

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    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page ivAbout the Author

    Perry Luntz has been involved in one way or another with the

    beverage alcohol business most of his adult life. For more than

    20 years he has been publisher and editor of Beverage Alcohol

    Market Report, an international e-letter for marketing executives

    in beer, wine, and spirits. He served as Director of Marketing

    Communications for Seagram Distillers for a decade, worked on

    the creative side of several advertising agencies, including a spell

    as a creative director of a Young Rubicam division, and for sev-

    eral years headed his own marketing communications agency.

    A consultant, lecturer, teacher, and news media source, Perry

    is frequently interviewed in newspapers, radio, and television,including the BBC. He is chairman emeritus of the Wine Media

    Guild, proving he knows his way around vineyards and breweries,as well as distilleries.

    Like many native New Yorkers, Perry is a political junky. He served

    several years as president of a highly regarded NYC political club.

    For the past decade, Perry has been Senior Editor of the Beverage

    Media Group, a network of trade magazines read by 140,000

    licensed retailers. He also writes a weekly column for the group’s

    B-to-B Internet site.

    He lives with his wife Carol Ann Rinzler in the Center of the Known

    Universe — Midtown Manhattan — occasionally visiting his home

    town of Brooklyn, where his son Russell lives with wife Lisa

    Di Gennaro. In the winter, he and Carol often become “snow birds”

    to descend on the rest of their family, Ira, Jacky, and grandsons

    Ari and Eli, who live in Sarasota, Florida.

    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page v01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page viDedication

    For Lloyd, whose light is gone but whose spirit is always with us.

    Acknowledgments

    It’s impossible to say how much I owe to Carol Ann Rinzler, my wife,confidant, love of my life, and a damned good editor as well as a

    prolific and terrific author. I’ll settle for saying just this: I couldn’t

    have done it without you!

    For my children, Ira and Jackie, Russell and Lisa, and my grand-

    children Ari and Eli — my cheering section — most appreciation

    and love.

    On a professional level, my blessings are extended to the many

    friends and mentors in the spirits business with whom I’ve worked

    over the years. They are the most generous and forthcoming

    people in the world, and I love them all.

    In particular, I want to thank Bill Slone, whose support made this

    book possible. Special acknowledgment goes to my oldest and

    wisest friends in the business, Gerry Slone, Ron Kapon, and Herbert

    Silverman, as well as the two best mixologists in the world, Dale

    De Grof and Ray Foley.

    Particular thanks to Lisa Hawkins of DISCUS and Chris Morris of

    Brown-Forman, who helped make sure the chapter on distillation

    was accurate. In all cases, any errors are mine, not those who

    helped me.

    And of course where would this book have been without the gentle

    editorial ministrations of Wiley’s Michael Lewis, Tim Gallan, Sarah

    Faulkner, and my guardian angel agent Phyllis Westberg.

    It was a long time coming, but I hope all who contributed to it enjoy

    reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page viiPublisher’s Acknowledgments

    We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online

    registration form located at www.dummies.comregister.

    Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

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    (www.the5thwave.com)

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    01_117699 ffirs.qxp 10207 12:41 PM Page viiiContents at a Glance

    Introduction.......................................................1

    Part I: Entering the Spirits World ........................7

    Chapter 1: Discovering Distilled Spirits ..................................................9

    Chapter 2: How Distilled Spirits Are Created........................................23

    Chapter 3: Enjoying Spirits......................................................................43

    Part II: Whiskeys from Around the World...........59

    Chapter 4: Sipping the Irish Whiskeys...................................................61

    Chapter 5: Saluting the Scots..................................................................79

    Chapter 6: American Cousins: Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey .....97

    Chapter 7: More Whiskeys from America

    and Other Parts of the World .........................................................115

    Chapter 8: Channeling the Canadians..................................................131

    Part III: Surfing the White Waters:

    A Guide to “Clear” Spirits...............................147

    Chapter 9: Getting the Goods on Gin...................................................149

    Chapter 10: Vodka: Toasting the Russians ..........................................169

    Chapter 11: Tequila: Unearthing the Aztecs .......................................191

    Chapter 12: Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum .........................................209

    Part IV: Enjoying the “After Dinner” Specials...231

    Chapter 13: Cultivating Brandy ............................................................233

    Chapter 14: Collecting Cordials, Lining Up Liqueurs.........................255

    Part V: The Part of Tens..................................275

    Chapter 15: Ten (or so) Classic Spirits Cocktails...............................277

    Chapter 16: Ten Spirited Dishes ...........................................................291

    Chapter 17: Ten Nutrition Profiles of Alcohol Beverages..................303

    Chapter 18: Ten (or so) Health Benefits of Moderate Drinking........307

    Index.............................................................317

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    Introduction .......................................................1

    Conventions Used in This Book ................................................2

    What You’re Not to Read............................................................2

    Foolish Assumptions ..................................................................3

    How This Book Is Organized......................................................3

    Part I: Entering the Spirits World....................................4

    Part II: Whiskeys from Around the World......................4

    Part III: Surfing the White Waters:

    A Guide to “Clear” Spirits.............................................4

    Part IV: Enjoying the “After Dinner” Specials................4

    Part V: The Part of Tens...................................................5

    Icons Used in This Book.............................................................5

    Where to Go from Here ..............................................................5

    Part I: Entering the Spirits World.........................7

    Chapter 1: Discovering Distilled Spirits . . . . 9

    A Brief History of Distilled Spirits.............................................9

    Eureka! Wine! Beer! .........................................................10

    Advancing the art ...........................................................10

    Distillation arrives ..........................................................12

    The secret gets out.........................................................12

    The process goes global ................................................14

    Setting Standards for Producing Modern Distilled Spirits...15

    The not-so-noble experiment ........................................15

    New rules for better times.............................................16

    The Types of Spirits..................................................................17

    The clear spirits..............................................................17

    The dark spirits...............................................................18

    A Word about the Words..........................................................19

    Chapter 2: How Distilled Spirits Are Created . . 23

    The Distillation Process in a Nutshell ....................................23

    The Basic Material for Distilling..............................................26

    Milling and Mashing..................................................................26

    Starting the fermentation process................................27

    Bringing on the micros...................................................28

    Distilling: The Main Event ........................................................28

    The pot still .....................................................................29

    The column still ..............................................................33

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xiAging Gracefully........................................................................35

    The classic oak barrel ....................................................36

    Is getting older always better?......................................37

    Blending Science with Art........................................................37

    Straight spirits.................................................................38

    Blended spirits................................................................38

    Bottle, Bottle, Who’s Got the Bottle?......................................40

    Choosing a model bottle................................................40

    The bottling line..............................................................40

    Chapter 3: Enjoying Spirits . . . . . . 43

    Assembling the Accoutrements ..............................................43

    Choosing your spirit.......................................................44

    Setting the tasting table.................................................45

    Creating the tasting sheet..............................................46

    Getting to the Good Part ..........................................................48

    Enjoying the view: Color and legs ................................48

    The nose knows ..............................................................49

    The tasting technique ....................................................50

    Describing what you’re tasting .....................................51

    Serving Spirits Day to Day .......................................................53

    Choosing a liquor store..................................................53

    Surfing the Net ................................................................54

    Reading a spirits label....................................................54

    Protecting your investment...........................................55

    Taking temperature into account .................................56

    Avoiding glass warfare ...................................................56

    Part II: Whiskeys from Around the World............59

    Chapter 4: Sipping the Irish Whiskeys . . . . 61

    Entering the Emerald Isle.........................................................61

    Tracking the origins of Irish whiskey...........................62

    Sailing the Irish seas.......................................................63

    Beginning well: The early days

    of the Irish whiskey trade ..........................................63

    Go west, young distiller .................................................64

    Losing — and again finding — the luck of the Irish ...65

    The Uniqueness of Irish Whiskey ...........................................66

    Beginning with barley ....................................................66

    Following the flow...........................................................67

    Firing the spirit ...............................................................67

    The Leading Irish Whiskeys.....................................................68

    Midleton...........................................................................69

    Bushmills .........................................................................71

    Cooley ..............................................................................71

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

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    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xiiTasting Irish Whiskey ...............................................................73

    Creating the tasting sheet..............................................73

    Setting up the tasting .....................................................73

    Observing and tasting the whiskeys ............................73

    Planning a Blended Meal ..........................................................76

    Touring the Source ...................................................................76

    Chapter 5: Saluting the Scots . . . . . 79

    Which Came First: Whiskey or Whisky?.................................79

    From monastery to market............................................80

    The “smugglers” take to the high seas ........................81

    Making Scotch Whisky .............................................................82

    The Scottish difference..................................................82

    Distilling the whisky .......................................................84

    The Styles of Scotch Whisky ...................................................85

    The whisky-making regions of Scotland: Where the

    single malts come from and the blends are born ...86

    Blended Scotch whiskies ...............................................89

    Tasting Scotch Whisky .............................................................91

    Creating the tasting sheet..............................................92

    Choosing your samples..................................................92

    Appreciating the appearance........................................93

    Inhaling the aromas........................................................93

    Tasting the flavors ..........................................................94

    Planning a Scotch-Friendly Meal .............................................95

    Traveling through Distillery Land...........................................96

    Chapter 6: American Cousins: Bourbon

    and Tennessee Whiskey . . . . . . 97

    Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of . . Whiskey? .......................98

    Rumbling to rebellion.....................................................99

    Over the mountains......................................................100

    Bourbon beginnings .....................................................100

    The great schism: Bourbon gets its name,and Tennessee splits ................................................101

    Making Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey ...........................104

    Selecting the grain and making the mash..................104

    Fermenting and producing distillate..........................105

    Distilling the whiskey ...................................................106

    Changing the color and building the flavor:

    Aging...........................................................................106

    Filtering..........................................................................107

    The Types of Bourbon............................................................107

    Tasting Bourbons and Tennessee Whiskeys .......................108

    Gentlemen, choose your whiskeys.............................108

    What your senses sense when you taste

    Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey..............................110

    Pairing Foods with Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey.......111

    Touring the Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey Distilleries ...112

    xiii

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xiiiChapter 7: More Whiskeys from America

    and Other Parts of the World . . . . 115

    The Character of American Blended Whiskey ....................116

    The birth of the blends ................................................116

    A man with a plan.........................................................117

    Building a Blended Whiskey..................................................119

    Producing a unique American flavor..........................119

    Choosing whiskeys for the blend ...............................120

    Tasting American Blended Whiskeys ...................................121

    Choosing the whiskeys ................................................121

    What you see, taste, and smell when sampling

    American blended whiskey .....................................123

    Planning an American Blended Meal....................................124

    Traveling the American Whiskey Trail .................................125

    Off the Beaten Whiskey Trails...............................................126

    Japan ..............................................................................126

    India................................................................................127

    New Zealand..................................................................128

    Wales ..............................................................................129

    Chapter 8: Channeling the Canadians. . . . 131

    Starting at the Top (of the World) ........................................131

    Molson’s multitudinous accomplishments ...............131

    Entering the modern era with a bang ........................132

    Moving into the modern markets ...............................135

    What Makes a Whisky Canadian? .........................................136

    How Canadian Whisky Is Made .............................................137

    Tasting the Best of Canada ....................................................139

    Selecting the whiskies for your tasting......................140

    Savoring the flavor of Canadian whisky ....................143

    Pairing Foods with Canadian Whisky...................................144

    Part III: Surfing the White Waters:

    A Guide to “Clear” Spirits................................147

    Chapter 9: Getting the Goods on Gin . . . . 149

    The Origins of Gin...................................................................149

    Hello, Holland; welcome, jenevre ...............................150

    Holland’s balm for British soldiers.............................150

    The Brits Take Charge ............................................................151

    Protecting the home teams .........................................151

    Spreading the gin gospel..............................................152

    Riding out the rougher years ......................................153

    Making Modern Gin ................................................................154

    Protecting the secret ....................................................154

    Creating the flavor ........................................................155

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

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    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xivTouring the World of Gin........................................................156

    British gins.....................................................................156

    American gins................................................................159

    Holland gins...................................................................161

    Gins from other countries ...........................................161

    Tasting the World’s Gin ..........................................................163

    What to look for when tasting gin ..............................164

    What to sniff and sip ....................................................165

    Serving Gin...............................................................................167

    Chapter 10: Vodka: Toasting the Russians . . . 169

    What Is Vodka, Anyway? ........................................................169

    The Birth of a “Breathless” Spirit .........................................170

    The monks move north................................................170

    The Russians stake a claim .........................................171

    Huzzah for Ivan IV, the not-so-terrible czar...............171

    Regulations, regulations, and more............................172

    Vodka Takes a Long Voyage...................................................172

    “Why would people pay money for this stuff?” ........173

    With a kick like a Moscow mule..................................174

    Yesterday, the Cold War; today, the world ................175

    Distilling Vodka........................................................................176

    First comes the mash...................................................177

    Next comes fermentation ............................................177

    Don’t forget the water ..................................................177

    Into the still ...................................................................178

    And then into the bottle ..............................................178

    The Second Vodka Revolution: The Flavor Factor .............179

    Tasting Vodkas ........................................................................181

    Creating the tasting sheet............................................181

    Classifying vodkas ........................................................182

    Tasting vodka neat .......................................................186

    Sampling vodkas: What to see, sniff, and taste.........186

    Serving vodka after the tasting...................................187

    The Foods That Match the Drinks ........................................188

    Chapter 11: Tequila: Unearthing the Aztecs. . 191

    The First North American Spirit ...........................................192

    Ancient history .............................................................192

    Tequila’s middle ages...................................................194

    Tequila’s trek north ......................................................196

    Defining Tequila: New Standards for

    a New Global Spirit .............................................................196

    How Tequila Is Made ..............................................................198

    Choosing the base material.........................................198

    Pressing the agave........................................................199

    Preparing the mash ......................................................200

    Fermenting the wort.....................................................201

    xv

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xvDistilling not once but twice .......................................201

    Aging the spirit..............................................................201

    Blending and bottling...................................................202

    The Different Brands of Tequila ............................................203

    Tasting Tequila and Mezcal ...................................................205

    Making a tasting sheet .................................................205

    Choosing the Tequilas to taste ...................................206

    Tasting the Tequilas .....................................................206

    Pairing Food with Tequila ......................................................207

    Chapter 12: Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum . . . 209

    The History of Rum ................................................................209

    From arak to rum..........................................................210

    Hooray for Christopher Columbus.............................210

    Rum rises .......................................................................211

    Sugar into rum: A trade bonus....................................211

    How Rum Is Produced............................................................212

    The base.........................................................................213

    Fermentation.................................................................214

    Distillation .....................................................................214

    Aging...............................................................................215

    Blending .........................................................................215

    Flavoring a favorite.......................................................216

    Where That Rum Is From and Why It Matters.....................217

    Hola! Rums from the Caribbean..................................217

    Other places, other rums ............................................224

    Tasting the World’s Rums ......................................................227

    Prepping your tasting sheet ........................................227

    Selecting the rums you want to sample.....................227

    Gettin’ to tastin’ ............................................................228

    Trying the rum with mixers.........................................229

    Part IV: Enjoying the “After Dinner” Specials ...231

    Chapter 13: Cultivating Brandy. . . . . 233

    The “Champagne” of Distilled Spirits...................................234

    Where Do Brandies Come From? ..........................................234

    France.............................................................................235

    Spain...............................................................................239

    Italy.................................................................................239

    United States .................................................................240

    Other places, other brandies ......................................241

    Brandy by Type.......................................................................244

    Wine brandies ...............................................................244

    Fruit brandies................................................................244

    Pomace brandies ..........................................................244

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

    xvi

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xviDistilling Brandies...................................................................245

    Choosing a base............................................................245

    Bringing out the spirit ..................................................245

    Aging...............................................................................246

    Blending .........................................................................247

    Tasting Brandy ........................................................................248

    Tasting by type..............................................................248

    Tasting by country .......................................................249

    Tasting by price ............................................................250

    What you taste (and smell) when

    you sniff and sip........................................................250

    Serving Brandy: Neat or Mixed? Warm or Cool?.................251

    Pairing Brandy and Food .......................................................252

    Flambé — with care......................................................252

    Chapter 14: Collecting Cordials,Lining Up Liqueurs . . . . . . 255

    The Birth of the Liqueur ........................................................256

    The first “medicines”....................................................257

    Cordial? Liqueur? A tale of two words .......................258

    Cordially Yours: The Making .................................................258

    Choosing the base spirit ..............................................259

    Marking the differences ...............................................259

    Adding the flavor ..........................................................260

    The final touches ..........................................................261

    The two types of cordials ............................................262

    Cordials by the Ingredients ...................................................263

    Fruit flavors ...................................................................264

    Seeds and nuts ..............................................................266

    Branded, spirit-based...................................................268

    Cream liqueurs..............................................................269

    Bitters.............................................................................270

    Two classic liqueurs.....................................................271

    A Cordial Tasting.....................................................................271

    Pairing Foods with Cordials and Liqueurs...........................273

    Part V: The Part of Tens...................................275

    Chapter 15: Ten (or so) Classic Spirits Cocktails . . 277

    Oops! Tomato Juice on My Blouse: The Bloody Mary .......277

    Alexander! Another Brandy! ..................................................279

    War Is Hell, so Pass the Rum — in a Daiquiri,if You Please.........................................................................280

    A Shipboard Romance: The Gimlet.......................................281

    Uptown, Downtown: The Manhattan....................................282

    If You Knew Margie Like I Know Margie: The Margarita.....283

    The World’s Most Famous Cocktail: The Martini................284

    xvii

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xviiA Cuban Cup of Cheer: The Mojito .......................................285

    The Highland Fling: Rob Roy .................................................286

    Simple Perfection: The Whiskey Sour ..................................287

    Horses, Grass, and Mint: The Mint Julep.............................288

    Chapter 16: Ten Spirited Dishes . . . . 291

    Chilled Melon Pepper Soup with Glazed Shrimp................292

    Game Paté Terrine ..................................................................293

    Marinated Salmon...................................................................295

    Penne à la Vodka .....................................................................296

    Chicken Fajitas ........................................................................297

    Filet Mignon with Whiskey Sauce .........................................298

    Green Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts ...................................299

    Tennessee Whiskey Candied Apples ....................................300

    AppleJack Pound Cake ...........................................................301

    Nut Ball Cookies......................................................................302

    Chapter 17: Ten Nutrition Profiles

    of Alcohol Beverages . . . . . . 303

    Rum...........................................................................................304

    Gin.............................................................................................304

    Vodka ........................................................................................304

    Whiskey....................................................................................304

    Coffee Liqueur .........................................................................305

    Coffee with Cream Liqueur ....................................................305

    Whiskey Sour (Cocktail, Made from a Powdered Mix).......305

    Tequila Sunrise (Cocktail, Canned) ......................................306

    Pi?a Colada (Cocktail, Canned) ............................................306

    Daiquiri (Cocktail, Canned) ...................................................306

    Chapter 18: Ten (or so) Health Benefits

    of Moderate Drinking . . . . . . 307

    Heartening News.....................................................................308

    Lowering Bad Cholesterol, Raising Good Cholesterol .......309

    Busting Blood Clots ................................................................310

    Lowering the Pressure ...........................................................310

    Staving Off Stroke....................................................................312

    Deterring Diabetes..................................................................312

    Protecting Intelligence ...........................................................313

    Preserving the Brain...............................................................314

    Boosting Bones .......................................................................314

    Enhancing Appetite ................................................................315

    Controlling Weight ..................................................................315

    Countering the Common Cold...............................................316

    Index .............................................................317

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

    xviii

    02_117699 ftoc.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page xviiiIntroduction

    For thousands of years man and womankind celebrated major

    events — religious and secular — by having a taste or even

    two of a fermented beverage that contained alcohol. Things got

    even tastier around 800 CE — the height of development of the

    Moorish culture. That’s when a brilliant alchemist in the perpetual

    search for a way to turn lead into gold attempted to urge the

    release of the “essence” of various fruits and grains. The result was

    not only better than anything ever enjoyed before, but it also could

    be repeated over and over again.

    That brilliant alchemist had found distillation. The art of making

    the most noble of beverages was created by nature and perfected

    by men and women. This book is dedicated to giving you a full

    explanation of distillation from the simplest and most popular

    spirit (vodka) to the most complicated (whiskey and brandy).

    No, Whiskey Spirits For Dummies definitely won’t tell you how to

    set up your very own still in the basement (or bathtub) so that you

    can whip up a batch of your very own whiskey, gin, vodka, Tequila,rum, cordial, or Cognac.

    Instead, this book aims to increase your appreciation of the quali-

    ties in fine distilled spirits, enabling you to make wise choices from

    the myriad products on the shelves in your local liquor store or in

    the literally hundreds of cocktails available for serving or drinking

    on social occasions. Drinking alcohol beverages is indeed a social

    thing to do. It’s also part of religious services, and its use as a psy-

    chic benefit is unquestioned. There are other sides to these noble

    beverages as well.

    This book also presents some ways in which a measured drink or

    two a day can create a more healthful way to live. I also talk about

    how to avoid any of the unpleasant results that can come from

    drinking too much.

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 1For those readers who know absolutely nothing about distilled

    spirits other than that these beverages enhance a social setting

    and dining experience, this book is a good place to start to pick up

    the basics.

    More experienced connoisseurs will find this a refresher course

    that can confirm their own good taste, introduce them to a few new

    types and brands of distilled spirits, and provide the kind of odds

    and ends — for example, why whiskey is spelled whiskey in Ireland

    and whisky in Scotland — that enliven cocktail conversation. And,yes, I give you several classic cocktail recipes in here, too.

    Conventions Used in This Book

    To make the text consistent and easier to read, Whiskey Spirits

    For Dummies follows the usual Dummies style. For example:

    
All Web addresses are printed in monofont.

    
When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have

    needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest

    assured that I didn’t put in any extra characters (such as

    hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these

    Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book,pretending that the line break doesn’t exist.

    
New terms appear in italic type and are followed by an easy-

    to-understand definition.

    
Bold type is used to highlight the action parts of numbered

    steps.

    What You’re Not to Read

    Imagine: An author telling you that you don’t have to read every

    word that appears in his book. The truth is that some small parts

    of this book are fun or provide information that you may not find

    anywhere else, but they aren’t absolutely essential to your under-

    standing of the basic facts about distilled spirits. For example:

    
The text in sidebars: These shaded boxes are exactly that —

    sidebars to the main event — a little anecdote here, a special

    factoid there. Fascinating, but not essential.

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

    2

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 2
The text next to a Technical Stuff icon: Readers who want to

    know every single fact about how things work will find these

    paragraphs a delight. Readers who can do without the techni-

    cal details can surf on by.

    
The text on the copyright page: Really. This page is for pub-

    lishers and libraries. If my editor put the dedication there to

    save space, I think you should read about the people who

    helped make this book possible, but the publisher’s address?

    The number of editions? The Library of Congress identifica-

    tion number? Nah.

    Foolish Assumptions

    If an author clicks the computer, hits typewriter keys, or pushes a

    quill pen across the page, what’s in front of him or her is an image

    of the person for whom the book is being written. These are some

    of the assumptions I made about you:

    
You know the names of the different types of distilled spirits,but you may not be totally familiar with the characteristics

    that differentiate a whiskey from a Tequila (you may even

    know why Tequila is spelled with a capital letter and whiskey

    is not).

    
You’ve read conflicting reports about the risks and benefits of

    spirits (and other kinds of alcohol beverages), and you want

    to pin down the real facts.

    
You want the basic information about these products and how

    they’re made, but you have no intention of opening your own

    distillery. That’s good, because a few paragraphs back you were

    told that this book isn’t designed to tell you how to do that.

    
Most important, you enjoy the flavor, aroma, and panache of

    distilled spirits — but only and always in moderation.

    How This Book Is Organized

    The following is a brief summary of each part of Whiskey Spirits

    For Dummies. You can use this as a fast guide to check out the stuff

    you want to go to first, because the best thing about a For Dummies

    book is that no one expects you to start at Chapter 1 and work your

    way straight through to the end. Each chapter here is a whole little

    book of its own, which means that you can start anywhere and still

    come out with a wealth of new information about distilled spirits.

    Introduction 3

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 3Part I: Entering the Spirits World

    Chapter 1 is (what else?) a general introduction to the universe of

    distilled spirits. Chapter 2 is more technical: A detailed description

    of the distillation process in all its traditional glory. Chapter 3 tells

    you how to serve, evaluate, and enjoy the products produced in

    Chapter 2.

    Part II: Whiskeys from

    Around the World

    Chapter 4 is all about how the Irish introduced the first whiskeys.

    Chapter 5 explains how the Scots adopted the Irish spirits — and

    changed the spelling to “whisky,” thus confusing generation after

    generation of whiskey (or is it whisky?) drinkers.

    Chapter 6 salutes two quintessential Americans — Bourbon and

    Tennessee whiskey. Chapter 7 describes the other great American

    innovation, American blended whiskey, and tells you all about

    upstarts from India, Japan, and New Zealand. Chapter 8 goes north

    to talk about a Canadian contribution to New World whisky choices.

    Part III: Surfing the White Waters:

    A Guide to “Clear” Spirits

    Chapter 9 focuses on gin, from its birth in the Netherlands, toward

    its perfection in London, through its Prohibition adolescence, to its

    present presence. Chapter 10 is about vodka, the clear Russian

    spirit now often enjoyed in totally unexpected flavors. Chapter 11

    is all about Tequila, the Aztec contribution to your drinking pleas-

    ure. Chapter 12 focuses on rum, the spirit made from sugar cane

    first carried to the Western hemisphere by Christopher Columbus.

    Yes, that Christopher Columbus.

    Part IV: Enjoying the “After Dinner”

    Specials

    The subject of Chapter 13 is Winston Churchill’s favorite spirit,brandy. Chapter 14 rewards the sweet tooth with info about the

    sweet stuff: cordials and liqueurs.

    Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

    4

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 4Part V: The Part of Tens

    This is the part of the book regular For Dummies readers never

    skip. Chapter 15 pours recipes for ten classic cocktails (with an

    extra from the bartender). Chapter 16 dishes out menu choices —

    entrees, main dishes, veggies, and desserts — whose ingredients

    include at least one type of spirit. Chapter 17 tells what nutrients

    are in one serving of each type of distilled spirits. Chapter 18

    concludes with the actual health benefits of moderate spirits

    consumption.

    Icons Used in This Book

    This icon points out general good ideas, such as serving sugges-

    tions, buying advice, and so forth.

    I use this icon to highlight important concepts that you shouldn’t

    forget.

    This icon flags nonessential information that may be too technical

    or detailed for some readers. You can skip it if you want.

    Where to Go from Here

    Now the question is where to begin reading. The real answer is any-

    where your curiosity takes you in the . However,one good starting point is Chapter 2, the one that explains how dis-

    tilled spirits are made. A second good starting point is Chapter 3,the one that shows you how to enjoy distilled products. Both chap-

    ters have information that applies to all types of spirits.

    Wherever you start, hopefully it will be a trip you’ll remember for a

    long time. Good traveling.

    Introduction 5

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 5Whiskey Spirits For Dummies

    6

    03_117699 intro.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 6Part I

    Entering the

    Spirits World

    04_117699 pt01.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 7In this part . . .

    Just like that ?rst sip of your favorite spirit, this part

    is pure pleasure. Here I trace the history of distilled

    spirits, right from the beginning in the 11th century. I also

    explain the distillation process, and I offer tips on how to

    serve and enjoy distilled spirits. I recommend reading the

    chapters in this part if you’re new to the spirits world; this

    information is bound to whet your appetite for the various

    alcohol beverages you can read about in the rest of the

    book. Pour yourself a glass of whiskey, settle into your

    most comfortable chair, and start reading.

    04_117699 pt01.qxp 10207 12:42 PM Page 8Chapter 1

    Discovering Distilled Spirits

    In This Chapter

    
How distilled spirits were invented

    
How distilled spirits became popular

    
The foods from which spirits are made

    
The varieties of distilled spirits

    This chapter is called “Discovering Distilled Spirits,” but

    “Distilled Spirits 101” would also do nicely because this is a

    down-to-earth basic guide to the multicultural history of the won-

    derful beverages human beings produce via distillation.

    Naturally, the chapter includes some spirits history, starting with a

    graceful bow to other types of alcohol beverages and how they

    differ from the distilled varieties. The different types of spirits are

    listed here, as are the foods from which they’re made. And just for

    kicks, I give you a quiz about famous spirits (okay, famous ghosts)

    in classic movies.

    A Brief History of Distilled Spirits

    The road to distilled spirits begins with those other beverages,wine and beer.

    The story starts one day back in the dim, distant past at a point

    that most anthropologists peg between 5000 and 6000 BCE. A

    goatherd in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (now Iraq), where human

    beings created their first agricultural communities, noticed that his

    flock was friskier than usual.

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 9Part I: Entering the Spirits World

    10

    Looking closely, he saw the goats feasting on rotting grapes fallen

    from a nearby vine. Being a curious goatherd, he tasted a few

    grapes himself. Then he tried a few more, and maybe another

    handful after that, and soon goats and goatherd ambled happily

    back to their village to share their discovery with others.

    Of course, you know what that anonymous goatherd didn’t: Those

    “rotten” grapes had fermented.

    In other words, naturally occurring microorganisms in the air had

    landed on the grapes and started feeding on the fruit, digesting the

    grape sugars, and turning them into gas (carbon dioxide) and

    liquid ethanolethyl alcohol, which is the same alcohol used in all

    modern alcohol beverages.

    Eureka! Wine! Beer!

    Very quickly, the goatherd’s friends, neighbors, and acquaintances

    far and near grasped the idea that squeezing rotten, sorry,fermented, fruit released a pleasantly intoxicating beverage called

    wine (from the Greek vinos, the Latin vinum, the Old English win,and the Germanic winam).

    And then they discovered that fermenting grains released an

    equally pleasant intoxicating beverage called beer (from the Latin

    bibere [to drink], the German bier, and the Old English beor,pronounced beer).

    After that, a jolly good time was had pretty much everywhere fruits

    and grains were grown. And it was a profitable time, as well: The

    oldest known Sumerian tablet is a receipt for a shipment of beer

    from Mesopotamia to some lucky merchant in Northern Greece.

    This tablet is a hunk of clay that made it possible for modern

    scholars to translate the language of Sumer, the nation of Middle

    Eastern city-states that was one of the world’s earliest civilizations.

    Advancing the art

    At first, folks were content with wine and beer. But being human

    and naturally inquisitive, they began to experiment with ways to

    standardize the fermentation process because they wanted to

    manage the production and improve the quality of alcohol

    beverages.

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 10The first step was to take control of fermentation by adding spe-

    cific microorganisms (yeasts) to the fruit and grains rather than

    simply allowing miscellaneous little buggers to waft in and ferment

    the fruit by accident.

    The second step was to distill alcohol from the liquid released by

    the fermented food.

    Unlike the discovery of fermentation, which seems to have been a

    happy coincidence, learning how to distill alcohol was the result of

    a deliberate series of experiments conducted by an Arab scholar

    named Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyam (?–803 CE). Most modern scien-

    tists generally accept Jabir, known in the West as Geber, as the

    Father of Modern Chemistry.

    Sometime during the eighth century CE — these dates are never

    quite as clear as one might like them to be — Geber was puttering

    around with his al-ambiq, a round pot with a tall spout rising from

    the top, sort of like an oversized tea kettle. When liquid was heated

    in the pot, the vapors rose through the spout to be cooled, con-

    densed, and collected as a liquid in a vessel conveniently posi-

    tioned under the spout.

    Chapter 1: Discovering Distilled Spirits 11

    Not all alcohol is “alcohol”

    Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the only alcohol used in food and beverages, but it isn’t

    the only alcohol used in consumer products.

    Other alcohols that may be sitting on the shelf in your bathroom or workshop are:

     Methyl alcohol (methanol):Methanol is a poisonous alcohol made from wood.

    It’s used as a chemical solvent (a liquid that dissolves other chemicals). During

    Prohibition, when the sale of beverage alcohol was illegal, some unscrupulous

    illegal producers would substitute methanol for ethanol, thus leading to many

    truly unpleasant results, such as blindness and even death, among people who

    drank it.

     Isopropyl alcohol (isoproanol, “rubbing alcohol”): Isopropyl alcohol is a poi-

    sonous alcohol made from propylene, a petroleum derivative. It’s denatured,which means that it includes a substance that makes it taste and smell bad so

    you won’t drink it by mistake.

     Denatured alcohol: When ethanol is used in cosmetics, such as hair tonic, it,too, is treated to make it smell and taste bad. Treated ethanol is called dena-

    tured alcohol. Some denaturants (the chemicals used to denature the alcohol)

    are poisonous, so some denatured alcohol is also poisonous when taken inter-

    nally. In other words, it’s definitely not a good idea to drink your hair tonic.

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 11Part I: Entering the Spirits World

    12

    The al-ambiq was standard equipment for alchemists, the medieval

    practitioners who spent their lives trying to turn base metal into

    gold and, as a sideline, looking for the magical “elixir of life” that

    would make men immortal.

    But Geber, who may have been a wine aficionado, took a different

    tack. He wondered what would happen if he poured wine into the

    al-ambiq and boiled it.

    In other words — “Eureka!” will do nicely — the man was about to

    invent distillation.

    Distillation arrives

    It’s a physical fact that alcohol boils at a lower temperature than

    water, so when Geber poured his wine into his al-ambiq and set the

    pot over a fire, the alcohol in the fermented grape juice or the fer-

    mented grain and water mixture used to make beer vaporized

    before the rest of the liquid in the pot.

    The alcohol vapors rose through the spout on the al-ambiq, were

    collected and condensed, and, just like that, Geber produced the

    world’s first distilled spirit. And it needed a new name.

    The solution was simple: While some alchemists were playing

    around with longevity tonics, early cosmeticians used their

    al-ambiqs to boil up powdered antimony in water, producing a

    dark liquid called kohl or al-kohl.

    Al-kohl became alcohol. The al-ambiq became the alembic still, also

    known as the pot still, which is described in detail in Chapter 2.

    And that’s how your favorite distilled spirit drink was born.

    The secret gets out

    Geber died in 803 CE, but his distillation process lived on among

    his Arab compatriots who used the distillate they produced not as

    a beverage but as a medicine.

    The Arabs kept distillation to themselves for several centuries,taking their secrets with them to the Iberian Peninsula when they

    conquered Spain. When Spain expelled its non-Christian citizens in

    1492 and Portugal followed suit in 1597, the secrets of how to make

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 12grain and fruits into a potent medicine remained behind to be

    taken in hand by those doctors of the Middle Ages — monastery

    monks. Like the Arabs, the monks prescribed the distillates, includ-

    ing some that they originated — such as Benedictine and

    Chartreuse liqueurs — for medicinal purposes.

    The missionarymedicine men met with enough successes to con-

    vince the European pagans that these liquids carried the blessings

    of God to assure a long, healthy life. Around the year 1300, Arnald

    of Villanova, a professor of medicine at Montpellier (France), one

    of the earliest European medical schools, compiled the first (hand)

    written instructions for distilling alcohol from wine.

    Arnald christened distilled alcohol aqua vitae (Latin for “water of

    life”), which translated to eau de vie in French, uisege beatha

    among the Celts, akavit in Scandinavia, and vodkawodka (“dear

    little water”) in Russia and Poland. By any name, the distillate was

    reputed, in Villanova’s words, to “prolong life, clear away ill-

    humors, revive the heart, and maintain youth.” Others claimed it

    also alleviated diseases of the brain, nerves, and joints; calmed

    toothaches; cured blindness, speech defects, and paralysis; and

    warded off the Black Death.

    Chapter 1: Discovering Distilled Spirits 13

    Moderation is the message

    In 1478, 48 years after Gutenberg invented the printing press, an Austrian physician

    named Michael Puff von Schrick published the very first book on distillation. Puff’s

    piece immediately hit the 15th-century bestseller list, going through 14 editions in 20

    years.

    Most readers probably bought the book to use as a medical reference, but a sig-

    nificant number likely picked it up in order to learn how to make distilled spirits with

    local fruits and other produce for pleasure.

    The new distilled spirits were very popular, so much so that in 1496, a doctor in

    Nuremberg, Germany, whose name is unfortunately lost to history, offered a word

    to the wise imbiber: “In view of the fact that everyone at present has gotten into the

    habit of drinking aqua vitae, it is necessary to remember the quantity one can permit

    oneself to drink, and learn to drink it according to one’s capacity, if one wishes to

    behave as a gentleman.”

    Sounds as good today as it did then.

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 13Part I: Entering the Spirits World

    14

    Not surprisingly, nobody at all complained about having to take

    Arnald’s medicine instead of the crushed leaves, boiled grains, and

    pressed herbs it came from.

    The process goes global

    Serendipitously, the spread of distillation occurred just as

    Europeans began to seriously explore and colonize the world,establishing regular trade routes between Europe and the East and

    Europe and the New World.

    The Spanish and the Portuguese were leaders in the exploration

    game, bringing back new products and taking their alcohol bever-

    ages with them. Spirits, in particular, were a win-win trade-off

    because they were

     Virtually unknown in the lands the explorers explored

     Easy to produce

     A really smart way to turn an excess crop, such as grain, into

    a cash product rather than leaving it to rot in the field

     A stable beverage that resisted spoilage and turned tastier as

    it aged in wooden barrels

    Best of all, distilled spirits were a totally natural product that —

    after distillation became common knowledge — could be produced

    from virtually any local plant anywhere in the world. As a result, by

    the 19th century, distilled spirits of one sort or another were avail-

    able pretty much anywhere a traveler traveled.

    Table 1-1 is a list of the plant foods that can be fermented to pro-

    vide the base for making distilled spirits.

    Table 1-1 Foods Used in Distillation

    This Food . . . . Makes This Distilled Spirit

    Grains

    Oats Scotch whisky

    Rice Sake (distilled rice wine), Japanese whiskey

    Rye Whiskey

    Wheat Whiskey, vodka

    05_117699 ch01.qxp 10207 12:43 PM Page 14This Food . . . . Makes This Distilled Spirit

    Fruits and Vegetables

    Agave fruit (pi?a) Tequila

    Apples Apple jack, brandy

    Grapes Brandy, eau de vie, grappa

    Other fruits Brandy, cordials, liqueurs

    Potatoes Vodka

    Sweeteners

    Sugar cane, molasses Rum, aguardiente, cacha?a

    Honey Cordials, liqueurs

    Botanicals (Herbs and Seeds) Gin, cordials, liqueurs

    Setting Standards for Producing

    Modern Distilled Spirits

    Distilled spirits came to the United States just as they had every-

    where else — with the explorers and the immigrants. The Irish

    brought their own whiskey and so did the Scots. The Brits and

    Dutch brought gin, the French brandy, and Slavic people vodka.

    The only difference was that while religious objections led to

    forbidding the use of any alcohol beverages (including spirits) in

    some countries, the United States stands alone in having once

    prohibited drinking for political reasons. (State legislatures under

    pressure from their constituents passed bans of varying severity

    on beverage alcohol production and distribution. So many states

    had bans, in fact, that ultimately the federal government had to

    follow suit or face interstate warfare.)

    The not-so-noble experiment

    In 1917, following years of agitation by anti-alcohol activists and

    the passage of prohibition laws in a number of states, the United

    States Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

    prohibiting distribution or sale of alcohol beverages nationally.

    One exception: Medical purposes with a prescription only.

    Chapter 1: Discovering Distilled Spirits 15

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    16

    Two years later, after ratification by the requisite three-fourths of

    the states, Prohibition became the law of the land. Congress then

    passed the Volstead Act (the National Prohibition Enforcement

    Act) defining an alcohol beverage as any liquid containing more

    than 0.5 percent alcohol.

    The result was an increase in crime as Americans in general said,“No way,” to what President Herbert Hoover called “the Noble

    Experiment.” Americans did their drinking at home or in speakeasies

    (nightclubs hidden behind locked doors, opened only to a secret

    password such as “Joe sent me”). Alcoh ......