To be called whisky, a drink must have an alcohol content of at least 40 percent. The exact specification varies from whisky to whisky. Most have as a raw distillate between 60 and 94.6 percent by volume, this is then reduced. So most whiskies have an alcohol content of about 40 to 45 percent.

There are countless ways to enjoy a whisky. Try it out for yourself and see how it tastes best! Many people swear by drinking whisky neat to taste the full aroma. To do this, pour about two to four centilitres into the glass. Others like to dilute their whisky with a little water so that the flavours open up.
Whisky should usually be drunk at room temperature, between 18 and 22 degrees. Of course, you can also drink it with ice or as a long drink or cocktail. It's best to use large, round ice cubes that don't melt so quickly.

Which glass is the best for whisky depends very much on the respective type of whisky. A tumbler glass, which is very low and has a stable, heavy base, is popular. For a long drink with whisky, it's best to use a highball, a tall, very slim glass.
A nosing glass is especially recommended. This tulip-shaped glass should always have a belly that is wider than the opening. But it's not only the shape of the glass that matters, the material and the fullness are also crucial. So you should fill a whiskey glass mostly only to the middle or just above, with about two to four centiliters. Just make your choice in our catgeory “Glass ware”.

If you don't like drinking whisky neat, there are many different ways to mix it. It is popular to drink whisky with cola and ice. Some types of whisky are also ideal for cocktails and long drinks.
Popular cocktails include the Manhattan, where you mix whisky with vermouth (find a good bottle of vermouth in our category “Spirits”!), or the famous Old Fashioned. Here you add water, sugar and cocktail bitters to the whisky. Whisky can also be enjoyed as a hot drink, for example as a hot toddy, a cocktail with spices, or as is very popular in Asia, with green tea.

The production of a whisky is very different depending on the variety and origin. However, the three basic ingredients grain, water and yeast are the same. The process can be summarized in seven steps:
Malting: Preparation of the grain
Drying: Drying the grain with heat
Milling: Coarsely crushing/grinding grain.
Mashing: Mixing grain with hot water, converting starch into maltose.
Fermenting: Bring mash to fermentation
Distilling: Separating alcohol from the mash, in the case of whisky also two or three times, depending on the variety in copper stills (pot stills) or in a column still process (column stills)
Storage: Store in oak barrels for at least three years.

Unlike wine, whisky should not be stored horizontally, but upright. It is preferable to store it in a somewhat darker place that is not exposed to direct sunlight, such as in a cellar or pantry.
You should store your whisky in a place with a constant temperature. We recommend storing it at room temperature, between 18 and 22 degrees. If the bottle is already open, a cooler room is also good.

Fortunately, whisky cannot go bad in the sense that it spoils. But it can change or even lose its flavour over time. To prevent this, make sure you never leave the bottle open for too long, but always close it securely.
You can use six to twelve months as a rough guide. In this time you should drink your opened whisky to be able to drink it with its unchanged original taste.