Whiskey a Go Go Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ireland

The word whiskey comes from the Irish uisce beatha or "water of life." From Ireland, whiskey spread across the North Channel to Scotland.

Answer: False

Contrary to popular belief, Bourbon need not be made in Kentucky. Bourbon is an American whiskey made primarily from corn. It gets its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky and may have originated in that area, but it can lawfully be made anywhere in the country. Currently, there is Bourbon being made in Virginia as well as Kentucky.

The legal definition of Bourbon can be found in the US Code of Federal Regulations at 5 CFR Section 5.22

Answer: True

Tennessee Whiskey is a type of bourbon that is distilled in Tennessee and subject to the Lincoln County Process, in which the whiskey is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal prior to being barreled and aged in new charred oak barrels. It is this process that is said to give Tennessee Whiskey its characteristic sweet, smooth and smoky qualities.

Answer: Barley

Single malt Scotch is made from 100% barley grain. Blended Scotch can be made from other grains as well. Bourbon is made from at least 51% corn, but often also includes rye or wheat.

Answer: Macallan

Single malt Scotch is made from 100% malted barley and produced by a single distillery. Blended Scotch is made from a blend of malt whiskies from different distilleries combined with more neutral grain whiskey, which is usually made from wheat, rye or unmalted barley. Macallan is a well regarded single malt. All of the other choices are blends.

A vast majority of the Scotch sold in the world is blended Scotch. Single malts are a comparatively small but growing category.

Answer: Both are correct

Generally, Scotland, Canada and Japan use the spelling "whisky" while Ireland and the US use the spelling "whiskey," but there are exceptions.

Answer: True

Japan's whiskey industry dates back to the 1920s when Japanese distillers returned from Scotland and set out to make a high quality whiskey in their home country. Today, Japan boasts a number of highly acclaimed distilleries that make Scotch-style whiskey, including Suntory Yamazaki, Suntory Hakushu and Nikka Yoichi.

Answer: Rye Whiskey

In pre-prohibition America, rye whiskey distilleries dotted the landscape of the mid-Atlantic, with many distilleries in New York, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The whiskey rebellion concerned rye, and even George Washington distilled rye whiskey at Mount Vernon. You just can't get more American than that.

After prohibition, rye never recovered and was displaced by Bourbon as the most popular American whiskey. Only in the first decade of the 21st century has rye started to make a pronounced comeback.

Answer: All of these

We are in the midst of a whiskey revolution with micro-distilleries popping up every year. Bourbon and rye are made largely in Kentucky. Malt whiskey is made in Oregon, California and Colorado. Tennessee whiskey and corn whiskey are also made in the US.

Answer: The whiskey is not diluted with water

Cask or barrel strength means that the whiskey is bottled at its natural strength and not diluted with water. Cask strength whiskey can range from about 55% to more than a whopping 75% alcohol by volume.

Answer: Islay

A rugged island off the west coast of Scotland, Islay (pronounced eye-la), is known for "peaty" or smoky Scotch. The smoky flavor comes from peat, a fossil fuel that is used to dry the barley which goes into the Scotch. There are eight working distilleries on the relatively small island, producing such legendary smoky whiskeys as Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin.

Answer: Jameson

Jameson is one of the best selling Irish whiskies. It is a blended whiskey made by the Midleton distillery, one of only four distilleries that makes Irish whiskey. Bushmills is the other most popular Irish Whiskey.

Jim Beam is Bourbon, Johnnie Walker is blended Scotch and Glenlivet is single malt Scotch.

Answer: Jack Daniel's

Jack Daniel's Old Number 7 Tennessee Whiskey is, and has been for many years, the world's best selling whiskey. Johnnie Walker Red is the world's best selling Scotch, Jim Beam is the world's best selling Bourbon, and Famous Grouse is the best selling Scotch...in Scotland, which ought to count for something.

Answer: It means the grain was allowed to germinate before being cooked

Allowing the grain to germinate releases sugars and starches that add flavor to malt whiskey.

Answer: Neat

Most connoisseurs prefer their whiskey neat or with a few drops of room temperature water. This is the best way to absorb the aromas and flavors that make whiskey special. Ice or other chilling methods dull the flavors instead of enhancing them, and Coke is an absolute abomination.

Of course, it's your whiskey, so drink it the way you like it so long as you enjoy it, and of course, drink responsibly.

Thanks for playing, and if you are interested in further reading about whiskey or the whiskey industry, the following are good sources to get you started:

The Instant Expert's Guide to Single Malt Scotch by Kevin Erskine
Bourbon, Straight by Charles Cowdrey
The Malt Whisky Yearbook, edited by Ingvar Ronde
The Whisky Bible by Jim Murray