Whisky Shop
At the heart of a good quality whisk(e)y, Gin or vodka is a 100% grain spirit. Good quality, fresh, clean spirit will produce a wonderful drink. The same base grain spirit that can be turned into Gin or re-distilled and aged in oak to produce grain whisky for use in blended Scotch. It can also be re-distilled, purified & filtered and used to make vodka. Rum is made from a distillation of fermented processed sugar cane, and brandies; Cognac, Armagnac & Calvados of course from grapes.
The History of Spirits
The art of distillation was first used many thousands of years ago in Arabia to make perfume. After the birth of Christianity, travelling monks adopted the technique to produce distilled alcohol in various forms, collectively known as spirits. Adaptive and innovative they soon learned to use their initiative to ensure a good supply of something soul-warming wherever they went. The warmer European countries such as France, were rich in grapes and produced good brandies, Scotland & Ireland have the ideal climate for growing barley and whisk(e)y was born. Gin often has juniper as a base and vodka can be distilled from just about anything.