The Five Whiskey Questions Everyone Is Too Afraid to Ask

There are few things in life that I enjoy more than researching, writing and talking about whiskey. I find the historic spirit endlessly fascinating and continue to learn new things about it all the time. 

For my latest book The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit, I went down all kinds of rabbit holes in order to answer questions that I’ve been puzzling with for more than 20 years. My book hopefully sets the record straight on a number of running spirited debates and feuds.

What I find really interesting is that whenever I do a book signing, host a tasting or even just mention to someone what I do, I am almost always asked the same essential questions about whiskey. This has happened so many times that I have come to realize that most people also are wondering about these same few things. 

So, please find below the five most common questions I get asked about whiskey and my answers. Cheers!

Is More Expensive Whiskey Always Better?

I can't tell you how many times I've been told by consumers, bartenders and shop owners that the most expensive whisky is the best. However, there is not a direct correlation between the quality of a whiskey or how much you'll enjoy it and its price. The cost you pay for a bottle is based on rarity, demand and costs, like warehousing, barrels, taxes, packaging and workers. You’re also paying for evaporation. As the whiskey ages, every year you lose some of the liquid in the barrel–we call this the angel’s share. The longer the whiskey ages the fewer bottles you’ll ultimately have, so those bottles have to be more expensive.

Is Older Whiskey Always Better?

When it comes to whiskey, age is not a reliable indicator of how much you’ll enjoy it. I’ve had old whiskeys that are incredibly delicious and some that taste terribly tannic. So just like price, you might not enjoy the oldest whiskey on a bar menu more than a younger one. Aging is still a mysterious process and how the whiskey matures depends on many different variables. As a result, for some brands, I like their younger expressions, while I might like their direct competitors older whiskeys. 

What’s the Deal with Whiskey vs Whisky?

Generally, when you’re talking about whiskey from the United States of America or Ireland, it’s spelled with an “e.” When you’re talking about whisky from Scotland, Japan and Canada it’s spelled without an “e.” To make things even more confusing some brands don’t follow these rules, like Maker’s Mark is officially Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky. If you go back in history, there is really no historical precedent for this methodology, since people in the UK sometimes used “whiskey” and people in the US sometimes used “whisky.” 

Can You Add Water, Ice or Anything to Whiskey?

You should enjoy whiskey anyway you like. Seriously. Famous master distiller Booker Noe used to fix himself what he called Kentucky Iced Tea—he’d fill a tall glass with ice, some of his bourbon and spring water. Depending upon the type of day he had he would vary the ratio of ingredients. Booker was also Jim Beam’s grandson, so if he mixed his whiskey with ice and water so can the rest of us. A bit of water also helps a whiskey open up and release some more flavors and aromas.  

Does Bourbon have to Come from Kentucky?

Thanks to an act of Congress, bourbon has to be made in the United States but it doesn’t have to be made  in Kentucky. With that said the Bluegrass State makes the majority of the world’s bourbon supply. There are more barrels of bourbons aging in Kentucky than there are people who live there. 

The follow up question that I am sometimes asked is whether bourbon was ever made in other countries. Yes! Before the United States claimed bourbon in the 1960s, it was made in Canada and Mexico. A distiller outside of the US can still make bourbon but they just can’t call it bourbon.