Voice of America
Date: March 21, 2016
By: Dan Friedell
The alcoholic drink most people call Scotch has been around for hundreds of
A view of the Kavalan distillery in Taiwan.
years.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association of Great Britain (known as the SWA), there is an entry in Scotland’s tax records from 1494 that shows an order of malt used to make 1,500 bottles of something called “water of life.”
The SWA says this means distilling was already a part of daily life more than 500 years ago.
Whisky is produced all over the world, and there are many variations.
For example, some whisky is aged in barrels that used to hold wine, beer or bourbon. Other than in Scotland, there are well-known distillers the United States, Japan, Australia, France and other countries.
Judges have been choosing the best whiskies in the world each year since 2007 at an event called “World Whiskies Awards.”
The title for world’s best single malt whisky was won by Scotland four times, Japan three times and Australia once. Then in 2015, there was a big surprise.
The best whisky in the world came from Taiwan. [FULL STORY]
