The oldest record of whiskey, as a drink itself is from Ireland. Irish whiskey is one of the oldest known distilled beverages recorded, starting from twelfth century. So it would be safe to say that the Irish invented whiskey and by default invented "the drinking of whiskey." The word "whiskey" translated from it's original form means "water of life". Whiskey is fermented grain mash that is aged in oak casks. They used grains instead of fruits like grapes because of the lack of availability. The Bushmills Irish Whiskey Distillery in Ireland is said to be the one oldest, if not the oldest distilleries in the world. To be Irish whiskey, it must be made entirely in Ireland.
Irish whiskey must be aged for at least three years in wooden casks. The usual types of whiskey in Ireland are single malt, a single grain and blended Irish whiskeys. Much of Irish whiskey is distilled three times, which gives it a smoother and more refined final product when compared to other whiskeys. Ireland only has four major whiskey distilleries because smaller distilleries merged into larger ones.They are the Old Bushmills Distillery, the New Midleton Distillery, the Cooley Distillery and the Kilbeggan Distillery.
