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T H E l\IIX I COLOG I ST .
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WHISKEY.
Whis ky or whiskey, a spirit distilled for drinking,
which orig inated, at least so far as regards the name,
with the Celtic inhabitants of Ireland and Scotland,
and its manufacture and use still contin u es to be
closely associated with those two countries.
Distilled spirit first b ecame popularly known as
aqua vitce, and it was orig inally u sed only as a
powerful medicinal agent.
It
was not till about the
middle of the 17th century that it came into u se in
Scotland as an intox icating beverage.
It
is only the
finer qualit ies of matured malt and g rain \Nh iskey
that can be u sed as simple or unblended spirit. In
the United States whiskey is distilled chiefly from
corn and r ye, wheat and barley malt being u sed,
though only to a limited
ex~ent.
W hiskey is greatly
improved by age; it is not mellow, n or its flavor
agreeable until it is several years old. \Vh isk ey
seems to b e th e most favored drink in America for
pu rposes of s timulation , and in uncertain moments
when one is undecided as to wh at to take it is gen–
erally regarded by s teady d rinkers as the purest and
most reliable d rink. They appear to know good
whisk ey by the t aste of it.