15 facts about whiskey you need to know this Sunday night

Whiskey is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages created by distilling grain-based products. Over the history of its existence, whiskey has been closely integrated into the culture of many peoples of the world. The influence of whisky is particularly felt in Scotland. And although the history of distilled beverages dates back several thousand years, it was here 500 years ago that the whiskey we know today began to slowly win love among the people.

Today, aromatic and strong whiskey takes its well-deserved place among alcohol on a par with beer and wine.

The distillation process — a key aspect of whisky making-was invented more than 4,000 years ago. (Alan Jamieson / CC BY 2.0)

The first written mention of Scotch whiskey dates back to 1494. The letter orders the purchase of raw materials necessary for the production of more than 1,500 bottles of whiskey. Apparently, whiskey was already popular at that time. (RayMorris1 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Whiskey should be aged only in wooden barrels. In glass bottles, the drink can be stored for hundreds of years, but its taste and aroma will not improve. (Markus Wich­mann / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

90% of all single malt whiskies are made in Scotland. (ScottSim­Pho­tog­ra­phy / CC BY 2.0)

The use of whiskey in small doses has a beneficial effect on the human metabolism. This drink can prevent stroke, dementia, heart attack, as well as prevent the appearance of cancer cells. (Sven Cipi­do / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Whiskey can withstand extremely low temperatures — polar explorers who set out to reach the South Pole took whiskey with them, and it remained liquid even at -30 °C. (Roderick Eime / CC BY 2.0)

There are more than 5,000 types of single malt whiskey. (Sven­s­ka Mäs­san / CC BY-ND 2.0)

Whisky production is the second most profitable industry in Scotland. (Alan Jamieson / CC BY 2.0)

The color of the whiskey directly depends on the material and quality of the barrel. (ben matthews ::: / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Whiskey in an open bottle does not lose its quality for five years. (Can Mustafa Ozdemir / CC BY 2.0)

Scotch whiskey is distilled twice, Irish whiskey-three times. ([Sir] Bali / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The four most common "regional" types of whiskey are Scotch (scotch), Irish (Irish), American (bourbon) and Canadian (often referred to as "rye"). (Bradley Wells / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The Scots and the Irish are still arguing about who first started producing whiskey. (Scott Loftes­ness / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In English, there are two spellings of the word "whiskey": in Scotland and Canada, they use" whisky", in the United States and Ireland — "whiskey". (Rob Brew­er / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Whiskey gets its name from the Celtic expression "uisge beatha", which translates as"water of life". (Matt Gib­son / CC BY-NC 2.0)