European Whiskey
The first country to come to mind when talking about whisky is naturally Scotland. Founder of this drink, is also one of the main whisky (scotch) producers in the world.
But there are plenty other countries with great traditions in producing whiskey, such as Ireland, US, or Canada. However, this scenario is changing. There are a few other countries that are starting to change this scenario. One of the best examples is Japan, in which a brand of Japanese whiskey was named the best in the world for 2015.
Now, if on the other half of the world are already being produced amazing whiskeys, here in Europe we can observe a tendency of some countries creating and producing quality whiskies and expressions.
European Whiskey – Which countries are on the scene?
Although the bulk of European whiskey production is concentrated in the UK, the truth is there are other countries to distill this spirit. And if some of them have small productions, there are others, like Germany, that already have a considerable manufacture. Even though these countries don’t have a long tradition with whiskey, they do have a very old history with cereal’s distillation.
For example, on the northern regions, there are experience producing gin, vodka, schnapps, akvavit, beer, or brandys and spirits, in the southerly countries.
The european distilleries already existed for a long time and they begin to explore making whiskey and expand their production to different expressions of whiskey. So we can say a second production line of European whiskey has emerged, offering all whiskey lovers very interesting and somewhat different options from their most famous congeners in Scotland and Ireland.
Although it is expanding, European whiskey outside the UK and Ireland is mainly concentrated in a few countries. We can find productions in Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Russia. There is still a brand in Turkey that promotes their beverage as whiskey, but does not exactly have the main features of whiskey.