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That Purpose (WHISKEY is an alcoholic liquor)

WHISKEY is an alcoholic liquor distilled from the fermented wort of malt or grain. In Great Britain, whiskey is made from malt or barley; the best quality is obtained from the former. In the United States, whiskey is generally distilled from wheat, rye, or corn. The best whiskey made in this country is conceded to come from Bourbon county, Kentucky, and is distilled from corn. Rye whiskey is much esteemed in the South and Southwest, and when old and pure has a delightful aroma resembling the odor of new mown hay. Pittsburg has long been celebrated for the "Monongahela" whiskey distilled there. "Potteen," or illicit Irish and Scotch whiskey is far-famed as an ingredient for making punch and "whiskey skin." The singular flavor of the Irish produce is supposed to be caused by using turf for the exsiccation of the malt. In making potteen, that distilled from pure malt is considered superior to that made from a mixture of malt and raw grain. To assign a reason for this would require an analysis of the process of malting; but it may be sufficient to observe, that the effects of the malting process are similar to those the grain undergoes in the course of vegetation, when sown in the ground. Illicit distillers, as if aware of this metamorphosis, almost invariably use malted grain. The constituents or elements of this whiskey are, alcohol, pelargonic ether, acetic ether, fusil oil, (116)