Month: January 2021

Oxidation – does whisky go off in the bottle?

Oxidation.  Oxidised.  Oxidisation.  Oxidise…..  

  1. (Verb) To undergo a reaction in which electrons are lost by a molecule, atom, or ion to another matter or species
  2. (Whisky) A loose, general, catch-all term to describe the phenomenon of a whisky’s quality slowly deteriorating in the bottle over time, after you’ve opened it.

It’s one of the most common questions and concerns you see asked in whisky forums and discussion groups: “Once I open my bottle, how long have I got until it starts to go off or deteriorate?”  Or it may take the form, “I have a bottle with just one third left in it, and I left it at the back of the cupboard for a year.  Now it tastes different – what’s going on?”   You don’t travel far along your whisky journey until the word “oxidation” enters your vocabulary.

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Whisky & Wisdom’s “Whisky Quiz”

Back for its fifth consecutive year, Whisky & Wisdom’s Whisky Quiz challenges those who think they know their whisky trivia.  How good is your whisky wisdom?  Take the Whisky Quiz to find out…

This fun little quiz will test the whisky facts and trivia you’ve picked up over your malt journey.  There are 25 questions that are designed to sort out the newbies from the experts. 

Yes, you could consult Google and find the answer to each question, but that would be cheating, right?  So, be honest with yourself and others, and see how many questions you can answer correctly off the top of your head. 

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The history of Scotch whisky

Want to learn the history of Scotch whisky in just four minutes?  

(And have a laugh at the same time?)  This song / music video covers off the basics….

Viewing on a desktop computer?  You can also watch the high-res video directly via YouTube here.

Music credits: Guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, and the (very mediocre and slightly-out-of-tune) vocals by Whisky & Wisdom.  Original tune by Billy Joel; adapted lyrics by Whisky & Wisdom. 

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