whiskey (1), whisky (1)

[Gaelic uisge beath a = water of life, whiskey.] [USQUEBAUGH.] An ardent spirit, distilled generally from barley, but sometimes also from wheat, rye, sugar, mola es, . There are two varieties-viz., malt-whiskey and grain-whiskey. The former is of finer quality, and made principally from malted barley or bere, and sometimes, though rarely, from rye. The latter is cheaper but stronger, and is made from various substances, as sugar, mola es, potatoes, but principally from unmalted grain, as Indian corn, barley, oats, ., dried and ground up. kept sufficiently long, it is equal in quality to malt whiskey. If whiskey-bloat, subst. A person bloated from drinking whiskey. ( U.S. Colloq.)