Whisky
Whisky should be drunk however you like it best; adding water or ice to a single malt is no longer frowned upon by the cognoscenti.
Diluting blended whisky with soft drinks, such as lemonade or ginger ale, is also acceptable.
Whisky is best imbibed from a heavy-based glass, often crystal, to capture and concentrate the intense aroma.
A blended whisky is composed of a blend of single grain and single malt whiskies that have been distilled at more than one distillery. There are a number of commercial brands available and you can be pretty sure that the taste will be consistent.
Single malts are produced from malted barley at a single distillery. They vary considerably in character and appreciating them can become a life's work. Bourbon is made in the USA, primarily from corn, and is distilled in oak casks.
The obvious question of the spelling should rarely concern you when it comes to selecting a whisk(e)y; the chances are that your beverage will identify itself far more precisely than by its country of origin. But, for the record, whiskey with an 'e' is produced in Ireland or in the USA, while everywhere else forgoes the extra letter.
