Whisky: Trivia Quiz Answers

1) Germany
2) Ireland
3) Scotland
4) Austria

Answer: 3) Scotland

There are many claims that the Scots and Irish were the first to distill whiskey. According to the Irish, some Christian monks from Ireland brought with them from Saudi Arabia around 600 AD secret recipes of distillation. But another story says a Friar by the name of John Cor showed a tax record in 1494 for his order of VII bolts of malt which is the first documented reference to whisky production in Scotland.

1) Malt
2) Rye
3) Bourbon
4) Scotch

Answer: 2) Rye

Whiskey has always been popular. Although of the different kinds of whiskeys that are in existence, rye whiskey was the one most popular before the Prohibition. Though after the prohibition, rye whiskey started to decline, and it’s brothers such as bourbon and scotch had a greater popularity, rye whiskey is making a comeback. Craft breweries these days are bringing out an amazing variety of rye whiskeys. So, if you want to taste a little bit of history of the United States before the whole prohibition? Get a good bottle of craft rye whiskey and enjoy yourself. Rye is very similar to bourbon and how it’s produced, but instead of corn which is the base for bourbon, rye, obviously enough, is made from a base of rye.

1) Woman Walker
2) Judy Walker
3) Ivanka Walker
4) Jane Walker

Answer: 4) Jane walker

Popular Scotch brand, Johnnie Walker unveiled Jane Walker, the first-ever duplication of this historic brand’s “Striding Man” logo. Jane was introduced in time for Women’s History Month (March 2018). According to Johnnie Walker executives, the Jane Edition is not a special blend for women but rather an “updated look” and limited-edition run to the best-selling whiskey blend. Unfortunately, there was a backlash and negative perception especially from the female gender which somehow eclipsed the good intentions of the company. From the marketing viewpoint, it is not advisable to associate a product, service, brand or company with a social or political movement, including days that celebrate social or political movements such as International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month. 

1) Dalmore 62
2) Isabella’s Islay
3) Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve
4) The Macallan M

Answer: 4) The Macallan M

It was priced at US$6, 200, 000. On October 24, 2019, The Macallan Fine and Rare 60-year old (1926) turned out as the most expensive bottle of wine every auctioned. It has been described as the “Holy Grail” of Whisky.

1) Barley
2) Malt
3) Wheat
4) Oats

Answer: 1) Barley

Single malt Scotch whiskey is produced from three major ingredients which are barley, yeast and water. Barley, one of the first cultivated grains, was among the first ingredient used for fermentation of alcohol. The grain was immediately available where the production of whisky took place. The highlands of Scotland have massive grain fields particularly during the harvest season. In producing whisky, the barley is allowed to germinate until the grain’s starch turns into malt sugar. The malt is dried and coarsely grinded. Sugar is extracted by adding hot water. The liquid is left to ferment and produces beer without adding hops which is a main ingredient in beer-brewing. The beer is distilled twice in copper pot stills or distillation apparatus. The spirits produced are mellowed in oak casks for a minimum of three years. Some high-quality single malt whiskies are matured for decades.  

1) Michael Jackson
2) Elvis Presley
3) Frank Sinatra
4) Johnny Cash

Answer: 3) Frank Sinatra

Popular American balladeer Frank Sinatra, well known for his song, “My Way” was laid to rest HIS WAY with a pack of cigarettes, lighter (ZIPPO) and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, according to news reports in 1998 (the year he died).

1) Produce Wine
2) Blend tea
3) Brew beer
4) None of the above

Answer: 2) Blend tea

Blending of tea was one of the first businesses of Johnnie’s father-grocer in the 1800s. John’s son whom he named Alexander (after his grandfather) took over the business when John fell ill. He used his skills to create the Old Highland Whisky which eventually became Johnnie Walker Black Label.

1) White Horse
2) Cutty Sark
3) J&B Scotch Whisky
4) Ballantine’s

Answer: 1) White Horse

According to Guinness World Records, the White Horse blended whiskey has the smallest bottle of whisky worldwide. Cumbrae Supply Limited (Scotland also produce other whisky brands globally that can hold 1.3 milliliters of liquor.

1) 10
2) 5
3) 30
4) 41

Answer: 4) 41

Whisky accounts for 70% of Scottish food and drink exports, and 21% of all food and drink exports in the United Kingdom. In 2018, the export value of Scotch whisky grew by 7.8%, to a record £4.70 billion and the number of 70cl bottles exported reached record levels, growing to the equivalent of 1.28 billion.

1) 10 million
2) 20 million
3) 37 million
4) 12 million

Answer: 3) 37 million

It’s the USA which produces 37 million cases yearly with Jack Daniels and Jim Beam as the top two. Canada, which produces 21 million, is second and Ireland with 7 million cases at third place.

1) United States
2) India
3) Scotland
4) Canada

Answer: 2) India

Perhaps, this would come as a surprise but it’s not the Americans or Europeans who are the biggest whiskey consumers in the world. The country that drinks the most total number of liters of whiskey every year is India. This country in south Asia consumes nearly 1,600,000,000 liters or 46.69% of whiskey annually. The United States comes in at a distant second with 14.44%.

1) 50 years
2) 25 years
3) 100 years
4) None of the above

Answer: 4) none of above

Some say that whisky does not change in the bottle as long as that bottle remains unopened. Yet, many collectors will argue that the opposite is the case. According to many connoisseurs, the shelf life of whisky depends on whether the bottle has been opened or unopened.

1) 174
2) 100
3) 50
4) 75

Answer: 1) 174

Scotch Whisky earns US$174 per second. In 2018, the export value of all Scotch Whisky exports reached $6.057 billion USD, a 7.8 percent gain from the previous record set in 2017. In addition, the volume of exports also set a new record with the equivalent of 1.28 billion 70cl bottles, up 3.6 percent from 2017 and breaking the previous high of 1.26 bottles set in 2011.

1) Johnnie Walker
2) William Grant
3) No one knows
4) Facundo Bacardi

Answer: 3) No one knows

No one still knows who invented whiskey! Some say these monks from Ireland or Scotland invented this alcoholic drink. There are accounts that Babylonians in Mesopotamia were the first to distill liquor in 2nd Millennium BC. Another claim says the Greeks did it in the 1st Century AD. There seems to be no consensus until the present day.

1) 21 years
2) 6 years
3) 15 years
4) 20 years

Answer: 2) 6 years

Would you believe that Jack Daniels learned to make whiskey at a young age of six? He left home and lived with and worked on the farm of a local preacher named Reverend Dan Call. Call’s distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green who taught Jack the making of whiskey. The method they used was the “Sour Mash” method and filtered whiskey by way of charcoal which was very common during that time. Sour Mash doesn’t mean the whiskey becomes sour. It just refers to a method of production used by distilleries to control growth of bacteria and guarantee continuity from one batch to the next. The mash refers to the mixture of the grain, yeast and water. 

1) Fruit Juices
2) Soda
3) Sports Drinks
4) Urine of Diabetics

Answer: 4) Urine of Diabetics

It’s not fruit juices, soda or sports drinks but urine from diabetics. You may be shocked but someone from the UK named James Gilpin, a researcher/designer engaged in the implementation of new bio-technologies, launched a project in 2010 that can transform sugar-rich urine of diabetic patients into single malt whiskey. A news article that time said it could be used for export. The purification process of urine is the same as water. Sugar molecules are taken away and added to the mash stock to hasten the process of fermentation. Once it has been fermented into a clear alcohol spirit, whiskey blends are added to add color, thickness and taste. However, the end product is more of an art piece instead of being marketed commercially.

1) George Washington
2) James Madison
3) Theodore Roosevelt
4) Harry Truman

Answer: 1) George Washington

It was George Washington who was America’s first and only distilling President. He started producing whiskey for commercial purposes in 1797 after leaving the presidency. He produced 11,000 gallons at Mount Vernon in 1798.

1) 15%
2) 40%
3) 22%
4) None of the above

Answer: 2) 40%

It should be 40%. After the distillation process, it is normally reduced for filling into barrels at a strength of 63.5% of alcohol by volume. Under the law, the prescribed minimum bottling strength is 40% alcohol by volume.

1) $2 Billion
2) $5.48 Billion
3) $1.2 Billion
4) $100 Million

Answer: 2) $5.48 Billion

The sales reached $5.48 billion. The popularity of American whiskey brands abroad has led to a boom in exports. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, the economics of whiskey is robust. The Council’s most recent estimate puts the number of jobs directly related to whiskey at 745,026.

1) Scotland
2) USA
3) Ireland
4) United Kingdom

Answer: 4) United Kingdom

It is the United Kingdom. The countries popular for whisky-making are the United States, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Germany, and India. Net production generated globally from whisky reached more than 56 million liters.

1) Officer’s Choice
2) Bagpiper
3) Old Tavern
4) Imperial Blue

Answer: 1) Officer’s Choice

Officer’s Choice commonly known as OC, is an Indian whisky brand which is owned by Allied Blenders &amp; Distillers, formerly BDA. It is considered to be one of the largest spirit brands in the world. In 2015 Officer’s Choice overtook Smirnoff vodka to become the world’s largest selling spirit brand.

1) Florida
2) Kentucky
3) Washington
4) Missouri

Answer: 2) Kentucky

Kentucky is the birthplace of Bourbon, America’s only native spirit. According to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, they craft 95% of the world’s Bourbon supply. At present, Kentucky is home to 68 whiskey distilleries which went up 250% during the last decade.

1) Maple
2) Steel
3) Hickory
4) Oak

Answer: 4) Oak

Whiskey is aged in oak barrels. It doesn’t matter if the tree is American, European or Asian. Oak is the best for aging because it is sturdy and capable of holding up to hundreds of liters. This variety of wood can easily be twisted by properly applying heat to form the proper shape in making a barrel. Besides, oak has stimulating chemical compounds that enhance the flavor of alcohol without adding an unpleasant aroma and sap that can be found in other woods such as pine.

1) Mark Twain
2) Winston Churchill
3) Abraham Lincoln
4) William Faulkner

Answer: 1) Mark twain

Mark Twain, a great American humorist said this about whiskey. He went on by saying, “Give an Irishman lager for a month, and he’s a dead man. An Irishman is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him.” That is perfect logic!

1) Alexander Graham Bell
2) Robert Boyle
3) James Chadwick
4) Nikola Tesla

Answer: 4) Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor, engineer and futurist, made plenty of scientific contributions. He did not smoke and conformed to a vegetarian diet most of his life. But he was fond of drinking whiskey as well as fine wines and other spirits. He described alcohol as a “veritable elixir of life.” Tesla believed that by drinking whiskey daily, he can live until 150 years. He also claimed that moderate drinkers lived longer. Tesla died at 86 years old.