Scottish Whisky
Whisky, or uisge beatha, water of life in Gaelic, is the national drink of Scotland. Whisky has been produced in Scotland since the fifteenth century. For a long period of time, the distilling of whisky was illegal, the law achieving nothing but driving stills underground where illicit distilling went on.

In 1823, the production and selling of whisky was legalized and today the drink is Scotland’s chief export. Many of today’s huge distilleries are built on the same spot as the original illegal stills, using the same source of water as before.

The quality of the water is considered the crucial element in the making of a good whisky. Many distilleries are therefore situated in the Highlands, taking advantage of the clear mountain springs.

Two types of whisky are produced in Scottish distilleries; single malt is made only with water, barley and yeast, whereas grain whisky, relatively cheap in production, mainly is made with maize and a small amount of barley. Blended whisky, which accounts for more than 90% of the total sales, is as the name suggests, a blend of the two types.

A blended whisky is made up of around 70% grain whisky and 30% malt whisky. The higher proportion of malts, the more expensive the blend. Brands such as Johnny Walker, Bells and The Famous Grouse are all blended whiskies. Many distilleries produce malt whisky both for blending with others and for their own single malt brand. Grain whisky on the other hand is produced only for blending.

Whisky is today Scotland’s chief export and one of the biggest tourist attractions. All over the country you can visit distilleries for a guided tour, a complimentary free dram, and - naturally - a visit to the souvenir and whisky shop. The prices are however not any cheaper than other outlets. Visits to distilleries come in all sizes - multimedia, seven-language mass tours or small, simple and low-profile tours.

Northern Ireland Whisky
In Northern Ireland you can enjoy fabulous oysters at a friendly pub, served on ice with a pint of Guinness or hot and spiced with a glass of wine in a bustling bistro, either way they’re as special as the scenery.. There are great pubs and bars you can stay in to take a delicate taste tour.

And the important drink in the Northern Ireland will always be ignored, that is the whisky. When mentioning about the whiskey, people would first head into Scotland. However, whisky was first originated from Northern Ireland. The Old Bushmills distillery has had a licence to distil since 1608, revel in the taste of generations of expertise in a shining crystal glass.

The County Antrim village of Bushmills has a long and illustrious history of whiskey production. Stories tell us that the troops of King Henry II of England were more than happy to discover the unique taste of Irish whiskey. Unable to pronounce the Gaelic “Uisce Beatha” (Water of Life), they shortened it to “Uisce” and finally to whiskey.

The Old Bushmills Distillery is devoted to the production of the finest quality Irish whiskey. Whiskey making at Bushmills draws on centuries-old distilling history, including the first licence to distil whiskey, granted for the county of Antrim in 1608.These skills and tradition still live on today at the Old Bushmills Distillery, and shine through every drop of the whiskey.

Another unique aspect of the Old Bushmills Distillery is that malt distilling, blending, maturation and bottling are all carried out on the same site. The passion for whiskey-making and in-house expertise in all stages of the whiskey production process are the critical factors in the quality and complexity of the Bushmills family of whiskeys. What gives Bushmills its unique taste? The basic raw materials for making Bushmills Whiskey are ripe barley and the natural water rising from St. Columb's Rill - a tributary of the River Bush.

Barley is Ireland's natural raw material for whiskey distilling and this barley is first malted. Malting is the process whereby grains of barley are allowed to sprout in spring-like conditions for about 4 days and then dried. Inside each grain, an enzyme called diastase is formed, and it is this diastase which converts the starch in the barley into fermentable sugar.

The germinated barley corns (called green malt) are then dried in closed ovens. No peat smoke is used in this process, which leaves the barley malt free of any smoky or peaty flavour. Bushmills make whiskey in a way which is simply unique to the distillery. While other Irish distillers choose to malt only part of the barley for their whiskey, Bushmills malt all the barley used in the production of their malt whiskey.

Again, others choose to use huge pot stills to distil their whiskeys, whereas theirs are relatively small, making the process longer but the effect on the final whiskey is worth it. So they believe that the extra money and carethey spend on critical elements of the production makes Bushmills whiskeys the richest Irish whiskeys available.

Wales Whisky
Like the other Celtic nations, Wales has a long history of spirit distillation. It started life as far back as the 4th century, with a man known as Reaullt Hir distilling on Bardsey Island off the North Wales coast. The ingredients of this early spirit, known universally as “aqua-vitae” or gwirod in the Welsh language, was a mix of barley, yeast and honey distilled to make a basic raw spirit.

In more recent times, there was a small commercial distillery at Dale in Pembrokeshire, opened in 1705.  This distillery was owned by Evan Williams's family who later emigrated to the USA and helped found the Kentucky Whiskey Industry.  His name is still attached to a number of high quality bourbons to this day.

In the 19th Century a whisky distillery operated at Frongoch near Bala in North Wales under the chairmanship of a Mr Robert Willis.  In the late 1800's, the “chapel building mania” in Wales with its associated temperance movement, combined with the unfortunate death of Mr Willis under the wheels of a horse cart, conspired to put an end to distillation in Wales for more than 100 years.

On 14th September 2000, history was made when the first distillation was carried out at The Welsh Whisky Company's Penderyn Distillery, in the picturesque Brecon Beacons National Park.

Source:http://www.welsh-whisky.co.uk
           http://www.bushmills.com
           http://www.belfastcitysightseeing.com
           http://home.swipnet.se