Primer on whiskies

IT may come as a surprise but whisky, for so long seen as an "old man's" drink and less fashionable than say, wine or gin, is now becoming fashionable among women. What's more, this increasing popularity with the fairer sex has contributed to record sales in recent years.

Despite the growing interest, many are still not fully versed in what whisky is made from and its different forms.

One problem is that whisky classification is complicated by different rules of production and bottle labelling by each whisky-producing country. Typically, the longer the country's whisky industry has been organised and legalised, the more stringent these rules.