Straight whiskey prior to its bottling. American straight whiskey must be aged in charred new oak barrels and must be put into the barrels for aging at a concentration not exceeding 62.5% abv. When bottled, only water to reduce proof may be added. This is the definition established for production of American whiskey for consumption within the United States as per the U.S federal "Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits". (The regulations do not necessarily apply to American whiskey made for export.) Alternatively, straight can also refer to a way of requesting and/or serving a drink of whiskey—pouring the spirit without any
Irish whiskey 12th century (see Distilled beverage). It is believed that Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfumes back to Ireland from their travels to the Mediterranean countries around 1000 A.D. The Irish then modified this technique to obtain a drinkable spirit. Although termed "whiskey", the spirit produced during this period would have differed from what we currently recognise as whiskey. The "uisce beatha" or whiskey produced in historical times would not have been aged, and was often flavoured with aromatic herbs such as mint, thyme or anise. Irish Mist, a whiskey liqueur launched in 1963, is purportedly based on such