Whiskey is an alcoholic drink that people either love or hate. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of people who are ambivalent about it. So we guess that those who don’t like this drink are not going to want to observe World Whiskey Day on the third Saturday in May.

Those who do probably are going to want to celebrate this day. We’ll just go ahead and assume that the people still reading about this holiday are the ones that fall into the former camp and not the latter. And that’s why we’re going to do a deep dive into this holiday and the drink that inspired it.

Observing World Whiskey Day

Distillation is a process that people have been doing for thousands of years. In fact, it’s believed to have started way back in Mesopotamia around the year 2000 B.C. However, it would still take a few thousand years before someone would go ahead and create whiskey.

This apparently happened around the 12th century when monks traveling to Scotland fermented grain mash and created the first whiskey ever to be made. Over the years, it would not only spread to other parts of the world but would also evolve.

And that’s why we have the embarrassing glut of different whiskeys to choose from nowadays. World Whiskey Day wasn’t created until 2012, however. It was invented by Blair Bowman, a whiskey consultant and broker who was studying at the University of Aberdeen.

During one of the first public events celebrating this holiday, it’s estimated that over a quarter of a million people took part in the 2014 World Whiskey Day celebration. By the following year, this holiday had been registered on all seven continents and it’s been an international holiday ever since.

Some Quick Facts About Whiskey

Anyone and everyone of legal drinking age might want to pour themselves a nice glass of whiskey, or maybe a whiskey-based mixed drink, and enjoy the following facts that we discovered about this alcoholic beverage.

• Whiskey’s alcohol content is usually between 40% and 60% ABV.
• Bushmills in Northern Ireland is believed to be the oldest whiskey distillery in the world. It was established in 1608.
• The types of whiskey available include Japanese, Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, and Canadian.
• American whiskeys include Rye, Tennessee, Single Malt, and Blended.

Observing World Whiskey Day

World Whiskey Day is generally observed with events where people are encouraged to taste test different whiskeys from around the world. Although the drinking of whiskey is a big part of how this holiday is celebrated, it’s important that people do so in moderation.

With that being said, people can also spread the word about this holiday online and encourage other people to participate by using the hashtag #WorldWhiskeyDay.