Although Scotland, Ireland and Japan are the three whisky-making nations most commonly discussed, they are far from the only ones. Whisky is now produced on every inhabited continent, and each producing country has developed traditions of its own.
The United States
American whiskey — a family that includes bourbon, rye and Tennessee whiskey — has a heritage nearly as old as the country itself. Bourbon, defined by its high proportion of corn and its maturation in new charred oak, is the most celebrated of these categories, and Kentucky remains its historic heartland.
Canada
Canadian whisky, historically associated with rye, developed its own tradition of blended production in the nineteenth century. Distilleries in Ontario, Quebec and the prairie provinces continue to produce whiskies of great smoothness and character.
The new whisky world
In recent decades, distilleries in India (Amrut and Paul John), Taiwan (Kavalan), Sweden (Mackmyra and Box), and Australia (Sullivans Cove and Lark) have produced whiskies of international acclaim. The tropical climates of India and Taiwan drive remarkably rapid maturation; the cool climates of Sweden and Tasmania produce whiskies of quiet elegance.
The map of world whisky is now larger and more varied than at any point in its history.
New Zealand's emerging distillery scene
New Zealand's own whisky tradition is small but growing. A number of craft distilleries have opened across both islands in recent years — from Otago in the deep south to the Bay of Plenty in the north — producing single malts that draw on New Zealand grain, water and, in some cases, native peats. The historic Willowbank distillery in Dunedin, which closed in 1997, has been the subject of a notable revival of interest in its long-matured stocks. Editorially, the New Zealand story is one of the most interesting to watch in the coming decade.
Wherever whisky is made, it draws on the same ancient inheritance and adapts it to a new place. That, above all, is the enduring cultural genius of the drink.