Probably whiskey is the safest of the spirits to use in the United States, and it should be the cheapest. Age regulates its price, and the fusel oils in it decrease by age, so old whiskey is the best and safest, provided it has been kept in wood. There are artificial ways of aging whiskey, as running it down a woollen string from the higher stories of a building to the lower stories, each running down evaporating it and losing its fusel oils, equivalent to one year passed in the barrel. This is rather roguery than true aging. Rye whiskey is probably the best in this country, although whiskey is made from wheat, barley, corn, and other grains. The flavor comes from the process of kiln drying of the grain or grains of which it is made. The Scotch and Irish whiskies get their flavor from the peat used in drying the grains. Scotch and Irish whiskies are now largely used the world over. I believe it is the favorite tipple at the bars, and, with the aerated waters in the combination, is, to quite an extent, replacing the drinking of champagne, even at dinner. Champagnes as now used are most of them very dry, - that is, quite free from sugar, - and hence the combination of whiskies with the carbonated water makes a very good substitute. In all of our drinks with heads on them, the carbonic acid gas is the alluring inveiglement to the palate, anyhow.

The mashes used in making whiskies are the sweet and the sour, and corn and rye are often mixed in given parts with the malt. This makes sour mash if scalded with the refuse liquor used before, this containing the ferment to start alcoholic fermentation. Sweet mash is made by adding water only, and yeast to start the fermentation.