Whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic drink made from fermented grain mash. Whiskey was originally used as a medicine for both internal anesthetic use and as an external antibiotic.
Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn). Whiskey is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many competing denominations of origin and many classes and types. The distinctive unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wood.