24, 2024
Know your bourbon from your scotch (and much more!)
in this beginner’s guide to the most popular types of whiskey.
The sheer number of types of whiskey in the liquor store might have you stumped.
Whats the difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky?
Is all bourbon whiskey?
Whatwhiskeyis best for your favorite mixed drinks?
Youll find everything you better know in the guide below!
Is it whiskey or whisky?
That depends where its made.
But, it turns out the letter is very important to the story of the spirit.
The Irish use the e, a tradition that carried over to American-made whiskeys.
The Scots do not use the e, and distillers in Canada and Japan follow their lead.
Hence, whisky or whiskies.
The Scots take their whisky-making seriously and have laws in place that distillers must follow.
The spirit must age in an oak barrel for at least three years.
This is a whisky to sip neatit makes an excellentafter-dinner drink.
Japanese whisky was created to taste as close to the scotch style as possible and uses similar distilling methods.
It is mostly imbibed in mixed drinks or with a splash of soda.
Canadian Whisky
Like scotch, Canadian whisky must be barrel-aged for at least three years.
Its lighter and smoother than other types of whiskey because it contains a high percentage of corn.
Bourbon Whiskey
An American-style whiskey, bourbon is made from corn.
It has no minimum aging period and needs to be bottled at 80 proof or more.
Instead, they use Tennessee whiskey to define their style.
It follows the distilling process of bourbon.
Rye tends to have a spicier flavor than sweeter, smoother bourbon.
Additionally, it must be aged for three years in oak before being bottled.
The term single malt comes from the ingredients, as the main ingredient is malted barley.
However, these rules did not make their way to U.S. distilleries.
For example, in America, single malt is sometimes made from rye and not barley.
Now that you know the basics for each whiskey, youre ready to pour drinks.
Heres everything you better know about keeping awell-stocked home bar.
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