Scotch, WhiskEy, Whisky and Bourbon

What is the difference between scotch, whiskey, whisky and bourbon? Well it depends on the variety of drink you have and someone about its country of origin, as well.

What Makes Whiskey Bourbon?

The Federal Standards of Identity for Bourbon stipulate what is and what isn’t bourbon. For a whiskey to call itself bourbon, its mash, the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled, must contain at least 51% corn. (The rest of the mash is usually filled out with malted barley and either rye or wheat.) The mash must be distilled at 160 proof or less, put into the barrel at 125 proof or less, and it must not contain any additives. The distillate must be aged in a new charred oak barrel. (Most often these barrels are white oak, but they can be any variety of oak.)

Scotch is whisky made in Scotland, while bourbon is whiskey made in the U.S.A, generally Kentucky. Scotch is made mostly from malted barley, while bourbon is distilled from corn.

Irish whiskey is always spelled with an e – this is a key difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky.

And in addition to these whiskies, we also have Rye, which can refer either to American rye whiskey, which must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye or Canadian whisky, which may or may not actually include any rye in its production process.