I know, I know... I've been away to long. I am going to try and pick back up on a regular cadence. I will say I have gotten to try several new whiskeys over the last month and am excited about sharing them with you soon! I am working on posting a list in the sidebar of the blog so that you can see whats coming up. Until then I wanted to answer an often asked question - what are the different types of whiskeys and how are they different? I am sure I could ramble on for pages and pages about possible ways to categorize, but here are some quick notes that I hope will help:
Bourbon - Bourbon is uniquely American Whiskey, distilled from corn. Bourbon can be distilled anywhere in the United States, however to be labeled Kentucky Bourbon it must be distilled and aged for at least one year in Kentucky. It must be aged at least two years in new charred oak casks.
Tennessee Whiskey - Similar to Bourbon, it is primarily distilled from corn (although not legally required to be). The primarily difference is that all Tennessee whiskey must be filtered through maple charcoal into large wooden vats before aging, to remove impurities. Again it is usually only distilled once.
Canadian Whisky - Canadian whisky must be distilled and aged in Canada, for at least three years in wooden barrels. Canadian whisky is also known as Rye or rye whiskey, since many historically used rye as their primary grain. That is no longer the case however and while some rye is used for flavoring, the primarily grain now a days is usually corn. That doesn't stop the Canadians from calling all of their whisky's Rye however! It often goes through a single distillation, and a large differentiator from Bourbon is the fact that it is mostly aged in used wooden barrels over new (like Scotch).
Scotch Whisky - Scotch whisky must be distilled in Scotland, and matured in oak casks for at least three years. It is generally distilled twice (although some are distilled as many as twenty times!), differentiating it from Irish Whiskeys and Bourbon. The age statement on the bottle is the amount of time the youngest whiskey used in the blend has been aged in wooden casks. Scotch is generally made with malt, and the unique flavors are developed from the way the malt is smoked with peat.
Irish Whiskey - Irish Whiskey is distilled three times, must be made in Ireland, and aged a minimum of three years in wooden casks (although in practice it is usually quite a bit longer). A large difference from Scotch is the fact that the malt is usually not smoked with peat.
Now that I have you hit you with all of the boring details, what does this mean when presented with all of these options in the store! Generally speaking, the more times the whiskey is distilled, the less of a 'burn' you get from drinking it. So Irish whiskey tends to be the smoothest where as Bourbons tends to be a bit more harsh. Scotch has many of the more unusual flavor profiles (smokey, spicy, dried fruits, coffee, etc) due to the smoked malt and the longer aging in a greater variety of wooden casks. It's also why it tends to be the most expensive as well! Scotch represents some of my favorite sipping whiskys, Irish whiskey tends to be mild (in flavor, not alcohol content!) enough for even the uncertain whiskey drinker, Canadian whiskys can be great bases for mixed drinks, and American whiskeys deliver the best punch for those cold winter nights.
Hope that was helpful! Always like to see your comments and questions!
Bourbon - Bourbon is uniquely American Whiskey, distilled from corn. Bourbon can be distilled anywhere in the United States, however to be labeled Kentucky Bourbon it must be distilled and aged for at least one year in Kentucky. It must be aged at least two years in new charred oak casks.
Tennessee Whiskey - Similar to Bourbon, it is primarily distilled from corn (although not legally required to be). The primarily difference is that all Tennessee whiskey must be filtered through maple charcoal into large wooden vats before aging, to remove impurities. Again it is usually only distilled once.
Canadian Whisky - Canadian whisky must be distilled and aged in Canada, for at least three years in wooden barrels. Canadian whisky is also known as Rye or rye whiskey, since many historically used rye as their primary grain. That is no longer the case however and while some rye is used for flavoring, the primarily grain now a days is usually corn. That doesn't stop the Canadians from calling all of their whisky's Rye however! It often goes through a single distillation, and a large differentiator from Bourbon is the fact that it is mostly aged in used wooden barrels over new (like Scotch).
Scotch Whisky - Scotch whisky must be distilled in Scotland, and matured in oak casks for at least three years. It is generally distilled twice (although some are distilled as many as twenty times!), differentiating it from Irish Whiskeys and Bourbon. The age statement on the bottle is the amount of time the youngest whiskey used in the blend has been aged in wooden casks. Scotch is generally made with malt, and the unique flavors are developed from the way the malt is smoked with peat.
Irish Whiskey - Irish Whiskey is distilled three times, must be made in Ireland, and aged a minimum of three years in wooden casks (although in practice it is usually quite a bit longer). A large difference from Scotch is the fact that the malt is usually not smoked with peat.
Now that I have you hit you with all of the boring details, what does this mean when presented with all of these options in the store! Generally speaking, the more times the whiskey is distilled, the less of a 'burn' you get from drinking it. So Irish whiskey tends to be the smoothest where as Bourbons tends to be a bit more harsh. Scotch has many of the more unusual flavor profiles (smokey, spicy, dried fruits, coffee, etc) due to the smoked malt and the longer aging in a greater variety of wooden casks. It's also why it tends to be the most expensive as well! Scotch represents some of my favorite sipping whiskys, Irish whiskey tends to be mild (in flavor, not alcohol content!) enough for even the uncertain whiskey drinker, Canadian whiskys can be great bases for mixed drinks, and American whiskeys deliver the best punch for those cold winter nights.
Hope that was helpful! Always like to see your comments and questions!
