Whisky or whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. The word whisk(e)y comes from the Gaelic words uisce beatha (“water of life”).

This page is intended to provide basic information for whisk(e)y novices to enable them to understand some terminology when reading about or discussing whisk(e)y.

Whisk(e)y is a strictly regulated spirit globally. There are many different types, but they share certain common characteristics based upon the production process. For more detail, see Whisk(e)y 102 – Production.

NOTE: The USA and Ireland call it whiskey. Nearly all of the rest of the world (Scotland, Canada, Japan, India, France, Taiwan, Sweden, etc.) call it whisky.

To be called whisk(e)y, the spirit must be bottled at greater than 40% Alcohol By Volume (ABV).

Whiskies from different regions are composed of different grains and have very different flavor profiles.  For all of the whiskies described below, except for blended whisk(e)y, no flavoring is allowed. All flavor must come from the distilled spirit and the wooden casks in which it is matured. Below are the most common grains used in whisk(e)y production and some flavors they impart.

Whiskies made in every region of the world

  • Single Malt: From a single distillery, made from only three ingredients- water, yeast, and malted barley.
  • Single Grain: From a single distillery, from a grain or mixture of grains (typically corn, wheat, rye, or oats)
  • Blended Malt: Malt whiskies, blended from more than one distillery
  • Blended Grain:  Grain whiskies, blended from more than one distillery
  • Blended Whisk(e)y: Blend of different types of whiskies, and frequently include spirits distilled above 80% ABV (see Light Whiskey below). Regulations and definitions vary by country.

Age Statement: The age of a whisk(e)y is the amount of time that the youngest spirit in the bottle was matured in a wooden cask. For example, a 10-year whisk(e)y can have 10-, 12-, 15- and older whiskeys in the bottle, but none under 10 years. A Non-Age-Statement (NAS) whisk(e)y is one where the distiller has chosen not to disclose the age of the youngest whiskey. For example, a bottle could contain 95% 12-year old whiskey with just 5% of 3-year old whiskey; and the distiller may prefer to have it as NAS, rather than label it as a 3-year old whiskey.

Country-specific whiskies

United States

All of the American Whiskeys listed below are variants of Grain Whiskey. They can be distilled in either pot stills or column (Coffey) stills. Column stills are the most common.

Straight Whiskey: Must be made in the USA, distilled to less than 80% ABV and matured in NEW, charred oak barrels for at least 2 years, having been placed into the barrel at no more than 62.5% ABV.

Bottled In Bond (BIB): Meets the requirements of Straight Whiskey, plus must be matured for a least 4 years and bottled at exactly 50% ABV

Bourbon Whiskey:  Must be made in the USA and matured in NEW, charred oak barrels. Because the barrels must be new each time, this provides a steady flow of barrels to other countries for them to use.  Must be comprised of at least 51% corn.  Other ingredients typically are rye, wheat, and malted barley.  Bourbon tends to be sweeter, and also a bit hotter on the palate than Scotch or Irish whisk(e)y.

  • Straight Bourbon meets the requirements of straight whiskey
  • Bottled In Bond Bourbon meets the requirements of BIB whiskey

Rye Whiskey: Must be matured in NEW, charred oak barrels and comprised of at least 51% rye.  Other ingredients typically are corn, wheat and malted barley.

  • Straight Rye meets the requirements of straight whiskey
  • Bottled In Bond Rye meets the requirements of BIB whiskey

Corn Whiskey: Must be at least 80% corn. Can be matured in uncharred, charred, or used barrels.

Light Whiskey: Whiskey which was distilled to between 80% and 94.8% ABV. It can not be labeled with the name of a particular grain, or called malt, bourbon, rye, or straight. Most light whiskey is distilled to 94.5% ABV (above 95% is “Neutral Grain Spirit”). Distilling to high ABV removes almost all the congeners, the chemicals other than ethanol, that provide flavor. Light whiskey isn’t commonly consumed on its own, because most people prefer heavier straight whiskeys. Typically, it is used in blended whiskeys that are not blended straight whiskeys. However, it can be sold as Light Whiskey, Grain Whiskey or Whiskey.

Blended Straight Whiskey: This is whiskey blended from a combination of straight whiskeys. It can not contain any light whiskey.

Blended Whiskey: Must contain at least 20% straight whiskey. It may contain up to 80% light whiskey. If it is at least 51% straight whiskey of a particular grain (i.e. bourbon, rye, malt, wheat), it can be labeled with that grain type (e.g. “blended bourbon whiskey”).

Canada

Most Canadian whiskies are blends.

Canadian Whisky: Any grain spirit distilled to no more than 94.8% ABV and matured for at least 3 years in wood. No requirement on new oak. Flavoring and caramel coloring may be added. Rye Whisky may be comprised of 1% to 100% rye.

Scotland

Scotch Whisky:  Must be distilled to no more than 94.8% ABV and matured in Scotland in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years.  The casks can (and typically are) re-used from either American bourbon, Spanish sherry, or Portugese port barrels.

  • Malt Whisky must be distilled in copper pot stills with only three ingredients- water, yeast, and malted barley.
  • Grain Whisky uses other malted or unmalted cereals in the mash, in addition to a required small amount of malted barley. It is typically distilled in a column still, which can result in a less flavorful and higher ABV spirit than pot-still distillation (80% to 94.5%). Sometimes, well-aged single grain is sold on its own; but frequently it is blended with malt to create blended whisky.
  • Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.

Within Scotland, there are regional differences, due to the casks used, the grain, local flora, climate and environment, as well as the malting process, that influence the flavors.  In general, about 30-50% of the flavor comes from the distilled spirit and 50-70% comes from the casks and maturation.  According to the Scotch Whisky Association, there are 5 official designated whisky regions within Scotland– Islay, Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands, and Campbeltown. The Highlands and Speyside are home to the vast majority of the distilleries. It is becoming more common to treat the Islands as a 6th region, as I do in Whisk(e)yPoints:

  • Islay:  A small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the southwest coast of mainland Scotland. It is home to 9 distilleries, many (but, not all) are known for malting their barley with peat smoke, which imparts a smoky flavor. Common to all is an influence of sea air on the flavors.
  • Highlands:  This is the largest whisky-making region in Scotland, covering much of the north. Whisky can vary from light to full-bodied. Inland whisky tends to have influences of heather and honey. Coastal highlands may have gentle peat and maritime notes.
  • Speyside: This is a sub-region of the Highlands.  Many use sherry casks, which impart a bit more richness to the flavor, including fruity and nutty notes.
  • Islands:  This is also a sub-region of the Highlands, and it represents all of the other Inner Hebrides off the Atlantic coast of Scotland. These tend to use peat as well, but in lower concentrations than on Islay. Flavors include peat, smoke, berries, and sea salt.
  • Lowlands:  Southern part of Scotland.  Whiskies are fresh and light and have grassy and cereal-like notes to them.
  • Campbeltown: A small village at the tip of the Kintyre peninsula on the southwest of Scotland.  Whiskies have a unique combination of flavors influenced by the sea and local flora.

Irish Whiskey:  Must be distilled distilled to no more than 94.8% ABV and matured in Ireland in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years. The casks can (and typically are) re-used from either American bourbon, Spanish sherry, or Portugese port barrels. 

  • Malt Whiskey must be distilled in copper pot stills with only three ingredients- water, yeast, and malted barley.
  • Grain Whiskey must contain some malt, but no more than 30%. It is typically distilled in a column still, which can result in a less flavorful and higher ABV spirit than pot-still distillation (80% to 94.5%). Sometimes, well-aged single grain is sold on its own; but frequently it is blended with malt or pot-still whiskey to create blended whiskey.
  • Pot Still Whiskey must distilled in a copper pot still with at least 30% malted barley, at least 30% unmalted barley, and other unmalted cereal grains (this involves a long story about the Brits conquest of Ireland and the imposition of malting taxes).
  • Blended Irish Whiskey is a blend of two or more whiskey types among pot still, malt and grain whiskey.

OK, so much for the diatribe. I hope this was helpful / useful information.

Cheers! / Slainte! / Kanpai!