Does bourbon have to be made in Kentucky? What's the difference between Scotch and Whiskey? What's it even made of? What do all those terms on the bottle actually mean? Is it whiskey or whisky?
There are a TON of myths surrounding whiskey, a ton of things that are misunderstood, and a ton of terminology that is insanely confusing. Hopefully, this will be the first in a group of posts that help people understand what is actually going on.
For today, let's focus on two main things: what it's made of, definitions, and geography.
What is Whiskey in the first place? Here's the cut and dry definition from Wiki:
Whisky or whiskey (Spoiler alert - both spellings are correct - but more on that later) is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn (maize), rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
The 'grain mash' means the grains that you steep in water to create a flavor liquid that you distill into whiskey. Just like making beer. This mix is called the mash bill. This helps in some cases to define the kind of whiskey one is drinking. Here are some of the typical mash bills for several different kinds of American whiskey (they vary largely globally, but it's a start):
- Bourbon whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 51% corn (maize)
- Corn whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 80% corn
- Malt whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 51% malted barley
- Rye whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 51% rye
- Rye malt whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 51% malted rye
- Wheat whiskey—made from mash that consists of at least 51% wheat
You get the idea. There are flavors associated with each kind of whiskey, but alas, another time.
It's helpful to think about whiskey in 3 major, largely geographic, categories (at least from our U.S. centric perspective): Scotch, Bourbon, and everything else (all in the whiskey family). The reason for this is actually due to the legal definitions of each of these things. In brief, here are the definitions:
Bourbon: Comes from the U.S.
- Must be made in the good ole' U.S. of A. Let me repeat that - there is no further definition regarding location within the United States. Bourbon does not have to come from Kentucky. In fact, a ton of it comes from Indiana.
- The mash bill (the grain mixture all liquor is made from - we'll get into that later) must be at least 51% corn. The rest can be whatever the distiller chooses, though there are lots of standard recipes.
- The must be no other flavor additives other than the water used to make the liquor. I will put my foot down and say because of this, Jack Daniels is NOT bourbon. They allow the bourbon to pass through charcoal which alters the flavor of the whiskey and therefore is an additive. This is not the sour mash (a process all distilleries use) they tout on the label, but is a tradition of Tennessee whiskey. JACK AIN'T BOURBON.
- It must come off the still at 160 proof or less, put into the barrel at no more than 125 proof and be bottled at no less than 80 proof.
- It must be aged in new (not previously used to store other liquors, as with Scotch) oak barrels. Can't age it in maple or hickory or something else fun. You could, but it just can't be called bourbon anymore.
Scotch: comes from Scotland. Like Champagne vs. sparkling wine.
- Produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and grains (no requirements on type of grain).
- Must be aged at least three years, in oak casks.
- The age on the bottle is of the youngest whiskey used in the blend (if it is a blend).
- Containing no added substances, other than water and plain (E150A) caramel coloring.
- Must be at least 80 proof.
- Comes from one of five main regions: Highland, Lowland, Islay, Campbeltown, Speyside. Each region has tastes that are generally associated with it (often having to do with the peat that is used to roast the grains - way way more on that later). See this map for more details:
All of the other whiskeys: Canadian, Indian, Japanese, U.S. (everything not bourbon), and everything else. Recently a whisky from Japan was named best in the world by someone who really knows their stuff if you care. India consumes more whiskey than the rest of the world combined. There are worlds upon worlds of whisky within the genre, all places to explore.
Next time: What do all those words mean??
Straight, bottled in bond, single barrel, small batch, age statements, etc. All of these things have definitions that we'll get into in Part 2, coming up in a few days.
For now, grab whatever bottle you have handy and figure out where it's from. Do some research and learn what traditions are going on in what you're drinking. It'll taste better. I swear.