Walk into the whiskey aisle and the labels start throwing words at you: single malt, single grain, blended, bourbon, Scotch. Here’s the plain-English version.
Whiskey is the big category. Bourbon and Scotch are kinds of whiskey.
Bourbon is American whiskey made with at least 51% corn and aged in new, charred oak barrels. It often has a sweeter taste. Rye whiskey uses at least 51% rye and often has more of a spicy kick.
Scotch is whisky made and aged in Scotland. Some Scotch is smoky. Plenty isn’t. Don’t assume every glass tastes like somebody set a campfire in your mouth.
Now the part that trips people up: barley is a grain. Malted barley is barley that’s been allowed to start sprouting, then dried. “Malt” on a whisky label usually means malted barley.
In single malt Scotch, single means one distillery, and malt means it’s made from malted barley. It can contain whisky from several barrels. Single grain Scotch also comes from one distillery, but it may use other grains, like wheat or corn. “Single” does not mean one grain.
A blended Scotch combines malt whisky and grain whisky. A blended malt combines malt whiskies from different distilleries. “Blended” isn’t a polite way of saying bad. It tells you what went into it.
Irish whiskey has its own styles, including single pot still, made with malted and unmalted barley. You’ll also see Canadian whisky, Japanese whisky, Tennessee whiskey, and American single malt. There’s more out there than bourbon and Scotch.
And the spelling? Whisky without the e is the usual spelling for Scotch, Canadian, and Japanese. Whiskey with the e is usual for Irish and American. Those spellings became regional habits over time. The extra letter doesn’t tell you whether the stuff is better, and there are exceptions.
That’s it. Read the label, try what sounds good, and decide with your own mouth.
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Tom Mix