🥃 Whisky

Scotch, Irish whiskey, bourbon, Canadian rye: whisky (or whiskey) is a spirit made from the distillate of fermented cereal mash, and each country that makes it writes its own rules. Under EU rules it is aged at least three years in wooden casks of up to 700 litres, its strength must be at least 40% ABV (80 proof on a US label), and the only permitted additive is plain caramel for colour.

Malted, and sometimes unmalted, mash is fermented with yeast and distilled to below 94.8% ABV in copper pot stills or column stills, and the distillate is then aged for a long time in oak. The wood gives the drink its colour and a large part of its aroma.

The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 recognise five types: single malt (malted barley only, one distillery, copper pot stills), single grain, blended malt, blended grain and blended Scotch. In the USA, bourbon is made from a mash of at least 51% corn and aged in a new charred oak barrel; the federal definition of whiskey (27 CFR 5.143) sets no minimum ageing period for the general category. In the EU, whisky is category 2 and grain spirit is category 3: grain spirit is made from whole grain and has no minimum ageing period.

Scotch Whisky, Irish Whiskey, Whisky breton and Whisky alsacien are protected geographical indications. The earliest written record of aqua vitae being made in Scotland is in the Exchequer tax rolls of 1494.

Whisky or whiskey? Both spellings are lawful: Scotch and Canadian usually drop the "e", Irish and American keep it. Scotch or bourbon? Scotch is made in Scotland under the 2009 Regulations; bourbon is made in the USA from a mash of at least 51% corn in a new charred oak barrel. Whisky or brandy, rum and vodka? The raw material differs: whisky comes from cereal mash, brandy from wine and rum from sugar cane. Vodka may also be made from grain, but whisky must spend at least three years in wooden casks under EU rules, and the oak gives its colour and much of its aroma.

In a supermarket or off-licence, read the category rather than the colour. "Scotch Whisky" and "Irish Whiskey" are protected geographical indications, "Single Malt" means one distillery and only malted barley, "Blended" a blend, "Bourbon" the USA. A number such as 12 years is the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. Strength is shown as ABV; a US label may also show proof, where 80 proof is 40% ABV.

Why it matters to you. "Scotch" means made in Scotland, "bourbon" means made in the USA, and "single malt" means one distillery and only malted barley. The word "blended" indicates a blend of several whiskies. The age on the label is the age of the youngest component. Colour does not prove age: caramel is permitted. WHO: no safe level of alcohol exists.