Bartender Basics

Whiskey covers a wide range of categories, including two of the best-known: America’s bourbon and Scotland’s Scotch. While they’re both distillates made from grain and aged in oak, the similarities end there. In fact, they don’t even spell whiskey the same way: Americans use whiskey with an “e” (as we’ll continue to do so here, to describe the overall universe of whiskeys), while Scotland goes with “whisky.” As with any type of whiskey, “each is going to be influenced by the characteristics of the grain, the water, the yeast, the climate, the type of still used and the type of barrel it is matured in, in their respective countries,” says Lia Niskanen, founder of Barrel Strength Talent, a whiskey event company. Here are the main factors that differentiate bourbon and Scotch. What’s the Difference Between Bourbon and Scotch? 1. Location “The big difference is where they are made,” says Niskanen. “Bourbon, by law, must be made in the United States (and not solely in Kentucky, contrary to popular belief) and Scotch must be made in Scotland.” That said, not all American whiskeys are Bourbon (think rye, Tennessee whiskey, American single malts etc.). But all whiskey made in Scotland is considered Scotch. 2. The Grains In brief, bourbon is mostly corn, while Scotch is mostly barley. Of note, Scotch includes both malt whisky and grain whisky. “Bourbon must contain more corn than any other grain (51% minimum),” says Robin Robinson, author of The Complete Whiskey Course. By comparison, “Scotch designates barley, and any other grain, setting up the difference between malt whisky type (barley only) and grain whisky type (any other grain—these days it's mostly wheat) plus barley.” 3. Distillation Method Scotch is allowed to be distilled to a higher strength than bourbon. That said, both whiskey types usually are diluted with water to bring them down to a palatable strength. “Malt whiskeys are generally distilled to about 63% alcohol-by-volume (abv), and the grain whiskies of Scotland have a maximum limit of 94.8%,” notes Niskanen. By comparison, bourbon can be distilled no higher than an alcohol-by-volume (abv) of 80%, or 160 proof. 4. Aging While both age in oak, the specifications of the container and aging times vary. “Bourbon specifies [it must be] matured in a new, charred, oaken container but doesn't give a minimum time period,” says Robinson. (However, of its own when it comes to aging—straight bourbon must be aged at least two years, bottled-in-bond bourbons must be aged at least four years, etc.). Meanwhile, “Scotch whiskies must undergo a minimum three-year rest in an oaken container before it can be legally recognized,” says Robinson. Also of note: Scotch doesn’t require new barrels, and often is aged in used bourbon casks. If you want to give both a try, here are our top-rated bourbon and Scotch bottles. Top-Rated Bourbons A Blend of Straight Bourbons: Barrell Bourbon Batch 031 Cask Strength A Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Classic: Old Fitzgerald 11 Years Old Bourbon A “Wheater” (Wheated Bourbon) to Savor: New Riff Distilling Red Turkey Wheated Bourbon A Versatile Bourbon That Won’t Break the Bank: Dickel Bourbon Aged 8 Years Top-Rated Scotches A Fruity, Approachable Blended Scotch: Compass Box Orchard House Scotch Whisky A Budget-Friendly Blended Scotch to Sip or Mix: Chivas Regal 12 Blended Scotch Whisky A Smoky Islay Single Malt: Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 Years Old A Single Malt That Makes a Great Gift: Benriach The Twelve A Single Malt Heavy-Hitter Meant to Impress: The Dalmore 15 How to Chill Whiskey While there’s nothing wrong with sipping whiskey neat, sometimes it’s nice to have a big chunk of ice to chill and slowly dilute it as you sip. Most bars don’t use ice molds—but have access to Kold-Draft or Clinebell machines to make fancy ice on demand, or work with professional ice purveyors like Hundredweight to source crystal-clear cocktail ice. That said, we asked for recommendations to make whiskey-worthy ice at home. A final word of caution: avoid whiskey stones, which don’t melt and imperil dental work. The Best Ice Molds to Chill Whiskey Clearly Frozen Peak Ice Works Spheres Siligrams Tovolo