Scotch vs. Whiskey: What Sets the Two Spirits Apart

Scotch is an alcoholic beverage (known as a spirit) created from water and malted barley; although there are businesses that make it with malted wheat or malted rye. They produce Scotches exclusively in Scotland, specifically in Islay, Speyside, Highlands, Campbeltown, and Lowland. The Scotch ages for at least three years in oak barrels, sometimes called oak casks.

There is also a derivative of Scotch known as peaty Scotch, peated Scotch, smoky dram, or smokey Scotch. The peated taste comes from the barley germination process.

There are multiple types of Scotch whisky, and each has its own unique taste and creation process. Here are several popular kinds of Scotch:

1. 1. Blended Scotch whisky: Grain Scotch whisky and malt Scotch whisky combine in blended Scotch whisky.
2. 2. Cask-strength Scotch: This type of Scotch goes directly from the cask into a bottle. There are no additional steps, nor additional flavors.
3. 3. Scotch eighteen-year-old whisky: As the name implies, this Scotch ages for eighteen years in oak barrels. There are multiple types and flavors available.
4. 4. Single-grain Scotch whisky: To make single-grain Scotch whiskies, the entire process has to occur at one distillery. This variation has a base of water and malted barley, as well as malted or unmalted cereals, to produce a blended malt.
5. 5. Single-malt Scotch whisky: This variation comes from a single distillery and uses malted barley for the mash. About ten percent of all Scotch whisky spirits are single malts, making single-malt whisky rare.

Also a spirit, whiskey is an alcoholic beverage created from fermented grain mash that has about forty percent alcohol by volume (ABV). The word whiskey comes from the Gaelic “uisce beatha” or “uisge beatha,” meaning “water of life.” Whiskies (or whiskeys) come in multiple varieties based on the grain mash, the production location, aging method, and other factors.

Distilleries produce whiskey in stills then let it age until it is at least two years old. If a whiskey ages for fewer than four years, producers must print an age statement on the label. Whiskey makers use white oak barrels, sherry casks (casks soaked in sherry), charred sherry oak barrels, or other variations. Whiskey is also known as “whisky” in certain parts of the world.

Distilleries make whiskey worldwide, creating variations with local distinctions. Here are several popular types of whiskey:

1. 1. Bourbon whiskey: This American whiskey comes mostly from Kentucky. It must contain at least fifty-one percent corn as part of the different grains that make up its mash. Producers in the United States have to make it in charred oak barrels. These specific bourbon barrels give the spirit oaky aromas.
2. 2. Canadian whisky: Canadian whisky has at least a forty percent ABV, or alcohol by volume. It has to originate in Canada to have a Canadian designation and undergo aging for at least three years. Sometimes Canadian whisky has a label designating it as rye whisky (sometimes called rye whiskey).
3. 3. Irish whiskey: Bottled exclusively in Ireland, Irish whiskey has a base of malt, cereal grain, and barley. It also has a three-year aging period and can have a more subtle taste than other whiskeys.
4. 4. Japanese whisky: Some Japanese distilleries use a Japanese oak cask. Although Japanese whisky goes through the bottling process in Japan, the product does not necessarily originate in the country.
5. 5. Scotch whisky: This type of whisky comes from Scotland and is either malt whisky, grain whisky, or a combination of malt and grain whisky. Scottish whiskies have to age for three years in an oak barrel.
6. 6. Tennessee whiskey: Distillers pour Tennessee whiskey, a variation on bourbon, through sugar maple charcoal prior to aging it.

Scotch and whiskey are two different alcoholic spirits that people often confuse for each other. Here are four areas where the two differ:

• Aging: Scotch matures in oak casks that have occasionally seen use before for wine or other spirits. Whiskey typically goes in charred white oak barrels for maturation.
• Flavor: Scotch tastes smoother than whiskey. This is a result of the way the distillery malts the grains.
• Grains: Whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage derived from barley, wheat, grain, or corn. Scotch whisky was originally made only from malted barley, but since the eighteenth century, producers have also used malted wheat and malted rye.
• Production: Scotch whisky producers sometimes malt the grains before fermentation. To malt the grains, distillers soak them in water (in the case of barley, the grains will sprout), which prepares the starches to ferment into sugars.

There are many different ways to drink Scotch and whiskey, with various flavor profiles formed as a result of the fermenting and distilling processes. Some people like to drink Scotch on the rocks—in this case, the rocks are ice cubes.

An old fashioned is a common cocktail, made with whisky, a sugar cube, Angostura bitters, rye, and an orange twist. Another popular bar drink is a Rob Roy, which is essentially a Manhattan; however, instead of including rye whiskey, it includes Scotch whisky, combined with vermouth, bitters, and a maraschino cherry in a martini glass.

Learn more about mixology from award-winning bartenders Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana. Refine your palate, explore the world of spirits, and shake up the perfect cocktail for your next gathering with the MasterClass Annual Membership.