![]() ![]() Tennessee whiskey is technically bourbon, although many distillers in the state chafe at that categorization. Bourbons can be made anywhere in the US, but most are made in Kentucky. Bourbon must be aged in a new charred oak container (virtually always a barrel) and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. The rest is usually rye or wheat and malted barley. Canadian whisky is often referred to as “rye,” but that does not hold the same legal definition as it does here in the US.īourbon whiskey must be made in America from a mash bill of at least 51% corn. Many popular Canadian brands are blended whiskies, like Crown Royal. Some Japanese brands actually source whisky from other countries and blend it in Japan, but regulations are changing so that consumers are aware of this.Ĭanadian whisky is also aged at least three years in a barrel and is usually made from wheat, corn, and rye. Many distilleries produce several different kinds of malt whiskies using different types of stills which they then combine into their products. In Japan, there is a great emphasis placed on blending. Japanese whisky adopted many of its distillation methods from Scotland, but the character of the whisky is very different. Some scotch is peated, meaning that peat is burned to dry the barley infusing it with a smoky flavor, but most of it is not. Single malt comes from one distillery and is made from 100 percent malted barley, while a blend consists of malt and grain whisky from various distilleries. ![]() If there is an age statement, that indicates the youngest whisky in the bottle. It must be aged in barrels for at least three years. Scotch whisky (aka Scotch) is whisky made in Scotland which has very strict laws in place for distillers in terms of how it’s made. There is single malt Irish whiskey, blends, and single pot still, which is made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley. Irish whiskey is often described as “smooth,” but that really doesn’t do justice to the complex and often fruity flavor of the whiskey. There are some major differences between how these different types of whiskey are made, and each has its own unique flavor and style.īeyond the six listed above, there are a few more categories worth knowing as well: The Irish use the “e” along with American distillers while Scots, Canadians and Japanese distillers all leave it out. Each has a unique origin, distilling process, taste and even way of spelling the liquor. If you’re unfamiliar with the different kinds of whiskey, there are really six that you have to know: Irish whiskey, Scotch, bourbon, Tennessee, rye and Japanese whisky. Again, there are some excellent bottles to cover that are extremely limited in quantity, but we tried to highlight expressions that you can easily find online. There is a time and a place for selecting a high-priced bottle, but generally, we are looking for ones that anyone can buy. There are some excellent whiskeys out there that are sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars (and we’ve reviewed some of them), but for most people, this is simply not affordable. Second, price plays an important role, as few people have a bottomless budget when filling out their bar cart. A good whiskey has to taste delicious, regardless of reputation or hype. Given that taste is entirely subjective, we tried to pinpoint what makes each of these bottles the best in its particular category based on several factors. So how did we go about selecting the best whiskey in the world? There are so many distilleries and whiskey brands to choose from these days, and it can be hard to figure out what is the best in any category given so many options. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |