Education

The Beginner’s Guide to Different Whisky Types

Whisky, whiskey, Scotch, malt, bourbon. Poured neat or over ice. Sometimes the base for a timeless or on-trend cocktail. Out of all the spirits, surely this is one of the more straightforward? You would think.

Ask any whisky lover about their favourite malt, and you’ll soon find yourself inundated with fascinating, yet perhaps overwhelming, knowledge. But it needn’t feel daunting. For everything you’ve ever wanted to know (but didn’t want to ask), we’re here to help.

The Malts Team

7 min read

•

July 30, 2024

A rocks glass containing whisky and ice sits on a bar, with a cocktail shaker and jigger behind it.

What are the different types of whisky?

The simplest way to approach whisky types is to break it down by the country of origin, and the main categories are:

Scotch whisky
American whiskey (including bourbon)
Irish whiskey
Japanese whisky

The reason for this approach is because different countries follow different legalities and rules for categorisation, which means trying to offer up one simple catch-all definition can get difficult.

For example, the UK requires something be aged for at least three years in oak to be classed as a whisky, but American whiskies have different rules for different categories.

Scotch whisky 101: what is it and what are the different types?

Scotch whisky is arguably what most people think of when they think of whisky – and it simply means any whisky distilled in Scotland using water and grain.

The Scotch Whisky Association breaks down that anything claiming to be a scotch whisky – sometimes simply called Scotch, depending on the locale – can be made from malted barley, wheat, corn, rye or oats, but every part of the process (including fermentation and distillation) must take place on-site in Scotland.

For a scotch whisky to be correctly classified as such, some other factors must be met. These include:

Only enzymes naturally produced by the grain are allowed to be used
Only yeast is used in the fermentation process
It must be distilled to less than 94.4% ABV and aged in oak barrels of 700 litres or less for at least three years
No additives are allowed other than E150a caramel colour (which is solely for colour and does not affect the taste) and water.
The spirit must be a minimum of 40% ABV when bottled.

"Out of all the spirits, surely this is one of the more straightforward? You would think."

American whiskey 101: bourbon and beyond

Outside of Scotch, one of the biggest markets for producing whisky is the United States. Spelled whiskey – for no reason other than that’s just how it turned out – the two most popular categories are rye whiskies and bourbon.

What is a rye whisky?

In the US, all rye whiskies must be made from a mash of at least 51% rye – a cereal grain. Rye is usually mixed with corn or malted barley to produce a rye whiskey. The whiskey must be distilled at no more than 80% ABV and is barrelled at no more than 62.5% ABV. Any rye which has been aged for at least two years and hasn't been blended with other spirits can be considered straight rye whiskies. A rye whiskey is usually spicy or fruity in flavour.

What is a bourbon?

A tentpole of traditional American culture – rooted in the rise of the agricultural American South to a favourite trope in country songs – nothing sums up America’s pioneering spirit in distillation than the sweet bourbon whiskey. To be a bourbon, it must be made from a mash bill of at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 80% ABV and barreled at no more than 62.5% ABV. There’s no ageing limit, and distillers can use as much corn as long as it’s over 51%.

A woman sits on a brown leather sofa, holding a rocks glass containing ice and whisky.

So, what is a blended Scotch whisky?

Even within this specific category, there are different types of Scotch whisky – and as you explore your burgeoning passion, you’ll hear a lot about blended whiskies and single malts.

The Scottish Whisky Association define the five types of Scotch whisky as:

Single malt - These are whiskies which have been produced at one distillery, using the traditional copper pot distillation (brands include The Singleton)
Single grain - Whiskies produced at one grain distillery, but using a Coffey still, a type of continuous distillation
Blended malt - A whisky made from more than one malt distillery, mixing together different single malts (brands include Johnnie Walker)
Blended grain - A whisky made of more than one grain distillery
Blended Scotch - A whisky made from any number of malt and grain whiskies, mixing products from numerous distilleries.

Irish whiskey and Japanese whisky: unique and pioneering

Irish whiskey 101: what’s their unique pot still method?

Like America, Irish whiskey also adds an ‘e’, but spelling aside, it shares more traits with a Scotch whisky. As long as it’s made anywhere on the Emerald Isle – Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland - like Scotch, Irish whiskies must be distilled to less than 94.8% ABV, and be aged for at least three years in vessels 700 litres or less. However, some key differences include Irish whiskies permit the addition of exogenous enzymes – these are enzymes not naturally produced by the grain. Further, Irish whiskies have a looser definition on what barrels they can be aged in. To be classified, it simply must take place in ‘woods such as oak’ – which allows for a wider variation.

Their signature is the pot still Irish whiskey – a special, unique blend not made anywhere else in the world. It requires the liquid be made from a mash that is at least 30% unpeated malted barley, 30% unmalted barley, and other unmalted cereals. It must then be distilled in pot stills, either two or three times. This way of producing the drink dates back to the 19^th century, when they made the drink with a blend of malted and unmalted barley, thought to be a way around British tax laws on malted barleys.

Japanese whisky 101: an import which became an industry

The heir of a sake brewer, Masataka Taketsuru is hailed as the pioneer of Japan’s whisky industry – and it’s all down to a trip to Scotland. A budding chemist, he studied at the University of Glasgow in the summer of 1919. This led to various apprenticeships at distilleries across Scotland, inspiring him to set up his own whisky division upon his return to Japan. He eventually founded his own whisky company – named Nikka today – and the first whisky was sold in October 1940. Tighter rules around Japanese whisky came into force on March 31, 2024. Until around 2021, Japanese whisky never really had a formal definition, which led to distillers blending their whiskies with ingredients from other countries. In 2021, the Japan Spirits

It must be fermented, distilled and aged at a distillery in Japan
It must contain malted grain but other non-malted cereal grains can also be included
It must use water extracted only in Japan
It must be aged for at least three years
It must be bottled in Japan.

The final word

Here ends our whistle-stop tour through the different types of whisky, where together we covered whisky from around the world. Now you're clued up on the differences, perhaps you're in the mood to select a beginner-friendly whisky? We have a guide just for that.

Learn more

A man stands at a pool table, holding a pool cue and repositioning the white ball. A rocks glass of ice and whisky sits on the edge of the pool table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Discover answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the different types of whisky.

What are the differences between Scotch and other whisky?

A whisky must meet certain requirements to be considered a Scotch - including being produced in Scotland from water and malted barley, fermented by yeast, and matured in casks in Scotland for at least three years before being bottled at a minimum ABV of 40%. Other whiskies have their own requirements, like bourbon needing to be made from a mash bill of at least 51% corn and Japanese whiskies introducing their own set of rules in 2021.

Are older whiskies better than younger ones?

Generally speaking, the longer a whisky has to age in the cask, the flavours can be more complex, have more nuance and depth, and have a smoother finish. This does make older whiskies popular, and often in demand from collectors and enthusiasts alike. However, it’s unfair and unwise to suggest one is better than another - there are many factors that go into the quality of a whisky, and age is one of them, but it’s far from the only one. Cask quality, production and distilling methods, the final flavour and more are also deciding factors.

Is it whisky or whiskey?

It’s both! Whiskey is the correct spelling when referring to American and Irish whiskies. There’s no specific reason.

Do single malt whiskies come from a single barrel?

No - the idea behind calling something a single malt is not about how it was made, but rather where. A single malt whisky refers to a spirit made at a single distillery - but they can be made from a blend of multiple casks.

However, a single cask malt refers to a whisky that was drawn from one individual cask, rather than being blended. The key consideration about single barrel malts are that they tend to have a distinct flavour profile, influenced and shaped by the uniqueness of the singular cask from where it came.