Whisky around the world - how Scotch, Irish, bourbon and Japanese differ
On the shelf, bottles labelled whisky stand side by side, yet inside they can taste completely different - from gently honeyed to smoky as a bonfire. Where do the differences come from? Mostly from place and method of production. Here is a short guide to the most important styles.
Scotch
The most famous family. Made mainly from barley and aged at least three years in oak casks. Two main types:
- Single malt - from one distillery, from malted barley. Full, characterful, often with notes of fruit, honey and spice.
- Blended - a mix of different whiskies, milder and more approachable.
A separate topic is peat: some Scotch, especially from the island of Islay, dries the malt in peat smoke, which gives the famous smoky, slightly medicinal character. We wrote about it in the post why whisky tastes like a bonfire.
Irish
Usually milder and smoother than Scotch. Often distilled three times, while the Scots usually do it twice, which gives a lighter, rounder character. Rarely smoky. It is a good gateway to the world of whisky for someone who fears strong, sharp flavours - clean, grainy, with a note of vanilla and fruit.
Bourbon (USA)
The American style plays by its own rules. Made mainly from corn (at least 51 percent) and aged in new, charred oak barrels. It is exactly those fresh, charred barrels that give bourbon its signature: sweetness, vanilla, caramel, a note of coconut and spice. Usually sweeter and rounder than Scotch.
Japanese
The youngest of the great traditions, modelled on Scotch but made with Japanese precision and attention to detail. Often very elegant, clean and harmonious, with subtle smoke or none at all. It can be expensive and hard to find, but it is regarded as some of the best made in the world.
What else shapes the flavour
Regardless of country, three things make a huge difference:
- The cask - an ex-bourbon barrel gives vanilla and caramel, an ex-sherry one dried fruit and nuts.
- Age - longer maturation means more influence from the wood, but older does not always mean better.
- Strength - whisky straight from the cask (cask strength) is stronger and more intense, and a drop of water can open up the aromas.
Where to start
If you are just getting into it, a mild Irish or a sweet bourbon is a safe start. Leave smoky Islay whisky for later - it can be shocking the first time. And once you start trying different styles, you will quickly notice you have your favourite directions.
Note it down and compare
Whisky flavours blur in memory easily, especially when you try several. In GustoNote you can note each whisky, mark the notes on the aroma wheel, rate the profile on the radar and add the cask type or age. After a dozen or so entries you see in black and white whether you lean towards smoky Islay or rather sweet bourbons - and you stop buying blind.