Whiskey / Whisky is basically a distilled grain. Why the missing “e”? Scotland and Canada spell it without the “e.” America and Ireland spell it with the “e.” Bourbon is also a whiskey, however, in order to be labeled bourbon it has to be made in America, distilled with at least 51% corn (usually about 80%), and aged a minimum of 2 years in new charred oak barrels. Scotch has to be distilled and aged (minimum 3 years) in Scotland. Canada and Ireland have laws, but a good rule of thumb is they need to be made in their respective countries.
Single malt scotch is 100% barley malt distilled by one distillery. A blend is a combination of barley malt and other grains (usually corn). Blends were made to make scotch more palatable to other countries. Most grain whiskies are odorless and lack flavor, therefore bring the “bite” down. Blends account for 90 to 95 percent of scotch sales. Also, blends are usually a combination of several distilleries. Vatted malts are a blend of several single malts, but no grain whisky.
An interesting note about the aging process in scotch…the label has to be the youngest scotch. Therefore, if the blend says aged 12 years, of all the whiskey in that bottle, the youngest is 12 years old. There may be other whiskies in there quite a bit older.
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