TYPES OF WHISKY

Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in
base product, alcoholic content, and quality.

Malt whisky is made primarily from malted barley.

Grain whisky is made from any type of grains.

Malts and grains are combined in various ways:

Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only
one particular malted grain. Unless the whisky is described as single-cask, it contains
whisky from many casks, and different years, so the blender can achieve a taste
recognisable as typical of the distillery. In most cases, single malts bear the name of the
distillery, with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments
such as maturation in a port wine cask.

Blended malt whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskies from different distilleries. If a
whisky is labelled "pure malt" or just "malt" it is almost certainly a blended malt whisky.
This was formerly called a "vatted malt" whisky.

Blended whisky is made from a mixture of different types of whisky. A blend may
contain whisky from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavour
consistent with the brand. The brand name may, therefore, omit the name of a distillery.
Most Scotch, Irish and Canadian whisky is sold as part of a blend, even when the spirits
are the product of one distillery, as is common in Canada.[32] American blended whisky
may contain neutral spirits.

Cask strength (also known as barrel proof) whiskies are rare, and usually only the
very best whiskies are bottled in this way. They are bottled from the cask undiluted or
only lightly diluted.

Single cask (also known as single barrel) whiskies are bottled from an individual
cask, and often the bottles are labelled with specific barrel and bottle numbers. The taste
of these whiskies may vary substantially from cask to cask within a brand.

American[edit]
Various American whiskeys on store shelves

Main article: American whiskey

American whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain. It must have the taste,
aroma, and other characteristics commonly attributed to whiskey.
Some types of whiskey listed in the United States federal regulations [8] are:

Bourbon whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 51% corn (maize)

Corn whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 80% corn

Malt whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 51% malted barley

Rye whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 51% rye

Rye malt whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 51% malted rye

Wheat whiskeymade from mash that consists of at least 51% wheat

These types of American whiskey must be distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume,
and barrelled at no more than 125 proof. Only water may be added to the final product; the
addition of colouring or flavouring is prohibited. These whiskeys must be aged in new

charred-oak containers, except for corn whiskey which does not have to be aged. If it is
aged, it must be in uncharred oak barrels or in used barrels. Corn whiskey is usually unaged
and sold as a legal version of moonshine.
If one of these whiskey types reaches two years aging or beyond, it is additionally
designated as straight, e.g., straight rye whiskey. A whiskey that fulfils all above
requirements but derives from less than 51% of any one specific grain can be called simply
a straight whiskey without naming a grain.
US regulations recognize other whiskey categories,[8] including:

Blended whiskeya mixture that contains a blend of straight whiskeys and neutral
grain spirits (NGS), and may also contain flavourings and colourings. The percentage of
NGS must be disclosed on the label and may be as much at 80% on a proof gallon
basis.

Light whiskeyproduced in the US at more than 80% alcohol by volume and stored
in used or uncharred new oak containers

Spirit whiskeya mixture of neutral spirits and at least 5% of certain stricter

categories of whiskey

Another important labelling in the marketplace is Tennessee whiskey, of which Jack

Daniel's, George Dickel, Collier and McKeel,[33] and Benjamin Prichard's[34] are the only brands
currently bottled. The main difference defining a Tennessee whiskey is its use of the Lincoln
County Process, which involves filtration of the whiskey through charcoal. The rest of the
distillation process is identical to bourbon whiskey.[35][36] Whiskey sold as "Tennessee whiskey"
is defined as bourbon underNAFTA[37] and at least one other international trade agreement,
[38]
and is similarly required to meet the legal definition of bourbon under Canadian law.[39]

Australian[edit]
Main article: Australian whisky
Australian whiskies have won global whisky awards and medals, including the World
Whiskies Awards and Jim Murray's Whisky Bible "Liquid Gold Awards".[40]

Canadian[edit]
Various Canadian whiskies

Main article: Canadian whisky

By Canadian law Canadian whiskies must be produced and aged in Canada, be distilled
from a fermented mash of cereal grain, be aged in wood barrels with a capacity limit of 700
litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for not less than three years, and "possess the aroma, taste
and character generally attributed to Canadian whisky".[41] The terms "Canadian Whisky",
"Rye Whisky", and "Canadian Rye Whisky" are legally indistinguishable in Canada and do
not require any specific grain in their production and are often blends of two or more grains.
Canadian whiskies may contain caramel and flavouring in addition to the distilled mash
spirits, and there is no maximum limit on the alcohol level of the distillation. [41] To be exported
under one of the "Canadian Whisky" designations, a whisky cannot contain more than 9.09%
imported spirits.[42]
Canadian whiskies are available throughout the world and are a culturally significant export.
Well known brands includeCrown Royal, Canadian Club, Seagram's, and Wiser's among
others. The historic popularity of Canadian whisky in the United States is partly a result
of rum runners illegally importing it into the country during the period of American Prohibition.

Danish[edit]
Denmark began producing whisky early in 1974. The first Danish single malt to go on sale
was Lille Gadegrd from Bornholm, in 2005.[43] Lille Gadegrd is a winery as well, and uses
its own wine casks to mature whisky.
The second Danish distilled single malt whisky for sale was Edition No.1 from the Braunstein
microbrewery and distillery. It was distilled in 2007, using water from the Greenlandic ice
sheet, and entered the market in March 2010.[44]

English[edit]
Main article: English whisky
There are currently at least six distilleries producing English whisky. Though England is not
very well known for making whisky, there were distillers previously operating in London,
Liverpool and Bristol until the late 19th century, after which production of English single
malt whisky ceased until 2003.[45]

Finnish[edit]
Main article: Finnish whisky
There are two working distilleries in Finland and a third one is under construction. Whisky
retail sales in Finland are controlled solely by the state alcohol monopolyAlko and advertising
of strong alcoholic beverages is banned.[46]

German[edit]
Main article: German whisky
German whisky production is a relatively recent phenomenon having only started in the last
30 years. The styles produced resemble those made in Ireland, Scotland and the United
States: single malts, blends, wheat, and bourbon-like styles. There is no standard spelling of
German whiskies with distilleries using both "whisky" and "whiskey". In 2008 there were 23
distilleries in Germany producing whisky.[47]

Indian[edit]
Main article: Indian whisky
India consumes almost as much whisky as the rest of the world put together.[48] Distilled
alcoholic beverages that are labelled as "whisky" in India are commonly blends based
on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion
consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a
drink would more likely be labelled a rum.[49][50] According to the Scotch Whisky Association's
2013 annual report, "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian
voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured." [51][52]
[53]
Ninety percent of the whisky consumed in India is molasses-based,[54] although whisky
wholly distilled from malt and other grains, is also manufactured and sold. [55] Amrut, the first
single malt whisky produced in India, was launched on 24 August 2004. [56]

Irish[edit]
Various Irish whiskeys

Main article: Irish whiskey

Irish whiskeys are normally distilled three times, Cooley Distillery being the exception as they
also double distill.[57] Though traditionally distilled using pot stills, the column still is now used
to produce grain whiskey for blends. By law, Irish whiskey must be produced in Ireland and
aged in wooden casks for a period of no less than three years, although in practice it is
usually three or four times that period.[58] Unpeated malt is almost always used, the main
exception being Connemara Peated Malt whiskey. There are several types of whiskey
common to Ireland: single malt, single grain, blended whiskey and pure pot still whiskey.
Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a long period of decline
from the late 19th century onwards greatly damaged the industry.[59] Although Scotland
sustains approximately 105 distilleries, Ireland has only seven in current operation only
four of which have been operating long enough to have products sufficiently aged for current
sale on the market as of 2013, and only one of which was operating before 1975. Irish
whiskey has seen a great resurgence in popularity since the late twentieth century, and has
been the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990. [59] The current growth rate
is at roughly 20% per annum, prompting the construction and expansion of a number of
distilleries.

Japanese[edit]
Main article: Japanese whisky
The model for Japanese whiskies is the single malt Scotch, although there are also
examples of Japanese blended whiskies. The base is a mash of malted barley, dried in kilns
fired with a little peat (although considerably less than in Scotland), and distilled using the

pot still method. Before 2000, Japanese whisky was primarily for the domestic market and
exports were limited. Japanese whiskies such as Suntory and Nikka won many prestigious
international awards between 2007 and 2014. Japanese whisky has earned a reputation for
quality.[60][61]

Scotch[edit]
Various Scotch whiskies

Main article: Scotch whisky

Scotch whiskies are generally distilled twice, although some are distilled a third time and
others even up to twenty times.[62]Scotch Whisky Regulations require anything bearing the
label "Scotch" to be distilled in Scotland and matured for a minimum of three years in oak
casks, among other, more specific criteria.[63] Any age statement on the bottle, in the form of a
number, must reflect the age of the youngest Scotch whisky used to produce that product. A
whisky with an age statement is known as guaranteed age whisky.[64] Scotch whisky without
an age statement may, by law, be as young as three years old.[65]
The basic types of Scotch are malt and grain, which are combined to create blends. Scotch
malt whiskies are divided into five main
regions: Highland, Lowland, Islay, Speyside and Campbeltown.[66]

Swedish[edit]
Whisky started being produced in Sweden in 1955 by the now defunct Skeppets
whisky brand. Their last bottle was sold in 1971.[67] In 1999 Mackmyra Whisky was founded
and is today the largest producer and has won several awards including European Whisky of
the Year in Jim Murray's 2011 Whisky Bible[68] and the International Wine & Spirits
Competition (IWSC) 2012 Award for Best European Spirits Producer of 2012. [69]

Taiwanese[edit]
Kavalan is the first and only distillery in Taiwan. In January 2010, one of the distillery's
products caused a stir by beating three Scotch whiskies and one English whisky in a blind
tasting organised in Leith, Scotland, to celebrate Burns Night.[4][5] The distillery was named
by Whisky Magazine as the World Icons of Whisky "Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year" for
2011, and its products have won several other awards.[3] In 2012, Kavalan's Solist Fino
Sherry Cask malt whisky was named "new whisky of the year" by Jim Murray in his
guide, Jim Murrays Whisky Bible.[6] In 2015, Kavalan's Vinho Barrique expression was
named the world's best single malt whisky by World Whiskies Awards.[7][8]

Welsh[edit]
Main article: Welsh whisky
Although distillation of whisky in Wales began in Middle Ages there were no commercially
operated distilleries during the 20th century. The rise of the temperance movement saw the
decline the commercial production of liquor during the 19th century and in 1894 Welsh
whisky production ceased. Recently, however, there has been a revival of Welsh whisky.
The revival of Welsh whisky began in the 1990s. Initially a "Prince of Wales" malt whisky was
sold as Welsh whisky but was simply blended scotch bottled in Wales. A lawsuit by Scotch
distillers ended this enterprise.[70] In 2000, Penderyn Distillery started production of Penderyn
single malt whisky. The first bottles went on sale on 1 March 2004, Saint David's Day, and it
is now sold worldwide. Penderyn Distillery is located in the Brecon Beacons National
Park and is considered to be the smallest distillery in the world. [71]

Other[edit]
ManX Spirit from the Isle of Man is distilled elsewhere and re-distilled in the country of its
nominal "origin". The ManX distillery takes a previously matured Scotch malt whisky and redistills it.[72]
In 2010 a Czech whisky was released, the 21-year-old "Hammer Head". [73]
In 2008 at least two distilleries in the traditionally brandy-producing Caucasus region
announced their plans to enter the Russian domestic market with whiskies. TheStavropolbased Praskoveysky distillery bases its product on Irish whiskey, while in Kizlyar, Dagestan's
"Russian Whisky" announced a Scotch-inspired drink in single malt, blended and wheat
varieties.[74]

Destileras y Crianza del Whisky S.A. is a whisky distillery in Spain. Its eight-year-old Whisky
DYC is a combination of malts and spirits distilled from barley aged separately a minimum of
eight years in American oak barrels.[75]
Frysk Hynder is a Dutch single malt, distilled and bottled in the Frisian Us Heit Distillery. It is
the first single malt produced in the Netherlands.[47]
Buckwheat whisky is produced by Distillerie des Menhirs in Brittany, France, and by several
distillers in the United States.