school me on whisky/scotch/bourbon.

[jonathan_matos5]

[warwick.hoy]

Gotta Find that History channel Modern Marvels on distilleries (or was it on whiskeys ). There are differences and it would fill up quite the page.

Bourbon is an American whiskey....From Wiki

On 4 May 1964, the U.S. Congress recognized Bourbon Whiskey as a “distinctive product of the United States," creating the Federal Standards of Identity for Bourbon. Federal regulations now stipulate that Bourbon must meet these requirements:

* Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.[1]
* Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
* Bourbon must be 100% natural (nothing other than water added to the mixture).
* Bourbon must be aged in new, American, charred oak barrels.[1]
* Bourbon which meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years, may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.

I'm a Scotch drinker. The mash which is what they ferment to produce the alcohol is smoked over fires made from locally harvested peet.

Also from wiki

To be called Scotch whisky the spirit must conform to the standards of the Scotch Whisky Order of 1990 (UK),[1] which clarified the Scotch Whisky Act of 1988,[2] and mandates that the spirit:

1. Must be distilled at a Scottish distillery from water and malted barley, to which only other whole grains may be added, have been processed at that distillery into a mash, converted to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems, and fermented only by the addition of yeast,
2. Must be distilled to an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8%[3] by volume so that it retains the flavour of the raw materials used in its production,
3. Must be matured in Scotland in oak casks for no less than three years and a day,
4. Must not contain any added substance other than water and caramel colouring, and
5. May not be bottled at less than 40% alcohol by volume.

This definition is currently under review and new legislation is expected in the spring of 2008.

They are both whiskeys.

I'll leave it at that and let one of you other guys can fill in the blanks

[Stanley Design]

Only a few extra things to add for now on top of the wiki stuff....

Scotch is considered "whisky"

Bourbon is considered "whiskey"

Jack Daniels has the same process as bourbons but add an extra finishing process of straining it through charcoal so it is not considered bourbon, that's what gives it the rough smoky harshness.

Wild Turkey as well as other bourbons have undertone flavours of orange peels and berries unlike scotch which cannot contain undertones. personally my favourite is reliable Jim Beam, tastes like sweet corn.

Bourbon is best tasting at room temperature, straight, no ice.

Bourbon although only has to be aged for two years, is very rarely aged less than 4, and is considered the standard.

The main difference in taste I find between bourbon and scotch is that bourbon is unfiltered before it is cut, and scotch is filtered.

Sour mash refers to the process of production where they ferment the grains, then throw some of the fermented grains into the next batch of fresh grains to help it ferment faster.

[Dr Stankface]

Want to know about bourbons?

Maker's Mark. That's all you need to know.

[AJ Brown]

All I know is I really like The Balvenie 12 y.o.

[Mark Wilson]

All you need to know is drink it.

[whoatherechunk]

johnny walker baby

[SoComSurfing]

Maker's Mark. Booker's. Knob Creek. Pick one, and enjoy.

[JacoLesFlea]

little low on cash...Evan Williams

[TheDarkReaver]

you spelt whisky right, that's a start.

[Toasted]

I'm a big whisky fan. My favourite is Spring Bank, followed by ES Macallan.

I've got a 21YO bottle of Highland Park that was bottled the day I was born. That is superlative, but was very expensive

[baba]

Bourbon rules all.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by Todd Stanley

Scotch is considered "whisky"

So is Canadian, eh?

[EricF]

Originally Posted by SoComSurfing

Maker's Mark. Booker's. Knob Creek. Pick one, and enjoy.

Or...
Woodford Reserve
Elijah Craig
Black Maple Hill
Corner Creek
George Dickel
Elmer T. Lee
...

If you're willing to do some hunting, there are quite a few to choose from with flavors as complex as good wine.

Originally Posted by baba

Bourbon rules all.

I approve this message.

[Ed Fuqua]

Then ya got the whole single malt/blended thang...

[dancehallclasher]

I'm a scotch fan, but for an inexpensive sippin' whiskey I love me some Jameson.

[jrthebassguy]

For starters, these are usually what I go for. These are all relatively inexpensive:

Johnnie Walker Black Label (blended Scotch...my personal favorite affordable whiskey)
Jameson (Irish)
George Dickel (Tennessee)
Maker's Mark (Bourbon)



If you got some $$$ to spend:

Jameson 18 year
Most single malt scotch brands
Johnnie Walker Green/Gold/Blue labels

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by JacoLesFlea

little low on cash...Evan Williams

Big fan here!

[mothmonsterman]

all scotch is whiskey, not all whiskey is scotch.
Like some one said Johnny walker ain't the best but a personal favorite of mine.
jameson has been also up on my list for a while now.



Jack Daniels is neither scotch, bourbon, or whiskey lol

[Thor]

Canadian Club, blended Rye whiskey is a good value. Eh?


Clean finish, and some of my most memorable teenage year
hangovers were a direct result of blending it with a crappy
grade of cola. Makes a killer whisky sour as well.

I have moved on since 16, though.