535547 Fri Jul 04 15:35:45 -0700 2008 17 36 Spirits 0 3839718 Can anybody explain the difference between Whisky and Scotch? Is Johnnie Walker "Whisky" or is it "Scotch"? What about Jack Daniel's? And what is "Scotch Whisky"? Fri Jul 04 15:35:55 -0700 2008 206770 joannebenz 1 3839739 Johnny Walker is a brand of Scotch Scotch whisky (aka Scotch), which is whisky distilled in Scotland. Fri Jul 04 15:48:11 -0700 2008 3839718 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 3839854 Whisky is an alcoholic beverage distilled primarily from grain. Bourbon (distilled from corn) and Rye are whiskies distilled in the U.S. We in the U.S. refer to whisky distilled in Scotland (mostly from malted barley) as "Scotch." If you walk into a pub or bar in Britain and ask for a "whisky & soda," you will be served Scotch & soda. In Ireland, it will be made with Irish whiskey (the Irish spell it with an 'e'). Just as all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne, all scotch is whisky, but not all whisky is scotch. Fri Jul 04 16:54:09 -0700 2008 3839718 23776 DavidT 1 3839904 As another poster said, Scotch is whisky made in Scotland and not all whisky, obviously, is Scotch. As for Jack Daniel's, it's a whiskey made in Tennessee. Though it is similar to bourbon, it can't be called by that name because by law bourbon has to come from Kentucky. Fri Jul 04 17:39:40 -0700 2008 3839718 55316 mpalmer6c 2 3840604 Actually, it is a popular misconception that Bourbon must come from Kentucky. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the US. The difference between Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon is that, after the spirit is distilled, Tennessee Whiskey is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal. This filtering, known as the Lincoln County Process. That process is what distinguishes Tennessee Whiskey from Bourbon. Sat Jul 05 08:04:37 -0700 2008 3839904 10132 sku 3 4589309 Bourbon must be distilled from at least 51% corn. I believe that Jack Daniels uses less tan that. Sun Apr 12 10:23:22 -0700 2009 3840604 206877 jpc8015 4 4591354 No, all the same requirements apply to Tennessee Whiskey (Dickle is the only other variety). They just add the step of charcoal filtering. Mon Apr 13 09:39:32 -0700 2009 4589309 11111 Frolic 1 3839959 When I think of Scotch I think of peat. Fri Jul 04 18:27:30 -0700 2008 3839718 18981 Jimmy Buffet 2 3841138 There is a broad range of Scotch whiskies that have little or no discernible peat in their taste & aroma. The single-malt whiskies from the isle of Islay (Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardberg, etc.) are typically heavily-peated, but the Speyside (Macallan, Glenfiddich, Glenfarclas, etc.) and Lowland (Auchentosan, Bladnoch, etc.) whiskies are not. The level of peat in blended whiskies varies very much as well. For example, Johnny Walker Black is certainly more peaty/smokey than Johnny Walker Red. Sat Jul 05 16:26:58 -0700 2008 3839959 23776 DavidT 3 3841543 Even though every answer is appreciated, this is way too complicated. A simple explanation of the basic difference between "Scotch" and "Whisky" would be fine. Thank you David Sat Jul 05 19:49:28 -0700 2008 3841138 206770 joannebenz 4 3842496 There are many kinds of whisky aka whiskey, most defined by various government regulations, which typically specify one of the two spellings. Scotch aka scotch whisky is one type, Tennessee whiskey is another. Depending on the quality of the whiskey, the distinctive qualities (if any) of the various types may be more or less distinguishable. Sun Jul 06 10:21:14 -0700 2008 3841543 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 3855130 Simplest answer is that there is no difference between "Scotch" and "Whisky." Scotch is whisky that is made in Scotland. Wed Jul 09 22:51:37 -0700 2008 3841543 13481 Woodside Al 4 3858040 Scotch costs more, and often has a smoky flavor. Whiskey/bourbon is usually cheaper and without the smoky flavor. Thu Jul 10 18:26:35 -0700 2008 3841543 21941 jerry i h 5 3859100 Eh, those are broad generalizations that very often aren't true, jerry. In the simplest form, all Scotch is whisky, all whisky isn't Scotch (a la Champagne v. sparkling wine). Scotch is barley based, while whisky (with an "e" in some parts of the world) in general can be distilled from different grains or corn. Fri Jul 11 06:43:38 -0700 2008 3858040 92744 invinotheresverde 1 3840598 As others have said, whiskey/whisky is a broad term meaning a spirit made from grain, aged in wood. Scotch and Bourbon are types of whiskey. Scotch is barley based and made in Scotland. Johnnie Walker is a blended Scotch whisky, which means it is made from both malted barley and other grain whiskies. Jack Daniels is Tennessee whiskey, a very specfic category. While similar to Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey is differentiated from Bourbon by the way it is made. Sat Jul 05 07:58:40 -0700 2008 3839718 10132 sku 2 3858114 As Sku indicated, Scotch is barley based and American Whiskey and Bourbon are corn based (although there are some kinds of American Rye Whiskies). I often wondered why American whiskey tasted so different - turns out it is made from different stuff. Another little tidbit about Jack Daniels (also known as Tennessee Whiskey) - technically it fits the category of Bourbon (over 51 percent corn), but it tastes sweet because they filter it through maple syrup charcoal. By the way, I can be such a geek about this because we did research on it for a post we did on the differences between American Whiskey, Bourbon, and Whisky. Here's the link: http://www.scotchchix.com/2008/06/american-cousins-whiskey-and-bourbon.html Oh, and Johnnie Walker is a type of scotch - but it isn't a single malt because it uses whisky from a bunch of distilleries and contains spirits made from both malted barley and other grains. CA Scotch Chick www.scotchchix.com Thu Jul 10 18:51:25 -0700 2008 3840598 197838 CA Scotch Chick 1 3849710 The UK has legal rights to the word "scotch." This all may change later this year, but right now, to be called a scotch, the spirit must conform with a 1990 UK order which requires that the spirit: 1. be distilled at a Scottish distillery. 2. be made from water and malted barley (to which whole grains may be added). 3. be matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years and one day. 4. be distilled at less than 94.8% alcohol by volume and be bottled at more than 40% alcohol by volume. Hope this helps, CA Scotch Chick www.scotchchix.com Tue Jul 08 13:59:28 -0700 2008 3839718 197838 CA Scotch Chick 1 4592103 To help here... people are making this too complicated and some people are flat out wrong. Here's the truth as some others have touched on: Whiskey is a broad category of spirits. Let's compare it to the term red wine. There are many different types of red wine, correct? Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, etc... Let's pick out merlot. All merlot is red wine, but not all red wine is merlot. Whiskey can be compared in the same way: Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye are all types of whiskey. Here, let's pick out Scotch (because you asked). All Scotch is whiskey, but not all whiskey is Scotch. That's about as simple as you can get it without delving into the percentages or grain that each one is made from. If you want another example, you can use beer as well. There are many different types of beer. Porter, India Pale Ale (IPA), Lager, etc. Let's pick out lager. All lager-style brews are referred to as beer but not all beer is lager. Mon Apr 13 12:56:44 -0700 2009 3839718 280462 Squirrels