Whiskey, bourbon and Scotch

Key facts · Part 1 Essentials

• Bourbon: American, at least half corn, new charred oak, tastes sweet
• Rye: American, at least half rye grain, tastes spicy and dry
• Single malt Scotch: malted barley from one distillery, often aged in used casks
• Speyside: sweet and fruity, apple and honey
• Islay: smoky, peaty, seaweed and iodine
• Tasting: nose, palate, finish, plus a few drops of water; order neat and ask one question

Key facts · Part 2 Deeper

• Wheated bourbon: wheat replaces rye, so it is softer; Maker's Mark
• Bottled-in-Bond: one distillery, one season, at least four years, one hundred proof
• Sherry cask: dried fruit, nuts and richness; Macallan
• Irish whiskey has an e, is often triple-distilled, light and easy; Jameson
• Japanese whisky has no e and is Scotch-inspired; Yamazaki; ask where a Japanese-style label was made
• Why: new charred oak makes bourbon sweet, used casks make Scotch subtler, peat smoke comes from drying barley, and a cask finish adds a layer

Key facts · Part 3 Drill

• Bourbon: corn, new charred oak, sweet; rye is spicy
• Speyside is sweet and fruity; Islay is smoky from burning peat
• Single malt: malted barley, one distillery; sherry casks add dried fruit and richness
• Wheated bourbon is softer; Bottled-in-Bond means four years and one hundred proof
• Nose, palate, finish, a few drops of water; order neat, say what you get, ask one question