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Is it Whiskey, Whisky, or Bourbon?

WELCOME TO

DEFI Spirits Crash Course 101

"ALL BOURBON IS WHISKEY, NOT ALL WHISKEY IS BOURBON."

Say it with us again. All bourbon is whiskey, not all whiskey is bourbon. If you are still a little confused here are a few of our helpful tips on the very basics:

What's the right spelling of whiskey/whisky?

It depends on the country of origin.

WHISKY: Traditionally refers to whisky made in Scotland, Japan and Canada.

WHISKEY: Traditionally refers to whiskey made in America and Ireland.

If you have trouble remembering the difference, reference this generalized guide for spelling:

IrEland and AmErica have E's in them: hence, whiskey.
Scotland, Canada and Japan do not have E's, hence, whisky.

Distilleries in America wanting to do a "Scotch" style recipe call it Single Malt Whisky, but this is a whole separate debate whether or not this is common practice. At the end of the day, either way is legal and common in some cases.

THE mash bill is the recipe for whiskies such as corn, barley, wheat or rye.

Whiskey can be made all over the world from fermented grain mash. Grain varieties can include wheat, rye, barley and corn. Each country has its own take on this spirit. For instance, in Japan whisky distilled from rice is also very popular.

Mash is the the mixture of grain, water, and yeast that is fermented to produce alcohol.

BOURBON DEFINITION:

This is not "common practice": this is the "law" to be called bourbon:

Must be produced and bottled in the USA (not limited to Kentucky.)
Must be at least 51% corn
Must be aged in new American oak charred barrels
Must be distilled less than 160 proof and entered into the barrel at 125 proof or less
Must be bottled at 80 proof or higher
Cannot contain flavoring, coloring or other additives.

Bourbon gets the beautiful coloring from the barrels. Most distilleries age it to the standard 2 years to be classified as "STRAIGHT BOURBON" for 2 years.

If you age bourbon 4 years or longer you can drop the "straight" from the bourbon title.

POP QUIZ:

If someone from Ireland tried to replicate the exact recipe and techniques for Bitcoin Bourbon would it still be bourbon?

No. It would be called whiskey because it was not produced in America.

DID YOU KNOW?

"Champagne" made outside of Champagne, France is called Sparkling Wine
"Tequila" produced outside of the Tequila, Mexico region is called an Agave Spirit
"Scotch" produced outside of Scotland is called Single Malt Whisky