Whisky
Whiskey or Whisky?
The spelling depends on where it’s from. So in Ireland and the United States it is called "Whiskey" and in Scotland, Japan and Canada (and elsewhere) it is called "Whisky". Scottish whisky is sometimes also referred to as "Scotch".
Is bourbon a whiskey?
Bourbon is a type of (american made) whiskey consisting of at least 51% corn. The corn gives it a sweeter taste than most other types of Whiskeys. If it instead consists of at least 51% rye it is called a rye whiskey in the United States. Canadian whisky is often a blend of grains and is sometimes called rye whisky even if the percentage of rye in the blend is low.
What about single malt and blended?
If the whisky is from the same distillery it is considered a single malt and if it is a blend from several distilleries it is called blended.
We sometimes hear about peated whisky.
What does peated mean?
Peat is a surface layer of soil formed by decaying old vegetation and is found in bogs and similar wet areas. The peat is then burnt and the smoke drying the malted barley gives a rich peaty (smoky) taste to the whisky. Hence the expression "smoky whiskies".
Scotland
Scotland has five scotch whisky regions (some say six but the Islands are officially part of the Highland region). They are: Islay, Speyside, Highlands, Campbeltown and Lowlands. A common word to hear when speaking of Scotch is "Glen" and that simply means "Valley".
Islay
The island of "Islay" (pronounced Eye-luh) of the west coast of Scotland is famous for its heavily peated smoky whiskies. Laphroaig (my personal favorite), Lagavulin (think Ron Swanson) and Ardbeg to name a few distilleries.
Speyside
The region that produces the most scotch of all the regions. Typically not so smoky but there are all sorts as there are many distilleries here. Some well known distilleries are: The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet.
Highlands
By surface area the largest region. Diverse characteristics as the area is so spread out. Talisker and Highland Park are from here.
Campbeltown
A small region that used to be home to about 30 distilleries now only has three active ones. They are Glengyle, Glen Scotia and Springbank. From peated to not peated can be found here so something for everyone.
Lowlands
Also usually not very smoky but on the lighter side with a few exceptions.
Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie and Bladnoch (the southernmost distillery in all of Scotland) are some of the distilleries in the lowlands.
