Scotch vs Whiskey

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Whiskey (also spelled whisky) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, which may or may not have been malted. Scotch is whisky made in Scotland and aged in oak barrels for at least three years.

Comparison chart

Scotch versus Whiskey comparison chart
	Scotch	Whiskey
	current rating is 3.62/5 1 2 3 4 5 (130 ratings)	current rating is 3.45/5 1 2 3 4 5 (312 ratings)

Terminology	Type of distilled alcoholic beverage, also called Scotch Whisky, made only in Scotland. To be clear, all Scotch is Whisky, but not all Whisky is Scotch.	Type of distilled alcoholic beverage made in other parts of the world
Spelling: whisky or whiskey?	The spelling "Whisky" is used in connection with Scotch	The spelling whisky (plural: whiskies) is generally used in Canada, Japan, and Wales. Ireland uses the spelling whiskey. US uses both.
Grains used	Originally made from malted barley only. In the 18th century commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye whole grains, not malted.	Barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn.
Uniqueness	Producers 'malt' the barley grain to turn the starch into sugar prior to fermenting, giving Scotch its distinctive smooth flavor. Some use peat which adds a smokey taste.	Tennessee whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal. Unpeated malt is almost always used in an Irish whiskey. In a Japanese whiskey malted barley is dried in kilns fired with a little peat
Maturation	Oak casks, can have contained spirits or wine before such as sherry or bourbon (90% of all casks used in Scotland).	Charred white oak.
Price	Although price varies greatly by brand, age and type, Scotch whiskey is generally more expensive than other types of whiskey.	Although price varies greatly by brand, age and type, whiskey is generally less expensive than Scotch.

Production

Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality. Many countries like America, Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, and Wales produce their own whiskies.

Scotch bottles on display in a bar.

Scotch is produced from any of the following regions of Scotland:

Lowland - only three distilleries remain in operations which are Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, and Glenkinchie.
Speyside - has the largest number of distilleries which includes Aberlour, Balvenie, Cardhu, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Speyburn, The Glenlivet, The Glenrothes and The Macallan.
Highland - Aberfeldy, Balblair, Ben Nevis, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Glen Ord, Glenmorangie, Oban and Old Pulteney are some Highland distilleries.

The Islands, an unrecognized sub-region includes all of the whisky-producing islands (but excludes Islay): Arran, Jura, Mull, Orkney and Skye - with their respective distilleries: Arran, Isle of Jura, Tobermory, Highland Park and Scapa, and Talisker.

Campbeltown has three distilleries operating Glen Scotia, Glengyle and Springbank.
Islay - has eight producing distilleries Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.

Video Explaining the Differences

In this video, Rebecca Dunphy of Sniff and Spit differentiates between Scotch, Irish, and bourbon whiskey by sniffing.

Single Malt vs. Blended Whisky

Writing for the BBC, travel Brad Cohen explains the difference between blended and single-malt whisky:

Blended whisky, which comprises more than 80% of the market, including brands like Johnnie Walker and Dewars, is a mix of malt and grain whiskies that come from multiple distilleries. Single malt, which Scottish drinkers often refer to as malt rather than whisky (and never Scotch, like it’s known elsewhere around the world, is whisky created from malted barley at one distillery).

Ordering Whisky in Scotland

The first rule of ordering whisky in Scotland is to never call it Scotch. It's whisky when it's blended and malt when it's single-malt. When ordering malt, it's a faux pas to order it on the rocks because ice numbs the tongue and does not let you appreciate the flavor of the whisky. You can drink malt neat or with a drop of water. Ordering it with Coke, of course, is also a terrible idea.

Process

The process for making Scotch or whiskey is:

fermentation of grains,
distillation, and
aging in wooden barrels.

For Whiskey, different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn. Aging may be done in oak barrels like charred white oak.

Traditionally, Scotch was made from only malted barley, which is first dried over fires that have been stoked with dried peat (a form of compacted grass and heather compost that is harvested from the moors). The peat smoke adds a distinctive smoky tang to the taste of the malt whisky.

Now other grains are also used in the process of making Scotch, and not all malted barley is dried by peat fire method. Aging is generally done in casks that have spent their first life holding sherry or bourbon.

Types

There are two basic types of Whiskies,

Malt whisky, which is made primarily from malted barley. ‘Malting’ means spreading the wet grain in a room and just when it begins to sprout, it is pulverized with hot water.
Grain whisky, which is made from any type of grains.

Malts and grains are combined in various ways,

Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only one particular malted grain.
Blended malt whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskies from different distilleries.
Blended whiskies are typically made from a mixture of malt and grain with neutral spirits, caramel, and flavoring.

There are two basic types of Scotch whisky, from which all blends are made:

Single malt Scotch whisky means a Scotch whisky produced from only water and malted barley at a single distillery by batch distillation in pot stills.
Single grain Scotch whisky means a Scotch whisky distilled at a single distillery but, in addition to water and malted barley, may involve whole grains of other malted or un-malted cereals.

Three types of blends are defined for Scotch whisky

Blended malt Scotch whisky means a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies from different distilleries.
Blended grain Scotch whisky means a blend of two or more single grain Scotch whiskies from different distilleries.
Blended Scotch whisky means a blend of one or more single malt Scotch whiskies with one or more single grain Scotch whiskies.

Here are some interesting and informational videos: