Whiskey Styles Guide: What Makes a Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, Irish, Japanese or Canadian Whisky

What legally makes a whisky a Scotch or a bourbon? This guide summarises the rules for Scotch, American, Irish, Japanese and Canadian whiskies, with the typical character of each style and of the Scotch regions.

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What legally makes a Scotch, a bourbon, a rye, an Irish, a Japanese or a Canadian whisky.

Scotch whisky

Style	What the rules say	Typical character
Scotch (all)	Distilled and matured in Scotland, in oak casks of 700 litres or less, for at least 3 years; distilled below 94.8% ABV; bottled at 40% ABV or more; only water and plain caramel colouring may be added	From light and floral to rich, sherried or heavily peated
Single malt	Malted barley only, pot stills, made at a single distillery	The flagship style
Single grain	From one distillery, made with other cereals as well as malted barley	Light, sweet, smooth
Blended malt	Single malts from more than one distillery	Balanced, approachable
Blended Scotch	Single malts blended with single grain whiskies	Most Scotch sold worldwide

Scotch regions and localities

Region	Where	Typical character
Speyside	Around the River Spey	Fruity, often sherried; the most distilleries
Highland	The large north of Scotland	Wide range: heathery, fruity, some smoky
Lowland	Southern Scotland	Light, grassy, gentle
Islay	Island off the west coast	Peat smoke, iodine, sea spray
Campbeltown	Kintyre peninsula	Briny, oily, a little smoke

American whiskey

Style	What the rules say	Typical character
Bourbon	Made in the USA from a mash of at least 51% corn; distilled at 160 proof or less; aged in new charred oak containers, entered at 125 proof or less; bottled at 80 proof or more; no added colouring or flavouring	Sweet: vanilla, caramel, toffee
Rye whiskey	At least 51% rye in the mash, with the same proof and new charred oak rules as bourbon	Spicy, peppery, drier
Tennessee whiskey	Tennessee law (2013): made in Tennessee to bourbon-style rules and filtered through maple charcoal (the Lincoln County Process)	Mellow, sooty-sweet
Straight	Aged at least 2 years; any whiskey aged under 4 years must state its age on the label	-
Bottled-in-bond	One distilling season, one distiller at one distillery, at least 4 years in wood, bottled at 100 proof	-

Irish, Japanese and Canadian

Style	What the rules say	Typical character
Irish whiskey	Distilled and matured on the island of Ireland, at least 3 years in wooden casks; at least 40% ABV. Types: pot still, malt, grain and blended	Smooth, often triple distilled
Single pot still	Irish style: at least 30% malted and 30% unmalted barley, in pot stills	Creamy, spicy
Japanese whisky	Industry standard (2021): malted grain in the mash; fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Japan with Japanese water	Refined, balanced, often Scotch-like
Canadian whisky	Aged at least 3 years in small wood (700 litres or less) in Canada	Light, smooth, often rye-forward

Notes and sources

Whisky or whiskey? Scotland, Canada and Japan usually write whisky; Ireland and most US distillers write whiskey.

Rules summarise the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, US federal standards of identity, Tennessee law, the Irish Whiskey Act and technical file, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association standard and Canada's regulations. Please drink responsibly.