Whiskey for cocktails: bourbon, rye, Scotch and Irish
How bourbon, rye, Scotch and Irish whiskey differ by law and in the glass, and which to use in an Old Fashioned, Manhattan or sour.
Whiskey is spirit distilled from fermented grain and aged in wood. The spelling follows custom: Scotland, Canada and Japan usually write whisky, Ireland and the United States usually whiskey. This site uses "whiskey" for the family and the local spelling for each style.
The styles in classic recipes
- Bourbon
- American whiskey from a mash of at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak containers, distilled to no more than 80% and put into the barrel at no more than 62.5%. There is no minimum age except for "straight" bourbon (two years). Rounder and sweeter, with vanilla and caramel from the new oak.
- Rye whiskey
- The same rules, but at least 51% rye. Spicier, drier and more peppery. Most pre-Prohibition recipes that say "whiskey" meant rye, and it is the traditional choice for the Manhattan and Sazerac.
- Scotch whisky
- Made in Scotland and aged at least three years in oak there. Single malt is all malted barley from one distillery; blended Scotch mixes malt and lighter grain whiskies and is the usual mixing choice (Rob Roy, Blood and Sand). Peated malts, especially from Islay, add smoke: a few millilitres are enough to change a drink, as in the Penicillin.
- Irish whiskey
- Aged at least three years on the island of Ireland. Often light, fruity and smooth; the natural choice for Irish Coffee.
Strength matters
Spirit-forward drinks such as the Old Fashioned and Manhattan lose a third or more of their strength to melting ice (see ice and dilution). A whiskey of 45–50% keeps its flavour through that better than one at 40%. For sours, 40–45% is plenty.
Matching whiskey to drink
- Old Fashioned: bourbon for a softer drink, rye for a drier one.
- Manhattan, Sazerac, Vieux Carré: rye.
- Whiskey Sour, Gold Rush, Mint Julep: bourbon.
- Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Penicillin: blended Scotch, with peated Islay malt where called for.
