Whiskey is Whiskey.
Or is it?

So, you're home from work and you can really use a whiskey right about now. You open your bar and you're confronted with a dilemma: everything inside has become a whiskey! You see the bottle of blended Scotch, the Kentucky Bourbon, the Irish whiskey, the smooth Tennessee whiskey - what to do?! You take a deep breath and, realizing you have no clue what the difference among all these whiskeys is, decide to learn which is what and what suits your mood best.

Many types of whiskeys exist. Even more brands of each type lurk in the aisles of the liquor stores. For the sake of simplicity, however, we will limit ourselves to the more widely known whiskeys and their corresponding popular brands.
Let's begin at the heart of every whiskey…

Scotch or Irish? Rumors say the Irish whiskey came first and is the mother of all whiskeys. The Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey, both blended whiskeys, share a tight relationship with a few degrees of separation: ingredients, malt drying and actual distillation. While the Scots use malted the barley, you may find an Irish who uses both malted and un-malted barley or, more uniquely, oats. Scots take pride in their smoky flavored whisky, resulting from their drying the malted barley over peat fires. Irish, on the other hand, prefer to preserve the original barley flavor and, instead, dry their malt in closed, dry kilns. We cannot forget the importance of water! A characteristic trait of the Scotch, impossible to copy anywhere else, is the water they use: they use water from a spring that runs through red granite and then passes through peat moss country. Finally, the Scots distill their fermented mash twice while the Irish will distill their mash typically three times.

Scotch Whisky: Dewars; Johnnie Walker
Irish Whiskey: Bushmills; Jameson

In come the American whiskeys. American whiskeys include the Bourbon whiskey, Rye whiskey and the Tennessee whiskey. Perhaps, Bourbon rings most synonymously with American whiskey. Kentucky gave birth to the Bourbon and while many distillers and their products suffered during the prohibition, the Bourbon flourished under moonshine. Characteristically, the Bourbon has a lower proof than most whiskeys, uses at least 51% corn (most will use 80%), ages in new, charred casks, uses special limestone water, free of iron, found only in Kentucky and, like the Tennessee whiskey, incorporates the "sour mash" process. These characteristics help make the Bourbon the highly flavored drink it is known to be. The cream-of-the-crop bourbons are the single barrel and small batch bourbons. Very few single barrel bourbons exist - taking and bottling the whiskey from one barrel makes it a rarity (and expensive!). Small batch whiskeys result from the mixing or "mingling" of a "batch" of barrels (20) - mixing the best of the best, of course. No Bourbon is a typical blend and if you want the real stuff don't take anything less than the Straight Kentucky Bourbon.

Bourbons: Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark

Of course, there is always room for a Tennessee whiskey. Kentucky Bourbonites claim that the Tennessee whiskey attempts to imitate the Bourbon - they could be right, except for one special process unique to the Tennessee whiskeys, "charcoal mellowing". Charcoal mellowing is the process of dripping the fresh whiskey through containers packed with sugar maple charcoal. This gives it a flavor and aroma all its own. Of course, other differences exist, as well. Differences in barreling have a significant impact on the final product. For the Tennessee whiskey only American white oak makes for the right whiskey barrel. Its porosity and unique chemical compounds react well and distinguishably with the Tennessee whiskey. So, if your palate requires mellow charcoal taste, reach for that Tennessee whiskey!

Tennessee: George Dickle, Jack Daniels

Canadian whisky, unique in its own strange way, takes on qualities of various whiskeys and distinguishes itself by not owning its own distinguishable trait. Also a blended whisky, you may find this one feels lighter than bourbon, lacks the strong aroma of a scotch, and does not have the dark color characteristic of many whiskeys. Corn is most often used for the mash of a Canadian whisky, although it is not unheard of to use wheat or malted barley. Some say that the Canadian whisky owes its popularity to the American Prohibition Act, which encouraged Canadian bootleggers and helped them to develop their product in the American market.

Bavarian-Holstein Partners produce and provide the proper distillery equipment to make all the above spirits, both the traditional and the more modern, efficient way.