The beginner’s guide to whisky

A handbook of all things whisky for all the questions you’ve always had, but never wanted to ask

Whisky might seem intimidating at first, with its steep pricing and plethora of languages and brands, all promising different flavour notes and finishes. However, broken down, there is a lot of information on the label that can aid you in making your most informed purchase.

If you often find yourself looking through the whisky aisle and seeing terms you don’t understand, we’ve put together a glossary of the most common words mentioned in the whisky world so that you can be confident in your purchase.

Whisky as a liquid is distilled from fermented grain mash, and there is variance between the types of grains used, and differences between distilling laws across countries. Each variety of whisky tells a story of its origin, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage.

The simplest and easiest way to approach whisky is to break it down by the country of origin, of which you will find consisting of these main categories:

Scotch Whisky
American Whiskey
Irish Whiskey
Japanese Whisky

The different countries maintain different legalities and rules for categorisation, so in this guide, we will break down what each of these whiskies mean, and how you can pick the one that’s right for you.

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Scotch Whisky

Above Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal (Image: Diageo Rare & Exceptional)

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare Glenury Royal (Image: Diageo Rare & Exceptional)

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Scotch whisky, and often called just whisky or Scotch, can be made from malted barley, wheat, corn, rye, oats, and grain (or a blend). To be classified as Scotch whisky, every process, including fermentation and distillation, must take place in Scotland. Scotch whisky also is a category on its own, with single malt, single grain, blended malt (formerly called "vatted malt" or "pure malt"), blended grain, and blended Scotch whisky all as variations.

For something to be classified as “Scotch whisky”, it needs to meet a list of criteria from the Scotch Whisky Regulations, a few of which include:

Only the use of endogenous enzymes systems (naturally occurring within the grain)
Distilled at 94.4% ABV or less, and aged in oak casks not exceeding 700 litres for a minimum of three years
A minimum alcoholic strength of 40% ABV when bottled

The variations you can find within Scotch whisky are:

Single malt Scotch whisky

Whisky that is produced at one distillery and distilled in pot stills, typically made out of copper

Single grain Scotch whisky

Made from a mixture of malted barley and corn, wheat, rye, or oats and produced at one grain distillery with a Coffey still, a form of continuous distillation

Blended grain Scotch whisky

A mixture of grain whiskies from more than one distillery

Blended malt Scotch whisky

A mixture of only single malt whiskies from more than one malt distillery

Blended Scotch whisky

A mixture of any amount of malt and grain whiskies, from multiple distilleries

Blended whisky accounts for over 90 per cent of Scotch whisky sold, with household names such as Johnnie Walker, Dewar’s, and Chivas as popular brands. There are other regional differences, with five official regions that are defined as Highland, Lowland, Campeltown, Islay, and Speyside. Each of these regions carry different flavour profiles that they impart onto the liquid as they age.

American Whiskey

Above Wooden Whiskey Barrels in Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA

Wooden Whiskey Barrels in Lynchburg, Tennessee, USA

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Outside of Scotch, one of the largest whisky categories is American whiskey, spelled with an additional ‘e’. The two most popular categories are rye whiskey and bourbon.

Rye Whiskey

Made from a mash of at least 51 per cent rye, a type of cereal grain, it is usually combined with corn or malted barley. Distilled at no more than 80 per cent ABV and barrelled at no more than 62.5 per cent ABV. Aged in charred, new oak barrels, a rye which has been aged for a minimum of two years and unblended with other spirits can be considered straight rye whiskies.

Bourbon

Made from a mash bill of at least 51 per cent corn, distilled to no more than 80 per cent ABV and barrelled at no more than 62.5 per cent ABV. There is no ageing requirement for bourbon, with bourbon aged as little as three months being legally allowed to be sold as bourbon. However for something to be straight bourbon, it needs to be aged for at least two years.

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Irish Whiskey

Above The Temple Bar Whiskey in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Temple Bar Whiskey in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Also spelled with an additional ‘e’, any whiskey that is made anywhere on the island from a mash of malted and unmalted grains, alongside other cereals can be classified as Irish whiskey. The signature whiskey style of Ireland is made with a pot still, and commonly distilled twice or thrice. Sharing many similarities with Scotch whisky, the main difference is the option to use exogenous enzymes, meaning not naturally occurring in the grain.

Criteria for Irish whiskey include:

Irish whiskies must be distilled to less than 94.8 per cent ABV, and be aged for a minimum of three years in vessels carrying a maximum of 700 litres.
The casks used vary, with acacia, cherry wood, and chestnut as popular options. It must also be bottled to a strength of at least 40 per cent ABV

There are four types of Irish whiskey:

Malt whiskey

Made from a mash of 100% malted barley distilled in pot stills

Grain whiskey

Made from a mash of unmalted grains and malted barley, of which the latter cannot exceed 30 per cent of the total weight. Grain whiskey must be distilled in column stills

Blended whiskey

Blend of two or more different whiskey types

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Japanese Whisky

Above Nikka Whisky

Nikka Whisky

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Masataka Taketsuru, an heir of a sake brewer, is deemed as the pioneer of Japan’s whisky industry, and it all started off with a trip to Scotland. Inspired to set up his own whisky division in Japan, Taketsuru founded his own company, named Nikka today, and sold the first whisky in October 1940.

Japan is relatively new to the realm of whisky, and the parameters for production were never really defined until March 2024. Prior to that, distillers were blending their whiskies with ingredients from other countries.

The criteria now states for Japanese whisky, it must be:

Fermented, distilled, and aged at a distillery in Japan at no higher than 95 per cent ABV
Contain malted grain
Using water extracted only in Japan
Aged for a minimum of three years and bottled in Japan with a minimum of 40 per cent ABV

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Keandra H'ng

Senior Writer, Dining & Travel, Tatler Malaysia

Keandra's expertise lies within writing deep dives into the culture and anthropology of food, sometimes with a philosophical twist. With a background in London's F&B consultancy scene, she's excited to be back in Kuala Lumpur to champion the local dining scene.

Reach her at keandra.hing@tatlerasia.com, @keandruh