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Scotch
There are two basic types of Scotch Whisky: Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Single Grain Scotch Whisky.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky means a whisky produced from only water malted barley and yeast at a single distillery by batch distillation in copper pot stills. Single Grain Scotch Whisky means a whisky distilled at a single distillery but which, in addition to water and malted barley, may also be produced from whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals.
Scotch Whisky must be processed at a distillery into a mash; converted at that distillery into a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems; and fermented at that distillery only by the addition of yeast; distilled at an ABV of less than 94.8 percent so that the distillate has an aroma and taste derived from the raw materials used in, and the method of, its production. Scotch Whisky must be matured only in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres in Scotland for a period of not less than three years; then bottled at an ABV of at least 40%.
Single cask refers to the the bottle coming from a single cask rather than a marrying or vatting of more than one cask. Cask Strength indicates that the bottle has been filled from the cask without the addition of any water.
The 2009 Regs introduced a new regulation that if you use the name of a distillery 100% of the liquid in the bottle must come from that distillery. If a blend carries the name of a distillery both the malt and grain must come from that distillery.
The two basic types break down into various sub-types and combinations:
Irish
Irish Whiskey breaks down to three basic types Pot Still, Malt and Grain; for Pot Still the mash must contain a minimum of 30% malted barley and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley, like its Scottish cousin the Irish Single Malt mash must contain 100% malted barley, Irish Grain is produced from malted barley (not exceeding 30%) and includes whole unmalted cereals usually maize, wheat or barley.
The traditional practice is to triple distil Irish Pot Still Whiskey although this practice is not exclusive. Triple distillation results in a higher strength final spirit and contributes to a particular ratio of ‘total higher alcohols to ester’ concentration. This is manifested by a spirit which is light in aroma yet particularly sweet in taste.
Irish Whiskey must be matured in wooden casks, such as oak which may have been previously used to store other alcoholic beverages, for example Madeira, Sherry, Port or Bourbon. The maturing whiskey is stored for a minimum of three years in large, dark, and aromatic warehouses on the island of Ireland. It must then be bottled at a minimum ABV of 40%.
The three basic types break down into various sub-types and combinations:
Some of these may not exist!
American
There's no legal requirement for types of still used to create bourbon, but typically column-stills or pot stills are used, but the the spirit must be distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% ABV). All American whiskies must use new charred barrels being put into the barrel for ageing at no more than 125 proof (62.5% ABV).
Similarly there's no legal requirement for minimum ageing, but the age must be stated on the bottle if aged for less than 4 years. Straight whiskies are aged a minimum of 2 years. After maturing, bourbon is diluted and bottled at no less than 80 US proof (40% ABV). Some higher-proof bottlings are marketed as "barrel proof", meaning they have not been diluted or have been only lightly diluted after removal from the barrels.
American whiskey comes down to six basic types Rye, Rye Malt, Malt, Wheat, Corn & Bourbon but again there are various combinations and sub-types: e.g. Bottled-in-bond bourbon is a subcategory of straight bourbon and must be aged at least four years. Tennessee whiskey is a subcategory of bourbon that has been filtered through sugar maple charcoal.
Bottled-in-bond or bonded can be added to the bottles label if the whiskey is the product of one distillation season (January–June or July–December) by one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least 4 years and bottled at 100 U.S. proof (50% ABV). The bottled product's label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled.
Small Batch indicates a vatting of a small number of casks - usually less than 20.
Store Pick usually indicates a single cask selected by and bottled for an individual store (shop) or society.
Other regions:
Most other whisky producing regions, Japanese, Indian, Australian, Dutch etc follow the same basic structure a Scotch whisky.
Thanks to @WhiskeyCat1324, @Causewaywhiskey & @thedramble for helping me fill in some of the blanks!
The two basic types break down into various sub-types and combinations:
| Type | Info | Examples |
| Single Malt Single Cask, Cask Strength | Made in a single distillery from Malted Barley, Water & Yeast from a single cask by batch distillation in pot stills | Loch Lomond 2006 Single Cask #40 |
| Single Malt Single Cask | As above but diluted to a lower ABV | TBWC Glen Moray Batch 2, CWC Islay MS010 |
| Single Malt | As above but a vatting of multiple casks | Glenfarclas 15yo |
| Blended Malt | A vatting of casks from more than one distillery | Monkey Shoulder, Big Peat |
| Single Grain Single Cask, Cask Strength | Made in a single distillery from Corn, Wheat, Rye and/or Barley, Water & Yeast from a single cask | DL Strathclyde 1990 (25yo) |
| Single Grain Single Cask | As above but diluted to a lower ABV | TBWC Caledonian 1988 Batch 2 (29yo) |
| Single Grain | As above but a vatting of multiple casks | Girvan No. 4 Apps, Haig Club |
| Blended Grain | A vatting of casks from more than one distillery | Compass Box Hedonism, TWBC Blended Grain #1 Batch 1 (50yo) |
| Blend | A blend of Malt and Grain whiskies | Johnnie Walker Black Label |
Irish
Irish Whiskey breaks down to three basic types Pot Still, Malt and Grain; for Pot Still the mash must contain a minimum of 30% malted barley and a minimum of 30% unmalted barley, like its Scottish cousin the Irish Single Malt mash must contain 100% malted barley, Irish Grain is produced from malted barley (not exceeding 30%) and includes whole unmalted cereals usually maize, wheat or barley.
The traditional practice is to triple distil Irish Pot Still Whiskey although this practice is not exclusive. Triple distillation results in a higher strength final spirit and contributes to a particular ratio of ‘total higher alcohols to ester’ concentration. This is manifested by a spirit which is light in aroma yet particularly sweet in taste.
Irish Whiskey must be matured in wooden casks, such as oak which may have been previously used to store other alcoholic beverages, for example Madeira, Sherry, Port or Bourbon. The maturing whiskey is stored for a minimum of three years in large, dark, and aromatic warehouses on the island of Ireland. It must then be bottled at a minimum ABV of 40%.
The three basic types break down into various sub-types and combinations:
Some of these may not exist!
| Type | Info | Examples |
| Single Pot Still, Single Cask, Cask Strength | Made in a single distillery from Malted and unmalted Barley, Water & Yeast from a single cask | Redbreast Cask 2001 1st Fill Sherry Butt #17126, Redbreast All Sherry Single Cask, Green Spot Single Cask Cask Strength, Green Spot 12yo, Method and Madness 28yo Ruby Port |
| Single Pot Still Single Cask | As above but diluted to a lower ABV | Midleton 1994 (cask #74060) |
| Single Pot Still | As above but a vatting of multiple casks | Green Spot, Redbreast 10yo, Powers Signature Release |
| Single Malt, Single Cask, Cask Strength | Made in a single distillery from Malted Barley, Water & Yeast from a single cask | ?? |
| Single Malt Single Cask | As above but diluted to a lower ABV | Connemara Single Cask |
| Single Malt | As above but a vatting of multiple casks | Bushmills 16yo, The Irishman Single Malt |
| Single Grain, Single Cask, Cask Strength | Made in a single distillery from Corn, Wheat, Rye and/or Barley, Water & Yeast from a single cask | Method & Madness 31 Year Old Single Grain #21617, Greenore Single Cask |
| Single Grain Single Cask | As above but diluted to a lower ABV | ?? |
| Single Grain | As above but a vatting of multiple casks | Method & Madness Single Grain, Kilbeggan Single Grain 8yo, Greenore 15yo, Glendalough Double Barrel, Teeling Single Grain |
| Single Pot Still / Grain Blend | A blend of Pot Still and Grain whiskies | ?? |
| Single Pot Still / Single Malt Blend | A blend of Pot Still and Single Malt whiskies | Writers Tears Copper Pot, Writers Tear's - Pot Still Blend |
| Single Malt / Grain Blend | A blend of Single Malt and Grain whiskies | Teeling Small Batch, Bushmills Black Bush |
| Blend | A blend of Pot Still, Single Malt and Grain whiskies | ?? |
American
There's no legal requirement for types of still used to create bourbon, but typically column-stills or pot stills are used, but the the spirit must be distilled to no more than 160 proof (80% ABV). All American whiskies must use new charred barrels being put into the barrel for ageing at no more than 125 proof (62.5% ABV).
Similarly there's no legal requirement for minimum ageing, but the age must be stated on the bottle if aged for less than 4 years. Straight whiskies are aged a minimum of 2 years. After maturing, bourbon is diluted and bottled at no less than 80 US proof (40% ABV). Some higher-proof bottlings are marketed as "barrel proof", meaning they have not been diluted or have been only lightly diluted after removal from the barrels.
American whiskey comes down to six basic types Rye, Rye Malt, Malt, Wheat, Corn & Bourbon but again there are various combinations and sub-types: e.g. Bottled-in-bond bourbon is a subcategory of straight bourbon and must be aged at least four years. Tennessee whiskey is a subcategory of bourbon that has been filtered through sugar maple charcoal.
Bottled-in-bond or bonded can be added to the bottles label if the whiskey is the product of one distillation season (January–June or July–December) by one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least 4 years and bottled at 100 U.S. proof (50% ABV). The bottled product's label must identify the distillery where it was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled.
Small Batch indicates a vatting of a small number of casks - usually less than 20.
Store Pick usually indicates a single cask selected by and bottled for an individual store (shop) or society.
| Type | Info | Examples |
| Rye | Minimum 51% Rye | Redemption Rye |
| Straight Rye | As above but matured for at least 2 years | High West Rendezvous Rye |
| Rye Malt | Minimum 51% Malted Rye | North American Steamship Rye |
| Malt | Minimum 51% Malted Barley | Stranahan’s Rocky Mountain Single Malt |
| Wheat | Minimum 51% Wheat | Reservoir Wheat |
| Straight Wheat | As above but matured for at least 2 years | Dry Fly Wheat Whiskey |
| Corn | Minimum 80% Corn, no ageing required but if aging is performed, it must be done in uncharred or previously used American oak casks | Balcones Brimstone |
| Straight Corn | As above but matured for at least 2 years. | Heaven Hill Corn 9yo |
| Bourbon | Minimum 51% Corn matured in new charred American white oak | Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch |
| Straight Bourbon | As above but matured for at least 2 years | Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Reserve |
| Tennessee whiskey | As above but produced in the state of Tennessee and filtered through sugar maple charcoal | Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel Tennessee whiskey |
| Blended whiskey | Any combination of the above and neutral spirit. Must be labeled without a specific grain bill designation unless it contains at least 51% of a single grain | Seagram's 7 Crown |
| Blended Straight whiskey | A blend of straight whiskies that does not contain neutral grain spirits |
Other regions:
Most other whisky producing regions, Japanese, Indian, Australian, Dutch etc follow the same basic structure a Scotch whisky.
Thanks to @WhiskeyCat1324, @Causewaywhiskey & @thedramble for helping me fill in some of the blanks!
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