What is the difference between bourbon and scotch?
Place of origin
Scottish: the scotch whiskey must be produced in Scotland. Not only, to use the term "Scotch whiskey" on the label, the whiskey must also be bottled in Scotland (with the exception of blended whiskey).
Bourbon: Contrary to popular opinion, bourbon should not be produced in Kentucky, it could in fact be produced in any US state, but the hard water that is found in Kentucky makes it an ideal place: the limestone filters out impurities.
Scotch: single malt Scotch whiskey must be produced with 100% gold malt; grain whiskey is generally produced with a combination of malted and unmalted gold, as well as grain.
Bourbon: Bourbon must be made from a basic brandy composed of at least 51% must, the remainder consisting of cereals, fruits and gold. The higher the proportion of must in the brandy, the sweeter the bourbon; high-grain bourbons have a spicier taste.
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Distillation
Scotch: the method of distilling Scotch whiskey depends on the style or category: single malts are usually double distilled (sometimes tripled) in stills, while grain whiskeys are distilled in a column. exceptions: Mortlach single malt,for example, uses a complicated system that involves a combination of stills.
Bourbon: Almost all bourbons are first distilled in a column still, then the brandy undergoes a second distillation in a modified stem still called a "doubler" (or "thumper").
Aging
Scotch: the distilleries that produce scotch whiskey owe a great deal to the bourbon industry. Bourbon distillers can only invest their spirits in new, freshly casked bottles; once they have been used once, the bottles are no longer useful to them, so most of it is sold to the scotch producers, who are more than happy to invest their whiskey in them.
Scottish distillers have much more freedom when it comes to bottling their whiskey and use a wide variety of bottles, including those that previously contained wine, port or cognac.
Bourbon: The other major difference between Scotch whiskey and bourbon is the climate. Kentucky's warmer temperatures mean evaporation rates are much higher, so bourbon burns up much faster than its Scottish counterpart, about twice as fast.
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To taste
It's extremely difficult to talk about a generic style for Scotch Whiskey or Bourbon, but there are a few general tastes you can expect, depending on the style.
Scotland: there is no unique style of Scotch whiskey: a Speysider, light and bitter, does not have much in common with a strong and powerful Islay whiskey.
Additionally, due to factors such as the type of bottle, level of torbatura, and length of maturation, Scotch whiskeys can be elegant and floral, rich and spicy, or even have a salty and maritime character.
Bourbon: A bourbon made with a high percentage of corn will taste milder than a bourbon with a good dose of soda.
It's also fair to say that bourbons generally have a milder taste than most Scotch whiskeys and often feature hints of caramel, cinnamon and vanilla (the latter coming from the American oak in which they are matured).
When confronted with Scotch whiskey and bourbon, it is impossible to say if one is better than the other; it is rather to know which product you prefer.
Most bourbons are made in an accessible style, but there are also many dark and delicate whiskeys.
We recommend that you try a few and build your favorite whiskey repertoire.
