Whisky
Whisky is a spirit distilled from a fermented cereal mash and aged in wooden casks, and under the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008 it must be 40% ABV or stronger, after three years or longer in wood. Whisky and whiskey are the same drink: Regulation (EC) 110/2008 names the category “whisky or whiskey”, and the spelling follows local habit. Two of our recipes leave the style open: whisky topped with ginger ale, and whisky topped with cola.
Quick Facts
Sealed, upright and out of direct light. No fridge needed.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.
About Whisky
Grain, a still and three years in wood
Every whisky starts as a cereal mash, converted to sugar by the enzymes in malted grain, fermented and distilled. In Britain it then needs three years or longer in wood, in casks no larger than 700 litres, a strength of at least 40%, and no additions beyond water and plain caramel. It cannot be sweetened or flavoured. Those rules come from the spirit drinks regulation Britain kept after leaving the EU, and the national rules for Scotch, Irish and American whiskey sit on top of them.
The spelling is a habit, not a law
The same regulation calls the category “whisky or whiskey”, so neither spelling is wrong anywhere in Britain. Irish producers mostly add the e, as do most American ones, while Scottish, Japanese and Welsh labels leave it out. The habit is loose: the American federal standards are written as “whisky”, and Irish rules accept Irish Whisky on a label.
Each country sets its own rules on top
How the main whisky styles are defined: Scotch under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, Irish under its technical file, American styles under 27 CFR 5.143, Tennessee by the Oxford Companion (Clay Risen) and Tennessee’s law of 2013, and Japanese under the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard.
Scotch
- Where it is made
- Scotland, distilled and matured
- Grain rule
- Malted barley, with whole grains of other cereals allowed
- Cask rule
- Oak, 700 litres or less
- Minimum age
- Three years
Irish whiskey
- Where it is made
- Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Grain rule
- Cereal mash; pot still style needs malted and unmalted barley
- Cask rule
- Wood, 700 litres or less
- Minimum age
- Three years
Bourbon
- Where it is made
- United States
- Grain rule
- At least 51% corn
- Cask rule
- New charred oak
- Minimum age
- None; two years to be called straight
Rye whiskey
- Where it is made
- United States
- Grain rule
- At least 51% rye
- Cask rule
- New charred oak
- Minimum age
- None; two years to be called straight
Tennessee whiskey
- Where it is made
- Tennessee
- Grain rule
- At least 51% corn, filtered through maple charcoal
- Cask rule
- New charred oak
- Minimum age
- Set by state law
Japanese whisky
- Where it is made
- Japan, under a trade body’s labelling rule
- Grain rule
- Malted grain must be used
- Cask rule
- Wood, 700 litres or less
- Minimum age
- Three years
| Style | Where it is made | Grain rule | Cask rule | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotch | Scotland, distilled and matured | Malted barley, with whole grains of other cereals allowed | Oak, 700 litres or less | Three years |
| Irish whiskey | Ireland and Northern Ireland | Cereal mash; pot still style needs malted and unmalted barley | Wood, 700 litres or less | Three years |
| Bourbon | United States | At least 51% corn | New charred oak | None; two years to be called straight |
| Rye whiskey | United States | At least 51% rye | New charred oak | None; two years to be called straight |
| Tennessee whiskey | Tennessee | At least 51% corn, filtered through maple charcoal | New charred oak | Set by state law |
| Japanese whisky | Japan, under a trade body’s labelling rule | Malted grain must be used | Wood, 700 litres or less | Three years |
American whiskey sold in Britain still has to meet the British three-year rule. In a drink, the style matters more than the country: rye for a dry, spicy stirred drink, bourbon for a rounder sour, and a blended Scotch for a long drink with soda. Our Whisky and Ginger Ale and Whisky and Cola are the two recipes that leave the style to you.
Using Whisky
Usage
50ml of whisky under a long mixer is the general serve here: ginger ale or cola over plenty of ice. Most other recipes name a style, and their own pages carry the detail: rye for the stirred classics, bourbon for sours, blended Scotch for long drinks with soda.
Pro Tip
When a long whisky drink tastes thin, check the ice and the mixer before the bottle. A glass filled to the brim with cold cubes and a freshly opened mixer does more than a dearer whisky.
Top Tips
- When a recipe names a style, use that style: rye, bourbon and peated Scotch change a drink more than the brand does.
- For a long drink, a soft, unpeated blend at 40% does the job; keep older bottles for drinking neat.
- An age on the label is the age of its youngest part, never an average.
- Whisky stops ageing once bottled, so there is no gain in keeping a bottle for years; stand it upright, away from sunlight.
Possible Substitutions
- Whisky (Scotch): A blended Scotch is the usual pour under a long mixer
- Whiskey (Bourbon): Rounder and sweeter topped with cola or ginger
Production Method
Cereal is mashed so that malt enzymes turn its starch to sugar, fermented, and distilled to under 94.8% ABV. Under Regulation (EC) 110/2008 the spirit then rests for no less than three years in wooden casks holding no more than 700 litres. Regulation (EC) 110/2008 allows only water and caramel for colour, and the bottle must read 40% or higher.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is whisky made from?
Is it whisky or whiskey?
What ratio of whisky to ginger ale should I use?
Is whisky gluten free?
How strong is whisky?
Does whisky go off once opened?
Is English whisky a protected name?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 20 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- legislation.gov.uk, “The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009”.
- GOV.UK, “Irish Whiskey technical file”.
- Cornell Law School LII, “27 CFR § 5.143 Whisky”.
- Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, “Standards for Labeling Japanese Whisky (English translation)” (English translation published by Nikka; not legally binding).
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Clay Risen), “whisky, Tennessee” (secondary source: follows the bourbon requirements (51% corn, charred new oak, bottled at 40% or more) and is typically passed through maple charcoal; the 2013 Tennessee law).
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- Coeliac UK, “Is alcohol gluten free?”.
- GOV.UK, “English Whisky raises a glass to new protected status (11 September 2026)”.
- Global Drinks Intel, “Scotch Whisky Association lodges appeal against English whisky/whiskey’s GI status” (trade report, 8 October 2026).
Made with Whisky
Featured In These Cocktails
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 20 October 2026