Asked in History of ScotlandCocktail and Mixed Drink RecipesWhiskey
History of Scotland
Cocktail and Mixed Drink Recipes
Whiskey
What is scotch made of?
Answer

Wiki User
November 04, 2011 1:48AM
Scotch whiskey is made from water and barley. A little yeast may be added to get the fermentation process going. The barley mash is dried in a kiln with a porous floor, under which burns a fire made of peat, which is what gives Scotch it's distinctive smoky and slightly oily flavor. After the whiskey is distilled out, it is aged in barrels for at least 3 years. Most Scotches are blended, but they are blended from nothing but various Scotch whiskys - grain neutral spirits are never mixed in, like they are with many cheaper American whiskeys. Scotch is the only spirit where the name is properly spelled "whisky". In all other forms (rye, bourbon, etc), it is "whiskey".
Related Questions
Asked in Whiskey
What is the difference between scotch and whiskey?

Scotch is a particular type of whiskey, first made in Scotland,
which is aged in oak casks.
Answer #2
Scotch is whiskey made in Scotland.
If whiskey is made anywhere else in the world; even by the same
people using the exact same recipie and tools, it is not
scotch.
#3
Scotch is a trade name and must meet requirements for
ingredients, aging, and distilling. All Scotch is made in Scotland,
all whiskey made in Scotland in not Scotch.
Asked in History of Scotland, Liquor
What is Scotch?
Asked in Baking, Pies
What are scotch pies?
Asked in Whiskey
Is Seagrams VO whiskey or scotch?
Asked in Liquor
What is the best brand of scotch?
Asked in Liquor
How do you age scotch?
Asked in Whiskey
What is scotch whiskey made from?
Asked in Whiskey
What are some examples of scotch and some of whiskey?

Scotch is made in Scotland and aged in oak casks for a minimum
of 3 years, either blended or Single Malt.
Whiskey is made in America and Ireland. Whisky without the "e"
is made in Scotland, Canada.
Look up Scotch whiskey distilleries for examples of Scotch. Look
up Irish whiskey or American whiskey for examples of those.
Asked in Whiskey
What is the difference between a scotch and a whiskey?

There is NO difference. Scotch IS whisky. Scotch is a nickname
for whisky made in Scotland. On every bottle of whisky made in
Scotland the label says 'Scotch Whisky' rather than 'Scottish
Whisky'. The word 'Scotch' simply means where the product is made
i.e. Scotland.
-----
Scotch is a tradename and must meet requirements for
ingredients, distilling, aging and blending to be called "Scotch".
Whiskey is more generic referring to any distilled drink made from
grain mash, fermented and then distilled one, two or three times
then stored in charred wooden barrels to "age" the whiskey and gain
its brown color. In some cases the aging process is skipped as in
the production of "moonshine", which techically could be called
young unaged whiskey.
Asked in Whiskey
Why does scotch taste different than whiskey?

Scotch IS Whisky. Scotch Whisky.
ANS 2 - Scotch whisky tastes different from American,
Irish or Canadian whiskies. Single Malt Scotch whiskies even taste
different by brand. This is all due to whatever the whisky is made
from, including the water used in it, and how it is roasted,
fermented and kept to age.
Asked in History of Scotland, Liquor
Is all scotch made in Scotland?

The answer should be yes as Scotch is short for Scotch Whisky
and must be distilled at a Scottish distillery. All whiskey is not
of course Scotch Whisky (Whiskey in Ireland and the US) and Scotch
is sometimes used in other parts of the world as a generic name for
whiskey confusing the issue. The fact is, however that it is
impossible for all whiskey that is a 'product of Scotland' to
really be Scottish if you look at the amount of this whiskey that
is distributed across the world. Therefore, it is clear that much
whiskey is made in foreign, often Less economically developed
countries and sold under the name Scotch Whisky even though it is
not really made in Scotland.