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I have got my dad a bottle of Irish Whiskey for a birthday present, I don't drink any alcohol myself so I have no idea what the difference is between Scottish Whisky and Irish Whiskey is? Is there a taste difference? Why does one spell it with an "e" and one without? Who made it first? Who makes the best one? What does it mean about the distilling process? How do you know which is a good one? Why is there a £10 difference between two bottles of Whiskey? Are the most expensive ones better or not?
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Whiskey as it is spelt in Ireland or whisky in Scotland is the most popular of all the grain spirits, first thought to be distilled by monks in Ireland as early as the 12th century. But it was in 1608 when Bushmills distillery first received its grant. Even up until Victorian times Irish whiskey was more popular than Scotch.
The difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whiskies
· The big difference between Scotch and Irish whiskey is the distilling phase which is made twice with Scotch and three times with Irish, giving Irish whiskey a particular lightness
· Scotch whisky first allows the barley to sprout and then it is dried. Irish whiskey uses raw and malted barley while Scotch is entirely malted barley. (This is partly because there was an extra tax on malt in Ireland)
· Scotch barley is dried with peat smoke which gives the usual scotch aroma to whisky.
· Scotch is cask aged for at least 2 years, Irish at least 3 years.
· Irish whiskey is distilled three times in larger than normal copper "pot" stills. The pot stills and the extra distillation produce a uniquely delicate drink. Developing later, Scotch uses continuous process stills.
· The rural poor, in Ireland, made whiskey first. The logic is whiskey developed in a bread eating culture. You grow grain, mill it for bread and save some to sow next year's crop. In good seasons when you have extra, you make whiskey.
· The Irish invented it, but Scotland is the spiritual home of whiskey
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky can only be called Scotch whisky if it is distilled and matured in Scotland.
There are two kinds of whisky; malt whisky, used essentially in the creation of blended whiskies, or bottled in small proportions as a Single Malt; and grain whisky, which is combined with malt whisky to create the famous blends.
The difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whiskies
· The big difference between Scotch and Irish whiskey is the distilling phase which is made twice with Scotch and three times with Irish, giving Irish whiskey a particular lightness
· Scotch whisky first allows the barley to sprout and then it is dried. Irish whiskey uses raw and malted barley while Scotch is entirely malted barley. (This is partly because there was an extra tax on malt in Ireland)
· Scotch barley is dried with peat smoke which gives the usual scotch aroma to whisky.
· Scotch is cask aged for at least 2 years, Irish at least 3 years.
· Irish whiskey is distilled three times in larger than normal copper "pot" stills. The pot stills and the extra distillation produce a uniquely delicate drink. Developing later, Scotch uses continuous process stills.
· The rural poor, in Ireland, made whiskey first. The logic is whiskey developed in a bread eating culture. You grow grain, mill it for bread and save some to sow next year's crop. In good seasons when you have extra, you make whiskey.
· The Irish invented it, but Scotland is the spiritual home of whiskey
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky can only be called Scotch whisky if it is distilled and matured in Scotland.
There are two kinds of whisky; malt whisky, used essentially in the creation of blended whiskies, or bottled in small proportions as a Single Malt; and grain whisky, which is combined with malt whisky to create the famous blends.
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In the Irish distilleries, when the grain is being roasted, the smoke from the fire does not come in contact with the grain.
Whereas, in the Scottish distilleries, the smoke does physically contact the grain.
This results in the Scotch Whiskey having a smokey or peaty taste.
Whereas, in the Scottish distilleries, the smoke does physically contact the grain.
This results in the Scotch Whiskey having a smokey or peaty taste.
The Diff in the name is purely down
scots made up cheap somewhat weaker batches of it years ago
and Ireland didnt want theirs labeled with being the same
thats why the E was kept
scot whiskey is alot heavier kinda bitter
were as Irish is alot more smooth and goes down alot easier
scots made up cheap somewhat weaker batches of it years ago
and Ireland didnt want theirs labeled with being the same
thats why the E was kept
scot whiskey is alot heavier kinda bitter
were as Irish is alot more smooth and goes down alot easier
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Other Answers (11)
- just have a taste then you will get some idea, it`s all in the peat they use and the way it is distiled
- one is brewed in ireland, the other in scotland.
- The word whiskey is an Anglicisation of the ancient Gaelic term "uisce beatha" which translates as "water of life". (The Craythur is a modern Irish term for whiskey, from 'the creature', as in 'created'...[1]) The Irish spell the drink "whiskey" while the Scottish drop the "e".
Although it is similar to Scotch whisky in many ways, the main difference is that most Irish whiskey is distilled three times, whereas most Scotch is distilled only twice. Another way Irish Whiskey differs is that peat is almost never used in the malting process, so the smoky, earthy overtones common to many Scotches are not present. There are notable exceptions to these "rules" in both countries; an example is Connemara Peated Irish Malt whiskey.Source(s):
- In reality they both make me drunk and I don't get too much pleasure out of them, but there are connoisseurs of whiskey.
It seems the difference in the prices are due to various factors including the ageing process and the blend.
Cheaper whiskies are more of a mix whereas single blends are quite expensive.
It's an art form to some, but to me it just goes down the hatch!
Try this for more info: http://www.whisky.com/
or this for a quick guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky - Whisky, whiskey...amber necter, uisge-beatha or uisce beatha..the water of life.
Differences? Grain used, water used, number of times distlled, years aged, single malt or blend? The differences are almost endless, THANK GOD. Cos it's so much more fun.
Taste is the key to happiness, and the multitude of varieties mean that you can find your own personal heaven in a bottle.
Check this out for most of your info needs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky
As for price: "you pays your money and you takes your choice.."
Higher price doesn't necessarily mean better product, for you. But, for some folk who want a single malt, with say a particular peaty, peppery finish etc, from a small production distillery rare is beautiful, is pricey.
Personally I love varieties of both Irish and Scotch.
There are more Scotch varieties to choose from than Irish. More's-the-pity. - I cannot add much to the answer from FireflyM - what I will say is a lot of Scotch is blended - meaning they use product from a variety of barrels during the distillation process - where as Irish is a straight whiskey.
If your dad's taste is Irish - I strongly recommend Jameson 12 year old. I'm not a fan of Bushmills - aside from the fact it comes from the occupied territories ;-). If Scotch is his tipple - my personal favourite is Glenfiddich. Both are excellent products and are the type of thing you can buy for someone that has everything so to speak. - irish is tripple distilled and scotch is twice distilled
- THEY BOF CUMFROM A DIFFERENT PLACE LOL X
- Both are very nice. The stream of Scotland is natural and have had its herbal values hence the liquer lovers prefers that odor from Scotis whisky. Where the old Irish prefers the irish brands . But both are very nice . The cost is depending upon - how old they are . Because the old violine and old whisky reported to
have best values as per the consumers taste.
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Answer hidden due to its low rating
The differnce is Scotland made one type and Ireland made the other. -
Answer hidden due to its low rating
All whiskeys taste different. Either more rich, or light, smoky or fresh. The difference between Irish and Scotch is that one is made in Ireland, the other made in Scotland.
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I beg to differ, Ireland is definitely the spiritual home of whiskey---there are more folk songs around this drink in Ireland than there are anywhere else in the world.
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