Ideally you want to get into a whiskey bottle, not spend all your time reading it like a cereal

box.
But to ensure you actually like what you buy, its probably a good idea to know how to decode a
label. We wont get into the nuance of all aspects herewhiskey subjects, if youve dabbled into
them at all, tend to inspire some serious exegesisbut we can help guide you down the whiskey
(whisky) aisle with a few key terms and basic definitions.
Theres plenty more to cover, so dont freak out if something isnt here. A lot of terms have to do
with bourbon and its many idiosyncrasies, and thats OK because, well, people are super into
bourbon right now.
That said, a few of the basic categories, terms, and general spirituous vocabulary on your
whiskey label:
Whiskey vs. Whisky: Just a matter of tradition here, with Scottish, Japanese, and Canadian
producers preferring whisky and Irish and American producers using whiskey (some
American producers, like Makers Mark, prefer whisky).
Place: Fortunately, there are several prominent whiskey-making regions. The most prevalent are
Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Japan, and America, with sub-regions often indicated on the bottle
(which matters for some places more than others, e.g. the different Scotch-producing regions can
produce whiskies of drastically varying character). Contrary to popular belief, bourbon does not
have to be made in Kentucky, though plenty of it is.
Alcohol: This ones easy. Youll either see ABV, or alcohol by volume, or proof (which is
twice the ABV). A spirits ABV is legally required in the U.S.; degrees proof is not).
Age: Especially important if youre paying a pretty penny. A couple of important things to
know:
Since not every climate is created equal, there are ideal ages for different regions. Basically,
whiskey can age longer in a colder climate. A warmer climate, like a fire under a pot of water,
will speed up the reactions that take place between spirit and barrel.
Many whiskies have age minimums, indicating the amount of time the youngest spirit in the
bottle has been in contact with wood. Many whiskies will have well above the minimum, e.g.
Single Malt Scotches, but if theres no age statement, you can take for granted the following
rules apply:

Scotch: All Scotch whisky has to be aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years
Irish Whiskey: Like Scotch, all Irish whiskey has to see 3 years in oak barrels.
Bourbon: To be called bourbon whiskey, theres actually no aging minimum. True
story.
Straight Bourbon Whiskey: This is where you can count on an age minimum: 2 years in
charred new oak barrels. If its aged for fewer than 4 years, that age has to be stated on
the bottle.

Japanese Whisky: Japanese whisky is at least spiritually modeled, if not produced quite
the same as, scotch. So the minimum 3 years in oakthough it may be Mizuna oak
applies here.
Canadian Whisky: Once more, the minimum 3 year rule applies.

Single Malt vs. Blended: More often seen on Scotch bottles, single malt whisky is the product
of one distillery, in Scotland made only with malted barley. Blended whisky contains a mixture
of barrel-aged malt and grain whiskies. (American blended whiskies can legally contain neutral
grain spirits and water, and should generally be avoided. Per spirits expert Dave Wondrich,
American blended whiskey is just whiskey-flavored vodka.) A blend of several malts is simply
called a blended malt whisky.
Sour Mash: Dont let the name fool you, this has nothing to do with tang. Its a term in bourbon
whiskies that refers to using some of the spent mash (or fermented mash that still contains
active yeast cultures) in the new mash in the production of bourbon, for flavor and pH balance.
Like using a kombucha mother or sourdough starter to help kick-start fermentation of the new
batch.
Small Batch: A fuzzy term, without any strict legal definition. In reference to bourbon or rye
(where youll see it most often), it can mean distilled in quantities of around 20 barrels or fewer.
Bear in mind, some Small Batch labelled whiskies are actually just bottled by the producer and
distilled at Midwest Grain Products, or MPG, a huge facility in Indiana. Not quite small batch.
Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey?: If you know what bourbon is (made with at least 51% corn
and aged in charred new oak barrels, barreled at 125 proof), you basically know what
Tennessee Whiskey is. Just take bourbon and add the Lincoln County Process, a maple
charcoal filtration thats supposed to yield a smoother whiskey. If a bottle says Tennessee
Whiskey, they want you to know theyre differentiating themselves from bourbon.
Straight Kentucky Bourbon: Bourbon has no age minimums (still a true story) but straight
bourbon whiskey has seen two years in the barrel (charred new white oak). If its aged under 4
years, the age statement has to be on the bottle. Any bourbon thats aged significantly more than
4 years will absolutely state that on the bottle (theyll want you to know the stuff in that Knob
Creek bottle is 9 years old).
Bottled in Bond or Bonded: Kind of like Single Malt, but a bit more to it. A bourbon made at
one distillery in one season, aged a minimum 4 years in a federally bonded, supervised
warehouse. Always 50% ABV. Basically an old school guarantor of quality that may not really
be relevant in this day and age, but you see it.
Single Barrel: Unlike small batch, this one definitely means something specific, every time,
and can be seen on Bourbon or (increasingly) Scotch bottles. It means the whiskey/whisky came
from one barrel. Instead of the consistency of one productwhich is what a whiskey blender
usually goes forthis is all about the idiosyncrasies of one barrel.

Again, there are other terms and qualifiers you might see, including things like Non-Chill
Filtered and Caramel Coloring (most countries dont require it, though any straight whiskey
made in the U.S. cant have caramel coloring). But with whiskey, it may be best to start simple
and not just because that gets you into the bottle faster.