29/03/2023
SỰ KHÁC BIỆT GIỮA - 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐘, 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐂𝐇 & 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐍
Xuất xứ? Quy trình sản xuất? Hương vị?
Một lời giải thích ngắn gọn, để tìm hiểu về cách làm rượu 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐲 và hiểu điều gì khiến các thương hiệu như và trở nên đặc biệt.
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We're talking about whisk(e)y, of course, and Scotch and Bourbon
because they're basically all the same, right?
Au contraire, young grasshopper.
Let's take a closer look.
What makes whisk(e)y, well, whisk(e)y?
Whisk(e)y is any distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash
that's aged in wooden casks.
The mash can be made from a variety of grains including barley, rye,
corn, or wheat.
And that leaves a lot of room for interpretation and experimentation,
like that one time at band camp.
Anyway, it helps to think of whisk(e)y as a catch-all category, like wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon is very different from Chardonnay,
but both are classified as wine.
Same principle applies to whisk(e)y.
Scotch and Bourbon are two very distinct spirits,
but both technically fall under the whisk(e)y label.
So all Scotch is whisk(e)y but not all whisk(e)y is Scotch and all Bourbon is
whisk(e)y but not all whisk(e)y is Bourbon.
Makes sense?
Great.
Since both Scotch and Bourbon are technically considered whiskies,
let's drill things down a bit and do a side-by-side comparison of what makes
the two so different.
Country of origin.
Even though Scotch and Bourbon are both whisk(e)y, there's an ocean-sized
difference between the two.
We mean that quite literally.
See, according to the Scotch Whisky Act of 1988, that's whisky without an E,
by the way, Scotch must be matured in oak casks for three years or more in Scotland.
Now, Bourbon is governed by similar rules laid out in the Federal Standards
of Identity for Distilled Spirits, which sounds FBI-level intimidating
but it's really just a set of rules that ensures Bourbon maintains the distinct
taste that it's known for.
It's America's native spirit, after all.
And one of the rules of engagement is that in order to earn the Bourbon label,
your whiskey, that's with an E, must be made in the U.S. of A.
ABV requirements.
So what about the heat?
Well, let's turn back to the good old Scotch Whisky Act.
According to the act standards, a whisky must be distilled at an alcoholic
strength by volume of less than 94.8% to be considered a Scotch,
and have a minimum, yes, minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40%.
Stateside, you've got to make sure that your Bourbon doesn't enter the barrel
at anything higher than 125 proof
and can't be bottled at anything less than 80 proof.
What's in it?
For both Scotch and Bourbon, turns out, it's not a whole lot.
If you're looking to nab the official Scotch label, the Scotch Whisky Act says
that your spirit must be noticeably absent of any added substances that aren't water
or plain caramel coloring.
In Bourbon's case, the U.S. turns things up a notch.
Absolutely nothing can be added to your h***h except for water.
Yup, even spirits need to stay hydrated.
Moral of the story is being related doesn't mean being identical.
You can love your crazy cousin Glenn without sharing his
Star Trek obsession, right?
Same goes for Scotch and Bourbon.
Even though they're part of the same whisk(e)y family,
each one stands as its own unique spirit and that's something worth toasting to.
