New to the world of Scotch whisky? Confused about the language or etiquette? Did you post something about whisky online and the grammar police arrested you? Or are you looking for the crib notes on whisky facts and some whisky trivia?
At Whisky & Wisdom, we see and hear lots of misunderstandings and malapropisms, so here’s a list of 10 Scotch whisky facts, concepts and tips to get your head around…
- Whisky is not the same as whiskey. They are two different things and only one of them is Scotch. (Another variation of this is, “All Scotch is whisky, but not all whisky is Scotch.”). Whilst we’re at it, palate, pallet, and palette are also three different things.
- It’s Ardbeg, not Ardberg.
- Old whisky is not necessarily better whisky. Similarly, expensive whisky is not necessarily better whisky.
- You don’t have to add water to your whisky. Particularly if you live in Adelaide.
- There is no such thing as American Scotch. Or Australian Scotch. Although, interestingly, it seems to be possible to have Japanese Scotch.
- Blended whisky and blended malt whisky are two different things. (Confused? Take it up with the Scotch Whisky Association…you have our blessing).
- There is no Johnnie Walker distillery. No, really.
- Glassware is important and makes a difference to assessing and appreciating whisky. Insisting on or recommending a particular shaped glass is not whisky snobbery.
- Japanese whisky is like the humour in this article: Not everybody gets it.
- Whisky does not get older or improve in the bottle. Your grandfather’s bottle of Highland Queen from the 1960’s is not a 50 year old whisky.
Got any more fun whisky facts you’d like to add? Add them in the Comments section below…
Cheers,
AD
PS…you might also like to check out our feature article, Whisky Mythbusters – Debunking the whisky myths
…or our other humorous “listicles” about whisky:
Eight ways whisky tells you you’re getting older
10 ways to annoy a whisky nerd
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Point 1. Still a matter of confusion. Can non-Scottish distillers call their product whisky? Should Japan, Australia et al name it whiskey?
I guess another way to look at it is like this: “All Scotch is whisky, but not all whisky is Scotch” 🙂
Age statements are not worth much, it’s more about liquid volume to wood ratio than about time. An age statement without the ratio is worth less than a sniff.
Point 4: I don’t get it but strangely still cracks me up. Same with 9.
Strange humour aside, the ‘Palate’ spelling and pronunciation issue is indeed annoying.
Great fun – will share this! Thanks!