Scotch or Bourbon- Which is Better?

When it comes to Scotch vs bourbon, you've probably heard some common sentiments and opinions. Many people tend to group all Scotches together as smoky or peaty, and consider bourbons as universally strong and sweet. Like anything else, though, there's a ton of variation among these two whiskies, from blended Scotches to wheated bourbons and everything in between. While there are some clear, consistent differences between the two spirits, like their mash bills, production processes, aging times, and general flavor profiles, there are many more smaller nuances than meet the eye. Learn all about them in this Taster’s Club guide to these classic spirits.

Bourbon

What is bourbon?

Bourbon is a type of American whiskey made from at least 51% corn, with any other grains being used in the other 49% (usually a combination of wheat, rye, and malted barley). It must be matured in new charred American oak barrels. There is no rule for how long the spirit must be aged, but a bourbon labeled as “straight” must be aged for at least two years and contain zero flavor additives, color, or additional spirits. Finally, bourbon must be distilled to no more than 80% ABV (alcohol by volume) once bottled and no more than 62.5% ABV when entering the barrel for maturation.

Taster’s Club’s Types of Bourbon Available in Our Bottle Shop

Types of bourbon

Standard bourbon
Bourbon is a highly regulated spirit, and standard bourbons are those that meet the minimum US requirements by law. These are, the whiskey must be made in the US using at least 51% corn, aged in charred oak barrels at 125 proof or more and bottled at no less than 80 proof with nothing except water.

High West American Prairie Bourbon

High West American Prairie Barrel Aged Bourbon Whiskey is a complex blend of straight bourbons, producing an aromatic whiskey that is rich and earthy on the palate. 

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Straight bourbon
Straight bourbon is aged for over two years in charred oak barrels. This means the quality can be higher than a standard bourbon, which has no aging requirement.

Baker's 7 Year Bourbon

No two barrels of Baker’s are the same. Each is as unique as the man the bourbon is named for. Each barrel sits in its own unique place throughout our rickhouses, patiently aging for a minimum of seven years to extract the notes of vanilla trapped within the charred oak.

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Kentucky bourbon
The single difference between Standard and Kentucky bourbon is that Kentucky bourbon is made in that state. While the spirit can legally be made across the US, many bourbons are produced in Kentucky because of its wildly successful generational history of bourbon-making. There are great reasons for this long history, including the state’s limestone deposits that help give the water a pleasant, sweet flavor. As well, Kentucky’s fertile soil is ideal for growing corn, and its varied climate helps with releasing and absorbing the spirit as it matures in charred oak.

Four Roses Small Batch

If you’ve ever wanted proof that mingling Bourbons is an art unto itself, you’ll find it in this perfectly balanced, Small Batch Bourbon. Four original Bourbon recipes have been expertly selected by our Master Distiller at the peak of maturation to create this very mellow and perfectly balanced Bourbon.

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Bottled-in-bond bourbon
By law, Bottled-in-bond bourbon must be made in a single season by a single producer. These bourbons are matured for at least four years in a federally-bonded warehouse before being bottled at 50% ABV. Here's our recommended Bottled-in-bond bottles to try:

Small-batch
There is no single definition of Small-batch bourbon. It might be that select barrels were blended to achieve a certain flavor, experimental bourbons were combined for something special, or maybe single pot stills were used in production. Whatever the case is, you’ll know you’re getting something unique and interesting no matter which bottle you try. Here our top pick:

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

1792 Small Batch Bourbon is sophisticated and complex. A distinctly different bourbon created with precise craftsmanship. Made from our signature "high rye" recipe and the marriage of select barrels carefully chosen by our Master Distiller.

Corn bourbon
Some bourbons are made well beyond the 51 percent corn minimum. You can often find those made with 60 to 70 percent corn, sometimes even more, with the rest of the mash bill being rye and barley. This hearty bourbon is aged in an oak barrel for at least two years, tastes extra sweet compared to others, and balances spicy notes wonderfully. Here's our top pick:

Balcones Blue Corn Bourbon

True Blue 100 is made with the same mashbill as Baby Blue - 100% Texas grown & roasted blue corn but allowed to further mature in used oak casks for a much richer spirit that balances the flavors of both blue corn and oak.

How to drink bourbon

There are several ways people love their bourbon. Explore these and see what speaks to you the most.

Neat
Drinking bourbon neat – or on its own at room temperature – is how pure aficionados like it.Bourbon purists enjoy the drink neat – meaning it’s served at room temperature with nothing added. It’s typically poured in a rocks glass, shot glass, snifter, or Glencairn glass. This is the preferred method for seasoned whiskey drinkers, but it’s a great way to get the real deal from a bottle of bourbon.

With water
A great way to ease yourself into bourbon – especially the stronger cask-strength ones – is by diluting some with just a few drops of water. This will help “open” the spirit, or bring its flavors to the surface, to give you a fuller sense of the character and flavor the maker intended.

On the rocks
Some folks like their bourbon on the rocks, meaning over 1-2 ice cubes. This not only makes the drink cooler and refreshing, but (like water) it brings out unique flavors and aromas that might not be so obvious otherwise, especially in stronger, cask-strength pours.

In a cocktail or soda
If cocktails or highballs are your jam, there’s no reason bourbon can’t join the party. It makes a great mix for trying flavor combinations of all sorts, whether in a fancy cocktail or simple bourbon and cola.

To help you answer Scotch or bourbon, bourbon or scotch, which is better, we'll now get into all you need to know about Scotch.

Scotch

What is Scotch?

Scotch is a type of whisky made in Scotland, specifically in one of its 5 Scotch regions. The spirit has an ABV of at least 40% and is made from grain, malt, or both, but most often malted barley. Scotch is distilled and matured in oak casks for at least three years, but most of it ages for 12-25 years or even up to 50 because the longer it ages, the better and smoother it tastes. A Scotch’s ingredients greatly determine its flavors, which can be sweet, malty, creamy, and peppery. As well, makers can use peat to dry barley, giving the spirit a distinct, smoky flavor.

Taster’s Club’s Types of Scotch Available in Our Bottle Shop

Types of Scotch

There are five different types of Scotch:​

Single malt Scotch
Single malt is distilled at one distillery from water and malted barley, and no other types of grains.For a fantastic single malt, pick up Bladnoch Vinaya Classic Collection Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, available in our bottle shop.

Bladnoch Vinaya Classic Collection Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Matured in a unique combination of 1st fill Bourbon and 1st fill Sherry casks for notes of fresh apple, sweet floral grass and hints of chocolate. ‘Vinaya’, a Sanskrit word meaning respect and gratitude, pays homage to the original founders of the distillery who paved the way, as Bladnoch looks forward to an exciting new era of production and innovation.

Single grain Scotch
Like single malt, single grain Scotch is distilled at one distillery from water and malted barley. It may or may not include whole grains or other malted or unmalted grains.Check out and try one of our top single grain Scotches, The ImpEx Collection 28 Year Old 1992.

Perfect Fifth Cambus 41 Year Old

A rare find from an esteemed grain distillery. Four decades of maturation have afforded this superb distillate time to develop into something truly special. With honeyed sweetness and pudding flavours abundant through the nose and palate – complemented with orange, nougat and touches of aromatic spice - even those with the most ardent sweet-tooth will find this a fine substitute for dessert.

Blended Scotch
Blended Scotch is the combination of different whiskey types and sometimes grain spirits, coloring, and flavoring. Dewar's Aged 12 Years is a fantastic blended Scotch you won't want to miss.

Dewar's Aged 12 Years

The new Dewar’s 12 Year Old is comprised of up to 40 of Scotland’s finest single malt and grain whiskies, now double aged in hand selected 1st Fill Bourbon Casks resulting in a far greater breadth and depth of flavor. Aged for a minimum of 12 years, this scotch whisky is perfectly balanced with notes of peach, red apple and lemon zest on the nose, giving way to more floral and spicy notes of white pepper and clove before concluding in an incredibly long and smooth finish.

Blended malt Scotch
Blended malt is distilled at two or more distilleries from two or more single malt Scotches. Compass Box Canvas is one of our favorite blended malts, and you can find it in our bottle shop.

Compass Box Canvas

This is an exceedingly colourful and vibrant Scotch whisky, thanks to a parcel of single malt re-racked into experimental barrels for three years.

Blended grain Scotch
Blended grain Scotch is made from at least two single malt Scotches from different distilleries.For a truly out-of-the-box Scotch experience with surprise flavors, give Compass Box Experimental a try - you won't be sorry.

Compass Box Experimental Grain Whisky

A grain whisky that’s only a pot still away from being a single maltA grain whisky made only from malt? That’s also smoky? Paradoxical spirits are something of a calling card for the whiskymakers at Loch Lomond Distillery who operate their site with seriously open minds.

Regions and differences

Scotland has six Scotch whiskey regions, each offering a unique take on the spirit. These include Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland, Speyside, and the Islands (though only the first five areas are recognized by the Scotch Whisky Association).

Campbeltown
The small, western town of Campbeltown is located on the Kintyre peninsula. It’s renowned for dry, full-flavored and charactered Scotches rich in many flavors like vanilla, fruit, smoke, brine, toffee, and salt. Scotch from Campbeltown isn’t distinct from other regions, and the use of peat and finishing malt in casks from other liquids vary among distilleries.

For a true taste of Campbeltown, try the Kilkerran 8 Year Bourbon Cask Matured, available in our bottle shop.

Kilkerran 8 Year Bourbon Cask Matured

This is a fully Bourbon-cask matured single malt from one of the three remaining distilleries in Campbeltown. Originally founded in 1872, the distillery shuttered in 1925 and was recalled to life in 2004 by descendants of the original founders. 

Highland
The Highland region is home to diverse Scotch flavors and is the country’s largest area of Scotch production. Located north of Glasgow to Thurso and spanning east to west, the large region carries a wide variety of Scotches for everyone, with styles divided into certain subregions: north, south, east and west.

One of our top Highland picks is Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old, and you can get your very own bottle below.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Smooth aromatic heather and honey sweetness, Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old is a clean, crisp Scotch which provides a perfect introduction to the delights of single malt whisky.

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Islay
Known as “whisky island”, Islay is one of the most southern Inner Hebridean Islands off Scotland’s west coast. Very distinct in style, it produces heavy, peaty, smoky, sweet, oily Scotches with many complex layers and flavor notes, thanks to the maritime environment and peat exposed to rain and sea spray.Savor the sea and smoky peat of Islay in Ardbeg Uigeadail, one of our top Islay Scotches.

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’, it’s a special vatting that marries Ardbeg’s traditional deep, smoky notes with luscious, raisiny tones of old ex-Sherry casks.

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Lowland
The second-largest and most accessible Scotch region, Lowland, is in the most southern part of the country and also borders the Highlands and Central Belt. Some of Scotland’s oldest producers are based here, making light-bodied, gentle, soft, smooth malts with very little or no peat – some even triple-distilled (like Irish whiskey).Lowland produces many amazing pours, but we absolutely love Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt. Give it a try.

Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Triple distilled and matured solely in American bourbon casks. The result: a Lowland Single Malt Whisky with the sweet aromas of vanilla and coconut – along with the signature smooth, delicate, Auchentoshan taste.

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Speyside
Speyside, a subregion to the Highlands next door, is a rugged area in Scotland’s northeast, near the River Spey. Home to 60 distilleries, it’s the most densely populated Scotch region and offers a community vibe with tours and regular happy hours. The area’s Scotch is typically sweet, peatless single malt with little to no peat.Taste a bit of Speyside in Benriach The Twelve, available from our bottle shop.

Benriach The Twelve

To make Benriach Twelve, Benriach spirit is three cask matured for at least twelve years in sherry casks, bourbon barrels and port casks. The whisky from each cask is then expertly married together to create a smooth, sherry-rich single malt, layered with baked fruit, maple honey and cocoa, perfectly balanced with a lingering sultana and spiced mocha finish.

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Islands
While not an official Scotch Whisky Association region, Scotland’s islands hold their own and produce some diverse, unique bottles. But, salinity and peat are consistent due to the close proximity to the sea, and smoke, brine, oil, and pepper are common, too. We absolutely love Talisker 10 Year Old and you can try it from the comfort of home by visiting our shop, below.

Talisker 10 Year Old

Experience the tale told by the tides with a sip of Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Intense and full-bodied, our 91. 6 proof whisky has a strong smoke, barley-malt taste and rich, dried-fruit sweetness.

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How to drink scotch

There are several ways to enjoy Scotch, each bringing a unique experience to the spirit.

Neat
Neat is the simplest way to drink Scotch, no matter the type. This means its drunk on its own, with nothing added. Scotch is best enjoyed neat in a whiskey snifter or tulip glass, sipped slowly to take in all the intricacies and notes.

With water
Flavors come out stronger when Scotch is diluted with a few drops of water and the alcohol weakens. Just start small so not to dilute it too much – you can always add more but you can’t remove it.

On the rocks
The spirit served over ice is a nice, refreshing way to enjoy it, especially on warmer days. When you do this, the flavor profile will change, with some flavors strengthened and others weakened. Finding the right balance is all about finding the right type of ice – such as a large, single cube or ball to slow down the melting pace.

In a cocktail
Scotch, like bourbon or other types of alcohol, is a great base with which to mix highballs or cocktails. This is not only great if you love mixed drinks, but it’s also ideal for newbies to the spirit, since the mixing makes it more accessible and helps flavors come out.

Now that you know a little more about Scotch and Bourbon whiskies, you can answer Scotch or bourbon, bourbon or Scotch, which is better? Then, start your journey today with either one or both. We have countless options for you to choose from, both in our bottle shop and through our dedicated Scotch and bourbon clubs.