Hi
All whiskeys are made from a grain mash. Irish and Scotch (they spell it, "whisky") are made from malted (sprouted and dried) barley. Bourbon (THE American whiskey - to some Americans, the ONLY whiskey - the others are called, Irish, Scotch or Rye) is made from mostly (at least 51%) corn with the remainder being wheat, rye or malted barley. Canadians revert to the, "whisky," spelling and make theirs from (again, MOSTLY: At least 51%) rye with the remainder being made up of corn or malted barley.
Irish malt is made by sprouting the grain then drying it in a closed oven or kiln, while Scotch malt is sprouted the same way, then dried and roasted over an open peat fire, giving it its signiture smokey flavor.
I'm a Scotch drinker myself. Well - I USED to be a Scotch drinker, anyhow. You haven't had REAL Scotch until you're tried a single-malt. Don't buy a bottle just to try it, though. A wee bit of single-malt goes a LONG way. My favorite drink was Scotch and milk - cheap Scotch and good milk: Good for the body and liberating for the mind.
Another intersting thing about Scotches: A double-blind taste test among people that thought of themselves as Scotch connoisseurs showed that only one in 20 or so could tell the difference between the blended brands. A $7 bottle of bar scotch, a $50 bottle of Pinch, or a $100 bottle of Chivas Regal - they all go down about the same.
I really did like Pinch, though.
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