Whisky Made Me Do It: 60 wonderful whisky and bourbon cocktails. Ruby Taylor

      The Islands – Included within the Highlands and not yet recognised as a separate region, the Islands deserve their own category, as their whiskies are unique – ranging from big, briny and peaty to soft and floral, all with their own characters influenced by their location.

      BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY is a newer style, which was known as vatted malt prior to 2009. Essentially a blend of only single malts (no grain whisky), these aren’t common but many are excellent.

      SINGLE GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY is made from either corn or wheat and barley (it must include barley) in a column still in Scotland. These don’t appear on the market very often but many are quite good. The single grain designation refers to one distiller producing it – grain indicates a mix beyond barley has been used.

      BLENDED GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY is similar to single grain Scotch whisky, except that it contains whiskies from at least two different distilleries blended together.

      IRISH WHISKEY is experiencing a Renaissance not seen since the early 20th century, with 18 distilleries now operating in Ireland, and at least a dozen more in the planning. Irish whiskey is the only country-specific whiskey that is actually made in two countries within one island – the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom). Irish whiskey is made from malted barley (other cereal grains can be added), must be distilled to no more than 94.8% abv, be aged in oak casks not larger than 700 litres for a minimum of three years and be matured in Ireland and bottled at not less than 40% abv. It is usually triple-distilled, which results in a light, fruity and sweet style. The use of peat in Ireland is rare, although these whiskies do exist. Like Scotch whisky, the age stated on the label must indicate the youngest age of the whiskes included. The majority of barrels used for maturation are ex-bourbon barrels, with sherry butts and wine casks sometimes used. Irish whiskey allows for the use of caramel colouring for colour correction.

      There are four types of Irish whiskey:

      Irish Malt Whiskey – This is made using 100% malted barley and triple-distilled in pot stills. An Irish malt whiskey from one distillery can be labelled as an Irish single malt.

      Irish Pot Still Whiskey – This is a blend of malted and unmalted (also known as green) barley. A minimum of 30% of each type of barley must be used and up to 5% of other cereal grains. Traditionally triple-distilled, this used to be the most popular style of whiskey in the world during the 19th century. If distilled at one distiller, the term single Irish pot still whiskey can be used.

      Irish Grain Whiskey – This is made with no more than 30% malted barley, along with other unmalted cereals such as barley, corn or wheat, and distilled in column stills. Those produced at one distillery can be labelled single grain whiskey.

      Irish Blended Whiskey – These make up the vast majority of Irish whiskies sold. Confusingly, any combination of two or more styles of malt, pot still and grain whiskies qualifies as an Irish blended whiskey, but the majority feature a dominant combination of grain and pot still whiskies.

      JAPANESE WHISKY traces its roots back to 1870 but really began in its modern form in the 1920s. It is said to model itself on Scotch whisky, although some rice whiskies are produced too. In Japan, if a distillery wants to produce a blend, they make many different styles in-house or under the umbrella of a company, usually grain whiskies from column stills and pot still-based single malts, then blend these disparate whiskies into a house style. Japanese single malt whiskies are 100% malted barley (often imported from Scotland) and double-distilled in pot stills. Occasionally, Japanese oak barrels (called mizunara oak) are used, but they are very expensive and tend to leak; however, they do add a complex cedar spice component.

      CANADIAN WHISKY can be made from any cereal grain or grain products (wheat, rye and corn being the most common) and are aged in ‘small wood’ of not more than 700-litre casks for a minimum of three years. The product must be distilled and matured in Canada and not bottled at less than 40% abv. Many styles of Canadian whisky allow caramel colouring for colour correcting, but they also allow up to 9.09% of flavouring to be added as long as it is a spirit aged at least 24 months or a wine. Generally, Canadian whiskies are a blend of base whiskies produced in column stills to a high proof then matured in used barrels, blended with flavouring whiskies. They are generally distilled to a lower abv on column stills, then possibly in a pot still, before being matured in ex-bourbon, ex-rye or virgin-wood barrels. Both styles are generally distilled and matured from one grain at a time, then blended to create a house style. Barrels may be new or used, charred or uncharred. Canadian whisky is often referred to as ‘rye’ because it traditionally contains rye in the blend (dating back to German and Dutch immigrants adding rye to the wheat mash), but wheat is most widely used. Now Canada is home to eight major distilleries and a number of small micro-distilleries.