Grain, cask, age and place: what each law requires and labels from the catalog to taste each style
Every whisky is distilled from grain and aged in wood. What separates a bourbon from a Scotch or an Irish whiskey is written into law: which grain goes in, what cask the spirit rests in, for how long and where it all happens. Below are the rules for each style, summarized from the laws and bodies that define them, and labels from the Bebidário catalog to taste the difference.
Under US federal regulations (Code of Federal Regulations, 27 CFR 5.143, as summarized by Wikipedia), bourbon must be made in the United States, from a mash of at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 80% alcohol, put into new charred oak barrels at no more than 62.5% and bottled at at least 40%. It does not have to be from Kentucky. There is no minimum age; to be called straight bourbon, it needs two years and no coloring or flavoring, and under four years the age goes on the label. In 1964, the US Congress declared bourbon a distinctive product of the United States.
Jim Beam White Label ages four years, twice what is required for straight, according to the brand. In the pyramid, caramel, vanilla and black pepper, with toffee and cereal in the body.
Wild Turkey 101 shows the typical recipe: 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley, 6 to 8 years in a No. 4 char barrel, at 50.5%. Vanilla, cinnamon, caramel and tobacco in the pyramid; the brand recommends the Old Fashioned.
Maker's Mark swaps rye for red winter wheat (70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley). The producer's pyramid is short: wood, vanilla, cereal and a creamy finish.
A 2013 state law (House Bill 1084) defines Tennessee whiskey: made in Tennessee, with at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels and filtered through maple charcoal before going into the barrel, the so-called Lincoln County Process. Prichard's was exempted from the filtering. According to Wikipedia, most Tennessee whiskeys also meet the rules for bourbon, but the producers prefer not to use the name.
Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 trickles drop by drop through about 3 meters of sugar maple charcoal, with a recipe of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye. Raisin, wood and vanilla in the pyramid. The 1 L bottle went for R$ 129.90 to R$ 199.99.
Gentleman Jack goes through charcoal twice, before and after the barrel, hence the Double Mellowed on the label. Caramel, vanilla and butter in the pyramid.
The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 require production at a distillery in Scotland, from water and malted barley (other whole grains may be added), distillation below 94.8%, maturation entirely in Scotland in oak casks of up to 700 liters for at least three years, nothing added but water and E150A caramel, and a minimum of 40%. The law does not require a new cask, and many malts use casks that previously held bourbon. There are five categories: single malt (one distillery, pot still and 100% malted barley), single grain, blended malt, blended grain and blended.
Chivas Regal 12 Anos is a blend: malts, mostly from Speyside, with grain whiskies, all 12 years old or more. Honey, pear, cream and toffee in the pyramid.
Singleton of Dufftown 12 Anos is a Speyside single malt, made only from malted barley. Nuts, apple, brown sugar and coffee in the pyramid; the producer suggests drinking it neat.
The Irish Whiskey Act 1980, a law of the Republic of Ireland, requires distillation in the Republic or in Northern Ireland, from a mash of cereals saccharified by the diastase of malt, fermented by yeast and distilled below 94.8%, and maturation in wooden casks for at least three years, on either side of the border or combining both. Blended is the mix of two or more distillates that meet these rules. Triple distillation is common but not mandatory. That is why Bushmills, from Northern Ireland, is also Irish whiskey.
Jameson combines grain whiskey with pot still whiskey from malted and unmalted barley, triple distilled, with malt dried without peat. Cereal, cinnamon and vanilla in the pyramid.
Caskmates IPA Edition finishes its maturation in craft beer barrels, and the pyramid shows it: hops, grapefruit and orange peel. The brand suggests serving it with tonic water.
There is no national law. In 2021, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA) created a standard that requires its members to ferment, distill, mature and bottle in Japan, with Japanese water and malted grain in the recipe. Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a blend; the card below is for a grain whisky.
The Chita is Suntory's single grain, distilled mainly from corn in continuous columns. Cardamom, honey, rose and mint in the pyramid.
About the prices: these are shelf prices surveyed on September 24, 2026 at the online stores of Divvino, Zona Sul, Bistek, Savegnago and Giassi, for a 700 or 750 ml bottle, unless the card indicates a 1 L bottle. They change over time and from store to store.
Drink responsibly. Whisky is to be enjoyed slowly, and whoever drinks doesn't drive.
Sources: Code of Federal Regulations, 27 CFR 5.143, and the 1964 US Congress resolution, according to Wikipedia's Bourbon whiskey entry; 2013 Tennessee law (House Bill 1084), according to Wikipedia's Tennessee whiskey entry; Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, according to Wikipedia's Scotch whisky entry; Irish Whiskey Act 1980, in the Irish Statute Book, and Wikipedia's Irish whiskey entry; 2021 JSLMA standard, according to Wikipedia's Japanese whisky entry; producers' descriptions in Bebidário's spec sheets; Bebidário price survey at Divvino, Zona Sul, Bistek, Savegnago and Giassi, September 24, 2026.
