Whisky
A smooth Irish whiskey and an Islay malt full of peat smoke and seaweed sit on the same shelf. No category is as broad as whisky. Here you'll learn what it is, what types of whisky and whiskey there are, how their flavors differ, how to drink it, and which glass to use. Whiskey with an e is simply the Irish and American spelling of the same word.
The best-known whisky brands
Four bottles you'll see in almost every bar. Each comes from a different corner of the world.
Johnnie Walker
The world's best-selling Scotch, with a different color for every occasion. You can recognize it by that touch of smoke from the Islay malts in the blend.
About Johnnie Walker →The Macallan
A Speyside malt that became famous for its Jerez sherry casks. Plenty of dried fruit, orange, and chocolate. Best enjoyed neat.
About The Macallan →Glenfiddich
The world's best-selling single malt, in the triangular bottle with the stag. A true Speyside, fruity and light. You can always taste pear and apple.
About Glenfiddich →
Jameson
The Irish whiskey in the green bottle, triple-distilled and around since 1780. Smooth, with vanilla and green apple. It's the classic base for an Irish Coffee.
About Jameson →Every whisky listed by brand
19 brands and 63 varieties, each with its own page about flavor, cocktails, and the right glass.
Grain, oak and time. There aren't many more rules
Whisky is a distilled spirit made from grain that must be aged in oak casks. This is required by law; it's not the distiller's choice. At least three years, and for Scotch and Irish whiskey, in that country too. The alcohol content in the bottle must then be at least 40%, or it can't be called whisky. Beyond that, few rules are set. As a result, two bottles with the same word on the label can taste completely different.
Whisky coming off the still has no color yet. Its color and most of its flavor come from the wood. A cask that previously held bourbon adds vanilla, coconut and a gentle sweetness. A sherry cask adds dried fruit, orange and chocolate. Some of the whisky evaporates from the cask each year. This is called the angels' share. What's left becomes fuller and rounder. So an old whisky isn't necessarily better, but it usually has more wood flavor.
Many people associate whisky with smoke. But it's not always there. The smoke comes from peat, dried bog that is burned under the germinating barley to stop the malting process. The smoke infuses the grain, and you taste it later in the glass as campfire, iodine and seaweed. Almost all whisky on Islay is made this way. In Speyside, most distilleries don't use peat at all.
In short
Four words on the label that make all the difference
It comes down to two questions. What grain is it made from? And does the whisky come from one distillery or several?
Single malt
Made only from malted barley, distilled in copper stills and entirely from one distillery. So you taste the character of that one house. It can be fruity and light, but also rich and smoky.
Blended Scotch
Malt whiskies and smooth grain whisky from different distilleries blended together. The blender aims for it to taste exactly the same every year. The vast majority of all Scotch sold is a blend.
Blended malt
Just single malts from different distilleries blended together, with no grain whisky. Fuller than a regular blend, but still smooth enough to mix. This used to be called vatted malt.
Irish whiskey
In Ireland, the spirit is usually distilled three times instead of twice. Irish whiskeys therefore taste lighter and smoother, with apple and vanilla and almost never any smoke. Which whiskey should you use for an Irish coffee? Exactly, an Irish one. And note that in Ireland, it’s spelled with an e.
Grain whisky is the smooth grain whisky that makes up most of a blend. You rarely find it on its own. Bourbon and Japanese whisky have their own pages.
Whisky flavors, from vanilla and dried fruit to wood and smoke
Vanilla & fruit
Vanilla and coconut if it was aged in American oak. Raisin, orange and cinnamon if it was aged in sherry casks. If the whisky is peated, you’ll also smell campfire and sea air.
Sweet wood, then spice
First, a hint of sweetness from the wood, caramel and honey. Then pepper, cinnamon and dried fruit. Irish whiskey stays light and smooth. An Islay malt finishes with tar and iodine.
Warm and long
Warm and dry, with the oak lingering longest. The higher the alcohol percentage and the longer it’s aged, the longer the warmth lingers. A little water opens up the finish even more.
This is what the flavor profile of a typical unpeated Scotch whisky looks like. An Islay malt scores around 5 for smokiness. An Irish whiskey scores around 2 for intensity and higher for fruitiness.
Three ways to drink whisky
Neat, diluted or in a cocktail. Few spirits do all three so well.
Neat, with a few drops of water
Pour 3 to 4 cl into a tulip-shaped glass and let it sit for a moment. Then add a few drops of water. The alcohol bites less, and you’ll smell things that were hidden before. If the whisky is cask strength, feel free to add a teaspoon of water.
Browse whisky glasses →In an Old Fashioned
Stir 5 cl of whisky with half a sugar cube or 1 cl of sugar syrup and two dashes of Angostura over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler. Squeeze a piece of orange peel over the glass and drop it in. No other cocktail lets the whisky stay so true to itself.
Old Fashioned recipe →As a highball
4 cl whisky and 12 cl ice-cold sparkling water or ginger ale in a long drink glass filled to the brim with ice. Stir gently once and add a piece of lemon peel. Use a smooth blend or Irish whiskey for this. An expensive single malt would be wasted here.
Highball recipe →The best-known whisky cocktails
Almost all the classics behind the bar are made with whisky. Start with these four.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar, bitters and an orange peel. Older than the word cocktail itself.
Whiskey Sour
Whisky, lemon and sugar, shaken until frothy. The easiest way to win someone over.
Manhattan
Whisky and sweet vermouth with bitters, stirred and served ice-cold with a cherry.
Irish Coffee
Irish whiskey, coffee, sugar and a layer of cream that floats on top.The right glass for whisky
If you drink it with ice, choose a heavy glass with a thick base. For tasting it neat, a tulip shape is better; it guides the aromas to your nose. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
What else you’d like to know about whisky
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What percentage alcohol is in whisky?
What’s the difference between single malt and blended whisky?
Why is it sometimes spelled whisky and sometimes whiskey?
Does 12 Years mean that all the whisky in the bottle is twelve years old?
Where does the smoky flavor in whisky come from?
Do you drink your whisky with water or ice?
Buy whisky
Want the bottle delivered straight to your door? Order whisky online from Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 715, 84 of which are on sale.
Prices as of November 6, 2026, as reported by Gall & Gall. You can find the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it costs you nothing extra. No 18, no alcohol.
