Bourbon vs. Whiskey: What's the Difference?

It is one of the most common questions we hear at the bar, and the answer is simpler than you might think.

Whiskey is a broad category of spirits distilled from fermented grain. Bourbon is a specific type of American whiskey with a legal definition.

To be called bourbon, a whiskey must be: made in the United States; distilled from a mash of at least 51% corn; aged in new, charred oak barrels; and bottled at 80 proof or more.

That corn-forward mash bill is why bourbon tends to be sweeter and rounder than a rye or a Scotch. The new charred oak is where most of the color and those classic vanilla-caramel notes come from.

So next time someone asks: all bourbon is whiskey, but only whiskey that follows those rules earns the name bourbon.