What is the differnece between all of the different types of alcohol?!
Answers: What is the difference between the different types of wiskey, bourbon, scotch, vodka, rum....ect. What are they made from (i know mostly corn and diffrent types of grain) and processes each is made from? I dont care about beer...just want to know about the hard stuff.
Whiskey is essentially beer without hops that's been distilled. The ingredients can range from barley, wheat, rye, corn, millet, oats...virtually any starchy cereal grain you can think of can be made into beer and thus whiskey.
Single malt whiskey (whisky for the Scots) is purely barley and distilled at a single distillery.
Bourbon is an American whiskey that has by law >51% corn in its list of ingredients...many will tell you it must be made in Kentucky, but this isn't true, though the vast majority of Bourbon distilleries *are* in Kentucky, there a few exceptions. Time in the barrels also is a factor.
Scotch is simply short for "Scotch Whisky" (with no 'e' in the spelling...they like it this way) and simply refers to whisky made exclusively in Scotland and by law has to be aged 3 or more years in wood casks to be called "Scotch."
Brandy is merely distilled wine. Specialty brandies such as Cognac and Armagnac are made in specific geographic regions and of certain wines to be called such by French Law. This is the same with "Champagne" being exclusively from the Champagne region and all others are "sparkling wine."
Rum is made from sugar cane and it's byproducts (molasses) and is pretty simple. Fermented cane juice or molasses or combinations of each are then distilled...sometimes multiple times. Light rum is not aged, or aged very shortly. It has the least flavor and is good for mixed drinks. Darker rum has been aged, sometimes with flavors or spices and is suited for some mixed drinks, but the older it is, the more suited for sipping it becomes...similar to fine brandies or whiskies.
Vodka isn't exclusively from potatoes. In fact, it's increasingly rare that it is made from potatoes in that they are more expensive as an ingredient for the whole distilling cycle. You'll find that most vodkas are distilled from grain...the same as whiskey, but more and more thoroughly so that there is minimal/no flavor left in the distillate. It's also not aged or barreled and therefore remains crystal clear and colorless.
Actually all brown spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum) derive the majority of their color and flavor from the wooden casks that they are aged in. When distilled, they all...yes, *ALL* come out crystal clear and colorless. Caramel color may be added in the cheaper varieties, and dark rums will frequently have molasses added back for a richer flavor (which is not necessarily characteristic of the cheaper varieties).
Tequila is fermented agave juice which is then distilled. The different colors/grades relate to the amount of aging. Like Cognac etc. "Tequila" only comes from a certain region of Mexico, and is exclusively Blue Agave...all others are "Mezcal"
Gin is neutral spirits (like vodka) which are flavored via various methods with primarly juniper berries and also other botanicals.
Ouzo, Pernod, and Absinthe belong to a group of spirits called "Pastis" (I forget the meaning exactly). These are all primarily flavored with anise and liquorice and when water is added, the oils from the infused botanicals un-dissolve and turn the drink milky. Absinthe is unique in that it contanise wormwood as one of its botanicals. Wormwood contains thujone which is a controversial substance which renders it illegal in a majority of countries. It is said to make the drinker hallucinate...often called "seeing the green fairie" as Absinthe is colored green. The truth is that Absinthe is *extremely* alcoholic relative to other spirits (65% alcohol and up) and is traditionally drunk with water poured through a sugar cube (lighting the sugar cube on fire is optional) which reduces the strength for drinking.
Did I miss anything?
what they are fermented from
look on the bottles....one is alcohol content
whiskeys and bourbons are essentially the same. Been a while but if I remember right bourbon is whiskey aged in fired barrels which once aged whiskey. Gives it a slightly different flavor. Whiskey and Scotch are the same thing. Whiskey is made by fermenting grains (such as: barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn)) Its taste is hard to describe. mixes well with Coke, Mt Dew, or Vault though.
Vodka is made by fermenting potatoes but can also be made by fermenting grain or sugar beet molasses. It goes down fairly smoothly but it seems to lack actual flavor.
The buzz....