How would you describe the difference in taste/smell between Bourbon and Scotch?!
Im looking for the top 3 big differences.
Answers: Try to generalise - I realise that there are subtle differences between brands.
Im looking for the top 3 big differences.
I find that bourbon has sweet taste, sort of sickly sweet and harsher alcohol flavour.
Bourbon is made with new charred wood, and tends to have a charred character.
Scotch is mellower, but more flavourfull. Scotch get s nice vanilla/caramel flavour w/o the charred character. Barley doesn't have the sickly sweetnes that the corn imparts to bourbon.
Scotch tends to be aged longer in wood, which allows it to mellow more.
I prefer a well peated scotch, preferably from Islay. The peating process adds a mellow smokiness and the Islay air adds a salty brine character.
In general, I'd say the difference is one of mellow complexity in scotch vs. sweet and rough in bourbon.
But everyone's tastes are different...
Scotch has an musty, earthy, smokey quality to it that bourbon lacks, due to the peat used in its manufacture. Bourbon tends to have more vanilla and caramel characteristics, due to the charred oak barrels used in its aging process.
scotch smells like a scotsman and bourbon smells of bonbons!
scotch tastes like butter. bourbon tastes like axle grease.
Bourbon will destroy your health, cost you your job, and destroy your family in 15 years. Scotch can do it in 10.
It really does depend on how much money you spend on either one of these - blended spirits taste much different than well aged brews, and well aged brews taste even better if the are aged in WOOD or a combination of woods.
Bourbon to me smells like straight alcohol - Scotch smells more mellow and does not bite my nose - bourbon leaves a lingering after taste in the back of my mouth, a good Scotch does NOT. Bourbon makes me shiver, a good Scotch does not. A REALLY good Scotch actually coats your glass, most bourbons do not.
All in all, if you enjoy bourbon, do NOT ever buy a well aged Scotch FROM SCOTLAND or IRELAND (the cost will be upwards of $30.00 a bottle minimum) because you will get spoiled instantly and NEVER want Bourbon again.
An EXCELLENT, very smooth medium priced SCOTCH, is "Auchentoshan" triple distilled lowland single malt from Scotland. An EXCELLENT medium priced BOURBON is "Buffalo Trace" kentucky straight bourbon whisky, but it is VERY hard to find.
boubon is aged in oak so it has the oak flavor scotch is vatted and has little wood color or taste. good single malt is good but resembles mezcal to a point it has more raw flavor from the process boubon is covered by wood barrels taste. generally i like jim and jack but take glen fiddich seriously also but take it easy on all of it.
Scotch tastes like iodine.