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Stop looking like a rookie in the whiskey aisle

Hey Barrelhead 🥃
Hit reply and let us know what you'‘re sipping these days.
I picked this up as a birthday haul yesterday:

PROOF OF GENIUS
PROOF OF GENIUS
In the John Wick film saga, which Kentucky bourbon does our suit-clad assassin famously sip at home and share with Winston in the Continental’s bar? |
THE WEEKLY POUR
🦅 Taste test: Have you tried the new Eagle Rare 12? It might be your new favorite pour.
💀 When Grandpa dies … We were sad. Until we found this bottle from 1934. Thanks Pappy.
🤠 A great Texas pour: When Rickhouse was dreamt up we were at a conference in Austin. Still Austin makes some interesting bourbons and this one includes a mash bill with red corn.
❤️ What do you think is the sexiest bourbon bottle? According to Whiskey and Watches, here are the Top 5.
A MESSAGE FROM RICKHOUSE
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Want better odds? Challenge the Hulk to a a bourbon tasting without getting angry when you tell him Blanton's is overrated.

TOP SHELF
Whiskey vs Scotch vs Bourbon: Stop Looking Like a Rookie
Your buddy just dropped $300 on a bottle of "whisky" — no 'e' — and won't shut up about peat smoke. Meanwhile, you're standing in the liquor store like a deer in headlights, wondering if that $40 bourbon is even real whiskey.
Time to level up.
Here's everything you need to know without the pretentious BS.
🥃 The Big Picture: It's All Whiskey (Mostly)
Think of whiskey like trucks.
Bourbon is a pickup. Scotch is a semi. They're both trucks, but you wouldn't haul cattle in a Mac truck or cross the Scottish Highlands in a Ford F-150.
Every bourbon is whiskey. Every Scotch is whisky (no 'e' — they're fancy like that). But not every whiskey is bourbon or Scotch.
The spelling thing matters:
Americans and Irish: Whiskey (with the 'e')
Scots, Canadians, Japanese: Whisky (no 'e')
Why? Because the Scots started this whole thing and everyone else had to pick sides.
🏴 Scotch: The OG Power Play
Scotch whisky comes from Scotland. Period. If it wasn't made there, it's not Scotch — just like Champagne has to come from France or it's just sparkling wine.
The Rules (They're Serious About This):
Made in Scotland (obviously)
Aged minimum 3 years in oak barrels
Mostly malted barley
Five different types exist, but Single Malt is the flex bottle
What You Actually Need to Know: Single Malt Scotch = one distillery, all malted barley, the good stuff your rich uncle hoards.
Flavor Profile: Smoky. Peaty. Earthy. Like drinking a campfire in the best possible way.
That peat smoke comes from burning peat moss during the malting process. Islay Scotches turn this up to 11 — they taste like liquid barbecue smoke mixed with ocean air.
Fun Fact to Drop: Most Scotch ages in used bourbon barrels. We send them our empties, they send us back liquid gold. It's the ultimate recycling program.
🇺🇸 Bourbon: America's Sweet Revenge
Congress literally declared bourbon America's native spirit in 1964. Take that, every other country.
The Non-Negotiables:
Made in USA (not just Kentucky, though 95% comes from there)
Mash bill must be 51%+ corn
Aged in NEW charred oak barrels
Zero additives — just grain, water, yeast, and American attitude
Why It Tastes Like Freedom: That corn-heavy recipe plus fresh oak barrels = sweet, caramel goodness. No minimum aging requirement, but anything under 2 years gets labeled "straight bourbon" (translation: probably not worth your money). Avoid it.
Myth Buster: "All bourbon comes from Kentucky" — Wrong. Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, New York, and other states make bourbon too. But Kentucky does make 95% of it, so they get bragging rights.
The Cheat Sheet
Whiskey = The parent category. Brown liquor made from grains.
Scotch = Scotland's smoky gift to the world. Made from barley, aged in used barrels, tastes like a Highland campfire.
Bourbon = America's corn-fed sweetheart. New oak barrels, sweet as your first paycheck.
Which One Should You Buy?
Want to impress barrelheads? Grab anything with "Single Barrel" or "Barrel Proof" on the label.
Want to look sophisticated? Single Malt Scotch from Islay if you like smoke, Speyside if you don't.
Want to actually enjoy drinking? Start with bourbon. It's friendlier to American palates.
Just starting out? Try all three. Your taste buds will tell you what your wallet should follow.
Quick Reference
Type | Key Ingredient | Made Where | Barrels | Flavor Profile |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bourbon | 51%+ Corn | USA | New charked oak | Sweet, caramel, vanilla |
Scotch | Mostly barley | Scotland | Used oak, 3+ years | Smoky, earthy, complex |
Whiskey | Any grains | Worldwide | Varies | Depends on style |
Rick's Final Thought
Stop overthinking it. Scotch is for when you want to feel sophisticated. Bourbon is for when you want to feel American. Whiskey is for when you just want to feel good.
Now quit reading and go taste something.
POUR DECISIONS

LAST CALL
Last week we asked:
Which distiller is credited with creating the first bottled bourbon in the United States?
Elijah Craig
E.H. Taylor Jr.
Jacob Beam
George Garvin Brown
✅ Correct Answer: George Garvin Brown
In 1870, George Garvin Brown—founder of what would become Old Forester—revolutionized the industry by bottling bourbon for the first time. Before that, whiskey was sold by the barrel, and quality varied wildly.
Brown’s innovation wasn’t just about convenience—it was about trust. He sealed each bottle with a handwritten guarantee, making Old Forester the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed glass containers.
Why it mattered? It set the standard for consistency and gave birth to the modern bourbon industry as we know it. Cheers to that. 🥃
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEEK'S BOOZELETTER? |