There are six main types of whiskey: Scotch, Irish, bourbon, rye, Tennessee and Japanese. They differ by grain, country of origin, and the rules each region enforces about how the spirit is made and aged.
For a trade buyer, the categories matter commercially: they determine price band, shelf placement and which customer reaches for the bottle. Here is what separates them.
What are the main types of whiskey?
The six principal styles are Scotch, Irish whiskey, bourbon, rye, Tennessee whiskey and Japanese whisky. Each is defined by law in its country of origin, covering permitted grains, minimum ageing and where production must take place.
Those legal definitions are why the categories are useful rather than arbitrary. A bottle labelled bourbon has met a specific standard; one labelled “whiskey” alone has not.
| Type | Origin | Main grain | Minimum age | Typical character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotch | Scotland | Malted barley | 3 years | Malty, often smoky |
| Irish | Ireland | Barley (malted and unmalted) | 3 years | Light, smooth |
| Bourbon | USA | Corn (min 51%) | No minimum* | Sweet, vanilla, oak |
| Rye | USA / Canada | Rye (min 51% US) | No minimum* | Spicy, peppery |
| Tennessee | USA | Corn (min 51%) | No minimum* | Bourbon-like, mellower |
| Japanese | Japan | Malted barley | 3 years | Precise, delicate |
*Straight bourbon and straight rye must be aged at least two years.
Why is it spelled whiskey and whisky?
Scotland, Japan and Canada spell it whisky. Ireland and the United States generally spell it whiskey. The spirit is the same; the spelling follows the country.
A useful shortcut: countries with an E in the name tend to use the E in whiskey. Ireland and the United States have one; Scotland, Japan and Canada do not.
What is the difference between single malt and blended?
A single malt comes from one distillery and is made entirely from malted barley. A blend combines whisky from multiple distilleries, usually mixing malt and grain whisky.
Blends dominate volume sales; single malts command higher prices and margins. Most trade listings need both.
Which types sell best in the UK trade?
Blended Scotch remains the volume leader, with bourbon and Irish whiskey growing strongly. Single malts drive value rather than volume.
Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel’s and Jameson appear on most trade lists because they turn reliably. Premium single malts sit alongside them for margin, not throughput.
How should a retailer range whiskey?
Cover the categories before you cover the brands. A range with three blends and no bourbon has a gap a customer will notice faster than a missing label.
The practical order for most retail and hospitality: blended Scotch, bourbon, Irish, then single malt, then rye and Japanese as the range deepens.
Buying whiskey wholesale
We supply wholesale whiskey across all these categories — Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel’s, Chivas Regal, Macallan, Jameson and more — by the case and pallet.
As an AWRS approved UK wholesaler (URN XZAW00000111737) we supply trade buyers only, in the UK and for export. See our trade terms or request a quote.