Whisky

Our selection of whiskey includes Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, Japanese, home-grown Australian, American whiskeys, bespoke blended whiskey and single malts, among many more. We have literally hundreds of different whiskeys on offer online and we guarantee that we have them for the lowest possible price. The reason we know this is because we don’t set the prices, we just go hunting for the lowest ones already available and then we match them. In fact, if you can find any of our whiskeys for a cheaper price, we guarantee that we’ll price match for you.

When you join Boozebud, you can also set up your alcohol preferences for us. We’ll use these preferences to curate a personalised list and a selection of both available whiskey and any other type or style of alcohol you like to drink so that each time you log in you’ll be greeted with a list made just for you and your tastes. Our range is extensive so if you’re a whiskey drinker who enjoys a beer, we’ve got a selection for you. If you’re a gin and whiskey drinker, we can show you some tequila and vodka that you might be interested too. Whatever your fancy, we’ve got a bottle of something you’ll love.

Before we get started, why don’t we take a little trip through history and learn where whiskey came from, how old it is, the difference between a single malt, the different types of whiskey including rye whiskey, where the term ‘dram’ comes from and how to enjoy all of the delicious types and styles that we have available.

What is whiskey made from?

Whiskey seems to owe its origins to both Scotland and Ireland in the 15^th Century with reports of it being drunk by an Irish chieftain at Christmas in 1405. It’s not really clear when it was actually created but if the Irish chieftains were drinking it around Christmas time 1405 and the Scots were sending it in 1495 to Kings, chances are it’s a fairly old spirit with its roots deeply embedded in Irish and Scotch social history for hundreds of years and the rest is just details.

How whiskey is made and what it’s made from will determine the type and style that you’re drinking. It’s typically made from the distilled fermented grain mash of barley, corn, rye and wheat. Whiskey, as a rule, is a very strictly regulated spirit with very specific whiskey production classes and types. These are determined by the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wooden barrels like oak barrels.

The still used for making whiskey is usually made of copper – like most stills – as copper removes the sulphur-based compounds from the alcohol and these are what would make it a bit unpleasant on the palate the drink. Sulphur, after all, has the famous rotten egg scent tones so one can only imagine what kind of tingle that would leave on the tongue. The simplest of these stills are known as single pot stills and will have a single heated chamber plus a vessel to catch the purified alcohol.

Powers Irish Whiskey makers have a signature pot still set up and their Signature Release Single Pot Still Whiskey at 40% ABV bears the hallmark spicy flavours that are typically found in the Powers whiskeys. This style has been matured mostly within American bourbon barrels and includes a subtle dose of whiskey matured in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. Still-strength whiskey production methods can produce a whiskey of about 70% ABV, increasing with each distillation so a double distilled whiskey will doubtless be higher as will triple distilled, while cask-strength whiskey like the Aberlour A’bunadh are capable of a typical range of 58 – 66% with Abelour standing at 61.6% ABV. Column still distillation is capable of producing even higher proof levels but are diluted before being aged in a cask for the purposes of design a specific taste.

Column stills are more often used to make bourbon from the United States and other American whiskeys. They consist of a series of single pot stills formed in a long vertical tube and can achieve a vapour alcohol content of 95.6%.

The aging of a whiskey is completed within barrels and not in the bottle so whenever you come across the age of a whiskey you should know that that relates to the time it spent between distillation and getting into the bottle. When you know the age of a whiskey then you know how long it had time to be affected by the cask it was aged within and you should be able to deduce how its chemical makeup and, therefore, its taste has been affected. Although you’re likely to see old whiskey sell for a higher value, the time it spent in the barrel could well have been the same time a more modern whiskey has been aged for so the price tag may not actually reflect its real drinking value. Typically, after a decade or so, there is very little more to be improved by leaving a whiskey in the barrel any longer.

While a whiskey is aging it will undergo six processes which affect its final flavour consisting of extraction, evaporation, oxidation, concentration, filtration and colouration. You’ll often find that whiskey is aged in barrel used for other spirits like rum and sherry to design a particular flavour. A single malt whiskey must be made only from malted barley, distilled using only a pot still and aged for at least three years in oak casks.

What to mix with whiskey?

Whiskey can be drunk neat, over ice or with a variety of mixers. The most common mixer is ginger ale but that’s a bit old fashioned. Soda water is a neutral flavour so it will dilute your whiskey drinking and help you pace yourself while also giving your taste buds the freedom to enjoy the nuanced sweet and fruity flavours of a Jameson or a Tullamore Dew, or inhale the rich peaty and heather expression of a Scotch Whisky.

The famous Irish Coffee is the perfect winter warmer while a Manhattan is a sweet afternoon pick me up with a combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters. For crisp afternoons and early evenings opt for a whiskey and apple cider combination that offers you the tart and zest of a cider with the warmth of a comforting dram. A dram, by the way, is specifically a precise measurement of whiskey (Irish spelling) or whisky (Scotch spelling) determined by the people you are drinking with.

What is the difference between bourbon and whiskey?

In order for whiskey to be able to call itself a bourbon its mash bill must contain at least 51% corn and it must be made in Kentucky. Jack Daniels is a is a Tennessee Whiskey because of two reasons; the distillation process includes filtration through sugar-maple charcoal, and it’s made in Tennessee. Canadian whisky like Canadian Club will also mostly contain corn spirits and they are usually lighter and smoother than other whisky styles.

What is the difference between scotch and whiskey?

In order for a whisky to be a Scotch, it must be made in Scotland. They spell their national drink without the ‘e’ while across the little sea in Ireland, a whiskey is a whisky made in Ireland and with an extra ‘e’ in it. They are generally distilled using similar processes and will be made general from malted barley. The rest is pride, we think.

You might also come across the term ‘single estate’ on your whisky travels and this is a relatively new term. It largely means that a particular whisky which has been distilled on the same estate in which the malted barley it has been distilled from was actually grown. It’s not like ‘single malt’ even though it uses a lot of the same words. It basically means that everything inside the bottle of whisky that you have bought all came from the same estate. This might be better. You decide.

Because now that you’re a bit more familiar with the vast and differing worlds of Scotch and whiskey, whisky and bourbon, rye and everything else, you are now probably ready to start ordering some of these delicious sounding styles and flavours. We know that our interest is officially piqued and we’re sure that yours is too.

Joining Boozebud is thankfully a lot simpler than understanding the subtle differences and geographical stylings of whiskey from the around the world. You simply create your online account and, while you’re at it, let us know what you like to drink in general including your other beer, wine and spirits tastes so we can start personalising your online shopping experience for you.

Offering the lowest price across our entire stock is our promise and our guarantee so if you come across a cheaper price on any of our stocked products then we will price match it for you. You’ll just need to send us through the details and where you saw an product advertised for a lower price – you can contact us here – and we’ll take care of the rest.

Enjoy the comfort and convenience of selecting your favourite whiskey, learning about and discovering the world of all of the other whiskeys and whiskys available, with Boozebud and have your personalised orders shipped straight to your front door.

Boozebud

Whatever you love to drink, you'll find it available to order online at Boozebud and conveniently delivered to your door anywhere in Australia. If it's the best beer from your favourite producers or boutique operations carefully crafting their own signature tastes, you'll find it at Boozebud. If you're a wine drinker, browse our extensive selection of wineries, varietals and blends. Our selection of spirits and liqueurs include the big name producers that everybody knows as loves as well as tasty varieties sourced from the finest producing regions around the world.

Our entire range of alcohol is available to order online for the lowest prices. We guarantee it. We don't set our prices; we just match the lowest ones on offer found anywhere in Australia. If you find our stock listed for a lower price anywhere else, then we'll match it. We also offer online-only prices that no one else can match across all of your favourites.

We are home to Australia's largest collections of craft and boutique producers which means that our range of beer, wine, spirits and liqueurs include selections plucked from the finest producers tinkering away quietly, developing the best craft beers, the smoothest whisky, in both local and far-off places that the big name alcohol distributors have never heard of. If you let us know what you like to drink, then we can personalise your shopping experience on Boozebud. We'll suggest recommendations that we know you'll love based on what we're drinking and loving too.

We are always open so you can enjoy ordering online 24/7. Delivery covers all of Australia with expected arrivals in the capital cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane within 3 to 5 business days. We are always looking to improve our delivery options and are constantly improving arrival times in more capital cities so you can get the best tasting beverages that you love delivered even faster.