Did You Know Whisky Can't Just Be Called Whisky? (Part 2 of 2)

Monday, 18 August 2025 at 08:00

In the previous Did You Know? , we discussed the laws and regulations concerning whiskey in Scotland, Ireland, and Europe, but the rest of the world also produces whiskey in numerous forms and variations. Below are a few more important countries, along with their rules.

United States (US)

The United States is most famous for its bourbon when it comes to whiskey. Bourbon has long been looked down upon by 'real' whiskey connoisseurs, but thankfully that's slowly changing. And just as well, because there are some really fine bourbons available.

A bourbon must meet the below criteria before it can be called a bourbon:

It must be made in the US
The drink must be made from at least 51% corn. Other grains may also be included, such as barley and rye
Bourbon must have an alcohol percentage between 58% and 80% ABV during distillation
It can be made with both distillation columns and stills
It must contain at least 40% alcohol
It must mature for at least 2 years, and if it matures for less than 4 years, it must be stated on the bottle
Bourbon must mature in newly charred oak barrels
These barrels can only be used once for bourbon, a fact that the Scotch whiskey industry isn't bothered by.
Bourbon may not be colored, even with caramel E150

Japan

Japan is a country that has been producing whisky for a very long time, but its laws and regulations have, to put it mildly, been rather loose. Basically, as long as some aspect of whiskey was present in Japan and there had been some interaction with grain, it could be called Japanese whisky. On April 1, 2021, new regulations went into effect and by March 31, 2024, Japanese distilleries must comply with these rules.

What are the key points of these new regulations? Below are the discussed points:

Raw materials: These are limited to malted grains, other cereal grains, and water from Japan (nothing else can be imported). There must always use malted grains.

Production: This must be entirely conducted at a Japanese distillery. The alcohol content at the time of distillation must be less than 95%.

Aging: The distilled product must be poured into wooden barrels with a maximum capacity of 700 liters and then aged in Japan for a minimum of 3 years.

Bottling: Bottling can only be done in Japan, with an ABV of at least 40%.

Labels: Finally, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association states that whisky that does not meet these requirements may not have labels containing “names suggestive of Japan”, names of Japanese cities, regions and famous places, but also mountains and rivers, Japanese flag or Japanese era, and labels that make it appear as if the whisky meets the aforementioned requirements”.

India

A country where a lot of whisky is produced, but there's essentially no regulation established. Whisky is often made from products like molasses (a byproduct of the sugar industry) and nothing is said about alcohol percentages, aging, and such. Major distilleries, like Amrut for instance, follow Scottish guidelines.

With this list, you have got the main whisky producing countries and regions covered. Whisky is of course also made in other corners of the world, but the volume nowhere near matches these aforementioned countries. Things could be very different in a few years because whisky is fiercely popular!