What is the difference between whiskey and bourbon?

[Lynn B]

For cooking purposes, can anyone tell me if whiskey and bourbon are interchangeable? I made the Whiskey Pork Chops last night and they were good, but not as wonderful as I expected from the recent reviews... but I used bourbon, since that is what I had. So I am wondering if that compromised the recipe? Anybody out there know what the difference is?! Thanks!

[LSB]

Bourbon is whiskey. There is also scotch whiskey and rye whiskey. I think they're all distilled the same way, but made from different grains (bourbon from corn, scotch from oats and rye from rye). They definitely have different tastes.

[sneezles]

Lynn
I made the Whiskey Pork Chops last night as well and used Bourbon. I don't care for the taste of scotch so I never have it in the house. My DH didn't care for the whiskey taste in the chops but he was voted down by the rest of us. It was good but I don't think I'll make too often, I really like the pork chops braised in country gravy much better.
When we lived in Scotland, whiskey meant only scotch! Only Americans drank bourbon!

[Joyce]

I don't know how much validity this has since I am not a drinker, but I am going to try the whiskey chops and was told that a rye whiskey such as Seagram's would be sweeter than a bourbon.

[lsdesign]

The difference between bourbon and whiskey is the type of barrels they use and the aging process. I used sweet sherry for the porkchops and they were great!

[kwormann]

bourbin is definately a darker, richer flavor....Im a bourbon gal myself!

Kim

[Vanessa]

Bourbon:
Named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, this all-American LIQUOR is distilled from fermented grain. Straight bourbon is distilled from a MASH of at least 51 percent corn; blended bourbon must contain not less than 51 percent straight bourbon. Sour mash bourbon is made by adding a portion of the old mash to help ferment each new batch, in the same way that a portion of SOURDOUGH STARTER is

Whiskey:
An alcoholic distillate obtained from a fermented mash of grains such as barley, rye or corn. There are many varieties of whiskey — or whisky , as it's spelled in Scotland and Canada. The final result is affected by many factors including the water, type of grain, how the grain is treated and processed and the aging. Among the more popular whiskies are BOURBON, CANADIAN WHISKY, IRISH WHISKEY, RYE and SCOTCH.

[Sledge]

ohhhh! My favorite -- bourbon! My favorite widely available bourbon is Knob Creek. Very good, tasty and smooth. Vanessa's post hit it just about right--bourbon is a whiskey produced using more corn than any other ingredient. By law it must be greater than 51% corn (and aged greater than two years [Knob Creek is aged 9 years and is 100 proof]in new, charred white-oak barrels, and also has a minimum and maximum proof level that I'm not sure of but some are up to 150 proof). It's the higher percentage of corn (along with the type of yeast, quality of water, etc--the overall processing) that makes it a bourbon. You can certainly interchange whiskey and bourbon since bourbon is a type of whiskey--just go with what you like! They all have different tastes. I'd recommend any small batch bourbon -- and of course Knob Creek!

[sal]

What about the proof of the bourbon - what are your impressions on higher proofs affecting taste (ex. 80 vs. 101)in cooking? TIA sally

[This message has been edited by sal (edited 01-19-2001).]

[NydiaC]

In the Wiskey Pork Chops that I made, I used Segrums Seven Bourbon. I didn't taste much bourbon flavor though. I thought they had a beefy flavor. It may be because I had to cook them extra long (I forgot to put on the rice on time) and the sauce reduced some.