As with French-appellation wines, there are strict laws governing just what a Bourbon must be to be labeled as such. For example, at least 51% of the grain used in making the whiskey must be corn (most distillers use 65%-75% corn). Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, white oak barrels that have been charred. Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavour, add sweetness or alter colour. Though technically Bourbon can be made anywhere, Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle.

Cognac comes from a defined region in France SW of Paris and north of Bordeaux covering approximately 80,000 hectares. Cognac is a blend (or 'assemblies') of different vintages and different ages and must be aged for a minimum of 2.5 years. Armagnac is the oldest wine eau-de-vie produced in the SW of France, in the heart of Gascogny. It is produced by distilling white wine in an Armagnac still and aged for many years in barrels before coming to market. It comes in blends or as is special to Armagnac, in vintages.

Until 1831 and the advent of the patent still, all the whisky produced in Scotland was of the malt variety. Now, there are two kinds of whisky:malt whisky used essentially in the creation of blended whiskies, or bottled in small proportions as a single malt; and grain whisky, which is combined with malt whisky to create the famous blends.
In this section we have chosen to feature malt whisky.