Scotch whisky substitutes

Triple-distilled barley and grain whiskey from Ireland, made without peat.

Best for

Rob Roy, whisky sour, hot toddy, marmalade cake, cream sauces, glazes

The best all-round swap for unpeated Scotch and the swap a bartender would reach for. Irish whiskey is lighter, softer and fruitier, with orchard fruit and light honey where Scotch has more malt and cereal grip. In a Rob Roy the difference is small enough that most drinkers would not name it. What you will not get is any smoke, so this is the wrong choice if the recipe specifically wanted a peated malt.

American corn-based whiskey aged in new charred oak, which makes it distinctly sweet.

Best for

Scotch-glazed salmon, barbecue glazes, marmalade cake, bread pudding, Old Fashioned, hot toddy

Widely available and always usable, but it changes the direction of the drink. Bourbon brings obvious vanilla, caramel and coconut sweetness from the new oak, so a Rob Roy made with it comes out rounder and sweeter and starts to taste like a Manhattan. Compensate by cutting the sweet vermouth or syrup by about a quarter and adding an extra dash of bitters. In a savoury glaze the extra sweetness is usually welcome.

Whisky made on the Scottish model in Japan, from malted barley in pot stills.

Best for

Rob Roy, highballs, Penicillin, sipping, cocktails calling for single malt

Effectively interchangeable with Scotch, since the whole category was built by copying Scottish practice. Most are clean, slightly floral and very well balanced, a touch lighter and more delicate than an equivalent Speyside malt. A few, such as Yoichi bottlings, are lightly peated and can stand in for a smoky Scotch. The only real drawback is price.

Agave spirit from Mexico, smoky because the agave hearts are roasted in earth pits.

Best for

Penicillin, smoky cocktails, peated Scotch rinses and floats, glazes

The only common bottle that credibly replaces peat smoke, but the smoke is a different animal. Islay Scotch smells of iodine, tar, seaweed and a struck match; mezcal smells of roasted vegetables and campfire, with an agave sweetness underneath. In a Penicillin, where the Islay float is the whole hook, a mezcal float gives you an excellent drink that is honestly a different one. Use it 1:1 and expect a brighter, greener smoke.

American whiskey from a high-rye mash, dry and peppery rather than sweet.

Best for

Rob Roy, whisky sour, Old Fashioned, savoury pan sauces

A better structural match than bourbon because it is dry rather than sweet, which is closer to how a blended Scotch behaves in a stirred cocktail. The flavour is different though: rye is peppery, herbal and a bit grassy, with none of Scotch's malty, honeyed depth. Works well in anything spirit-forward and stirred, less well in a honey or marmalade glaze where you actually want that malt sweetness.

Pine-smoked Chinese black tea, brewed at double strength.

Best for

glazed salmon, barbecue sauce, marinades, braises, alcohol-free cooking

The single best trick for cooking without whisky, because lapsang souchong is smoky in a way genuinely reminiscent of a peated malt. It brings smoke, tannin and a little bitterness, and the sugar stands in for the sweetness the alcohol would have carried. What you lose is the alcoholic lift that pushes aroma up out of the pan, so add it earlier and reduce it further than you would the whisky. Useless in a cocktail, excellent in a salmon glaze.