Scotch Whisky substitute

Best substitute

Irish whiskey

Use the same amount as the scotch whisky you are replacing

Best for Rob Roy

Close match

First work out which kind of Scotch the recipe wants. For an ordinary blended or unpeated single malt, Irish whiskey swaps in 1:1 and is the closest match, and bourbon also works 1:1 but is sweeter and more vanilla-heavy. For a smoky peated Scotch such as an Islay malt, nothing on a normal shelf comes close except mezcal, which swaps 1:1 with a different, more vegetal smoke. In cooking, bourbon plus a drop of liquid smoke or a splash of strong lapsang souchong tea does the job.

Other scotch whisky substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Bourbon
Different taste
Use the same amount
American corn-based whiskey aged in new charred oak, which makes it distinctly sweet.
What changes
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.
3Japanese whisky
Close match
Use the same amount
Whisky made on the Scottish model in Japan, from malted barley in pot stills.
What changes
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.
4Mezcal (for smoky, peated Scotch only)
Different taste
Use the same amount
Agave spirit from Mexico, smoky because the agave hearts are roasted in earth pits.
What changes
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.
5Rye whiskey
Different taste
Use the same amount
American whiskey from a high-rye mash, dry and peppery rather than sweet.
What changes
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.
6Strong lapsang souchong tea plus a little sugar (no alcohol)
Different taste
Use 2 tbsp strong brewed tea plus ¼ tsp brown sugar for every 2 tbsp Scotch
Pine-smoked Chinese black tea, brewed at double strength.
What changes
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.

What is Scotch Whisky?

Scotch Whisky is malted barley spirit distilled in Scotland and aged there at least three years, ranging from soft and honeyed to intensely smoky depending on whether the barley was dried over a peat fire, and in food its job is aroma and a malty caramel sweetness rather than heat, so where your bottle sits on that honeyed-to-smoky range matters far more than the brand on it.

Cooking tips

The peated-versus-unpeated question matters far more than the brand. If your recipe says Islay, Laphroaig, Ardbeg or simply smoky Scotch, the smoke is the point and a soft Irish whiskey will not deliver it. If it just says Scotch or blended Scotch, almost any barley whiskey will do.
Do not cook with a good single malt. The delicate aromatics that justify the price boil off in the first minute of a hot pan, and what survives is the alcohol and the malt sweetness, which a cheap blend gives you identically. Save the nice bottle for the glass and cook with the supermarket blend.
When smoke is the flavour you want, add it at the end and in small quantities. A quarter teaspoon of peated whisky stirred into a finished cream sauce, or floated on top of a cocktail, carries far more smoky impact than a tablespoon cooked in from the start, because the phenols that smell smoky are volatile and cook away.
In a marmalade cake or a whisky glaze, Scotch is doing two jobs: supplying malty sweetness and cutting richness with alcohol. If you swap in bourbon you have doubled the sweetness, so reduce the sugar in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.
Liquid smoke is a fair emergency stand-in for peat in a savoury dish, but use a scant drop per tablespoon of whisky. It is enormously concentrated and a heavy hand makes food taste of ashtray rather than campfire.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the Scotch out?

In a glaze, marinade or braise, mostly yes, provided you replace the liquid with stock, cider or tea so the sauce reduces properly. You will lose the smoky, malty backbone but the dish still works. In a Rob Roy, a Penicillin or a whisky sour there is nothing to leave out, since the Scotch is the drink itself.

Can I use bourbon instead of Scotch?

Yes, 1:1, with one adjustment. Bourbon is made from corn and aged in new charred barrels, which makes it noticeably sweeter and heavy on vanilla and caramel. In a cocktail, dial back the sweet vermouth or syrup by about a quarter and add a dash of bitters to keep it from going flabby. In a glaze or barbecue sauce the extra sweetness is generally a bonus.

What is the difference between Scotch and whiskey generally?

Scotch must be made in Scotland, is based on malted barley and is aged at least three years in oak. Bourbon is American, corn-based and aged in new charred barrels, which makes it sweeter. Irish whiskey is usually triple-distilled and lighter. Rye is peppery and dry. Only Scotch routinely carries peat smoke, and that smokiness is the reason substitution advice for Scotch is more complicated than for the others.

What can I use instead of Scotch in a Penicillin?

The base measure can be any decent unpeated whisky, and Irish or Japanese whisky is nearly seamless. The float of peated Islay malt on top is the harder part, and mezcal is the best available stand-in, giving you a smoky drink with a roasted-agave character instead of the maritime, medicinal peat note. Leaving the float off entirely turns the drink into a pleasant honey-ginger whisky sour with the signature removed.

Is there a non-alcoholic substitute for Scotch in cooking?

For anything savoury, brew lapsang souchong tea at double strength and use it in place of the whisky with a pinch of brown sugar, which covers the smoke, the tannin and some of the sweetness. Non-alcoholic whisky alternatives also exist and can be used 1:1. Neither carries aroma the way alcohol does, so add them earlier in cooking and reduce a little further.

Related substitutes

More liquor substitutes

Scotch Whisky substitute

Other scotch whisky substitutes

2Bourbon

3Japanese whisky

4Mezcal (for smoky, peated Scotch only)

5Rye whiskey

6Strong lapsang souchong tea plus a little sugar (no alcohol)