Whiskey substitute

Best substitute

Bourbon

Use the same amount as the whiskey you are replacing

Best for barbecue sauce

Close match

In cooking and baking, bourbon at 1:1 is the safest substitute for unspecified whiskey, since it is the sweetest and roundest of the family. Dark rum at 1:1 is excellent in barbecue sauce and cakes, and brandy at 1:1 works anywhere the recipe wants warm oaky depth. Without alcohol, use apple cider or strong black tea with a teaspoon of vanilla extract per quarter cup, plus one drop of liquid smoke if it is a barbecue sauce. Whiskey's job is aroma and bitterness rather than acid or sweetness: the oak notes give a sticky glaze its grown-up edge and stop it tasting like plain sugar. That is why bourbon, rye and Scotch are not freely interchangeable. Rye is drier and peppery, and a peated Scotch will make a dessert taste like a campfire.

Other whiskey substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Rye whiskey
Different taste
Use the same amount
Drier and spicier, with a distinct black-pepper and baking-spice bite from the rye grain.
What changes
Best for
cocktails such as manhattans and sazeracs, savoury glazes, mustard sauces, steak pan sauces, onion gravy
In a cocktail, rye makes a sharper, more angular drink than bourbon, which is why bartenders treat them as different ingredients. In cooking, that peppery dryness is an asset in a savoury glaze and a slight distraction in a sweet dessert, where it can read as faintly medicinal against cream or custard.
3Irish whiskey or a blended Scotch
Different taste
Use the same amount
Both are lighter and smoother, generally without the sweetness of bourbon or the pepper of rye.
What changes
Best for
coffee drinks, cream sauces, chocolate desserts, fruitcake, custards, glazes
Irish whiskey is gentle and slightly fruity, which makes it a good fit for cream and coffee. With Scotch, check whether it is peated: an unpeated Speyside behaves like a light bourbon, whereas an Islay bottle carries powerful iodine and smoke that will dominate anything sweet. If smoke is what you want, that is a feature; in a whiskey cake it is a disaster.
4Dark rum
Different taste
Use the same amount
Not a whiskey, but it hits the same register of caramel, vanilla and barrel depth, and it is often already in the cupboard.
What changes
Best for
barbecue sauce, ham glaze, bread pudding, banana desserts, fruitcake, marinades
Rum is noticeably sweeter and more molasses-driven, so a rib glaze made with it comes out darker, stickier and less dry. It suits pork and sweet dishes especially well. It is a weaker choice in a cocktail that depends on whiskey's dryness, such as a manhattan.
5Brandy or cognac
Different taste
Use the same amount
Grape-based, oak-aged, and long used for the same jobs in European cooking.
What changes
Best for
pan sauces, flambe, cream sauces, fruit desserts, custards, pate
Brandy tastes of dried grape and apricot rather than grain and char, so a steak sauce made with it is fruitier and more perfumed, less toasty. It works especially well with cream and with anything containing fruit.
6Apple cider or strong tea with vanilla (no alcohol)
Different taste
Use the same amount by volume, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract per quarter cup, plus one drop liquid smoke for barbecue sauce
The alcohol-free version, and honestly an approximation: it covers the sweet oaky notes but not the spirit's heat or bite.
What changes
Best for
alcohol-free cooking, barbecue sauce, glazes, marinades, baking, family meals
Strongly brewed black tea is the better base for savoury dishes because its tannins mimic the slight drying grip of oak-aged spirit, while apple cider suits pork and sweet glazes. Add the vanilla off the heat. Use liquid smoke by the drop, since a quarter teaspoon can wreck a whole pot. Whiskey extract, sold near vanilla extract, is another option at about half a teaspoon per tablespoon of whiskey, topped up with water.

What is Whiskey?

Whiskey is Whiskey, spelled whisky in Scotland, Canada and Japan, is a spirit distilled from grain and aged in oak barrels, which is where it picks up the vanilla, caramel, toast and gentle bitterness that make it useful in glazes, sauces and cakes.

Cooking tips

Add whiskey to a barbecue sauce or glaze early and let it simmer for at least five minutes. Raw whiskey stirred in at the end tastes sharp and solventy against sugar, and cooking it down turns it into background caramel and oak.
Whiskey and sugar together burn quickly. Brush a whiskey glaze onto ribs, chicken or ham only in the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking, or the sugar chars before the meat is done.
Do not treat peated Scotch as generic whiskey. Its smoke intensifies as a sauce reduces, and half a cup can make a whole pot taste of ash. If Islay Scotch is all you have, use a quarter of the amount and taste as you go.
For a flambe, warm the whiskey first, take the pan off the flame, add it, then return the pan to the heat and ignite at arm's length. Whiskey extract and low-alcohol substitutes will not light at all.
In baking, a tablespoon or two of whiskey does more than flavour: alcohol inhibits gluten development slightly and helps keep a cake tender. If you swap in extract, keep the liquid volume the same with water or milk so the batter behaves the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the whiskey out?

In a barbecue sauce or marinade, yes. It will taste sweeter and simpler, and you can add a splash of apple cider vinegar for edge and a teaspoon of vanilla for warmth. In a whiskey cake, a whiskey glaze or a cocktail, the whiskey is the flavour, so substitute rather than omit. Keep the liquid volume the same either way.

Are bourbon, rye and Scotch interchangeable?

Not exactly, though all three will work in most recipes. Bourbon is the sweetest and most vanilla-forward and is the best default. Rye is drier and peppery, which suits savoury glazes and classic cocktails. Scotch depends entirely on whether it is peated: unpeated behaves like a lighter bourbon, peated brings heavy smoke that takes over.

Is whiskey the same as whisky?

Same drink, different spelling. The United States and Ireland generally use whiskey; Scotland, Canada and Japan use whisky. The spelling tells you nothing about how it will behave in a pan, but the country of origin does, since style follows region.

What can I use instead of whiskey in a cocktail?

Another aged spirit is your best bet: dark rum, aged tequila or brandy will all make a recognisable drink, and an old fashioned made with aged rum or brandy is a genuine classic in its own right. Vodka and gin are poor swaps because they lack the barrel sweetness that whiskey cocktails are built around.

How much whiskey should I put in barbecue sauce?

A quarter cup for a couple of cups of sauce is plenty, added with the other liquids and simmered down. More than that and the sauce keeps a sharp alcoholic edge no matter how long it cooks, because the sugar in the sauce slows evaporation.

Related substitutes

More liquor substitutes

Whiskey substitute

Other whiskey substitutes

2Rye whiskey

3Irish whiskey or a blended Scotch

4Dark rum

5Brandy or cognac

6Apple cider or strong tea with vanilla (no alcohol)