Key difference: Whisky is generally made from barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, buckwheat, and corn. Wine, on the other hand, is made from grapes. Not only is the production process of wine and whiskey different, the alcohol content of the wine is also much less than that of whiskey.

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Wine and Whisky are two different types of alcoholic beverages. The main difference between them is in regard to the ingredients used to make them, the processes through which they are made, and the amount of alcohol they contain. Also see Whiskey Vs. Rye Whiskey

Whiskey is generally made from barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, buckwheat, and corn. The barley or other base ingredient is first malted. In this, the barley is made wet and spread on the malting floor to allow the germination process to start. This allows the starch to change into sugar, which will eventually turn into alcohol. To end the germination, the barley is dried in a kiln. When the malt is dry, it is ground to make a kind of coarse flour, called grist.

The grist is then mixed with hot water in the mash tun. Generally, one volume of grist is mixed up with 4 volumes of water. This will change the starch into fermenting sugars. This sugared juice is called wort. The remainders will be brewed 3 to 4 times, in order to get the maximum wort. The yeast is then added to the wort and left to ferment. After fermentation, the whiskey is then distilled. After distillation, the whiskey is then aged, most often in charred oak barrels. After aging it is bottled and sold.

Also see: Blended Whiskey Vs. Single Malt Whiskey

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Whiskeys can be classified as:

• Single malt whiskey is whiskey that is from a single distillery and is made from a mash that uses only one particular type of malted grain.
• Blended malt whiskey: is a blend of different malt whiskeys from different distilleries.
• Blended whiskeys: is whiskey that is made from a mixture of malt and grain whiskeys along with neutral spirits, caramel, and flavoring.
• Cask strength: These whiskeys are bottled directly from the cask and are undiluted or only a little diluted. These are rare whiskeys.
• Single cask: Each bottle of a single barrel whiskey is from an individual cask with the cask number labeled on the bottle.

The alcohol content and mash content of the whiskey varies depending on the regulations of the geographic region. However, it usually contains 40-50% alcohol content. Still, it can be made to contain up to 96% alcohol. 

Also see: Rye Whiskey Vs. Scotch 

Wine, on the other hand, is made from grapes. For all purposes, most people categorize wine into two types, red and white.

Red wine is made from black grapes, while white wine is made from white grapes or the juice of black grapes. Grapes are rarely black or white, rather white grapes refer to lighter-skinned grapes that can be green, yellow-green, gold or light-orange. Blank grapes refer to grapes with a red or blue tint and range from light ruby to deep indigo.

The process of production differs little in the case of red or white wine. Grapes are crushed into a machine, fermented and then stored for a period of time. White wines contain little or no red pigmentation. This is mainly because it is made from white grapes. Some white wines, such as Champagnes, are also made from black grapes. However, they use only the juice of the grapes, discarding the pigmented skin and pulp. White wines are known to have a sweet or dry taste, or somewhere in between.

Also see: Whiskey Vs. Vodka

Not only is the production process of wine and whiskey different, but the alcohol content of the wine is also much less than that of whiskey. Natural wines can contain a broad range of alcohol content, from below 9% to above 16% ABV, with most wines being in the 12.5%–14.5% range. Fortified wines, such as brandy may contain 20% alcohol or more.

Comparison between Wine and Whisky:

Image Courtesy: thedistilledlife.com, wineat79.com