ELI5: what is the difference between whiskey and bourbon

Bourbon is a type of whiskey, just like a square is a type of rectangle.

Think of whiskey as a big category of drinks, like all kinds of sandwiches. You can have a peanut butter sandwich, a turkey sandwich, or a grilled cheese sandwich – they're all sandwiches!

Bourbon is like a very specific type of sandwich, let's say a ham and cheese sandwich on rye bread. To be a "ham and cheese on rye" sandwich (bourbon), it needs to follow specific rules:

• It must be made mostly from corn. Imagine you need at least 51% of the sandwich filling to be ham.
• It must be made in America. Like saying your sandwich needs to be made in your own kitchen.
• It must be aged in new, charred oak barrels. This is like toasting the rye bread to give it a special flavor.
• It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof, and entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof. Like a specific size limitation for the sandwich.

So, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Just like all ham and cheese on rye sandwiches are sandwiches, but not all sandwiches are ham and cheese on rye!