I love bourbon! Other than taste, what is the difference between Bourbon Whiskey (i.e. Jim Beam) and Whiskey (i.e. Jack Daniel’s)?
Is it geographic like Chmapagne and Sparkling wine?
You may want to check this link: http://www.straightbourbon.com/whatisbourbon.html
Also, while you’re there, check out the rather lengthy explanation on the origin of the name “bourbon”.
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Jack Daniels meets all the qualifications to be called bourbon, but it also meets the qualifications for Tennessee Whiskey, which is a separate category consisting only of Jack Daniels and George Dickel. To be called bourbon, a whiskey must be made from at least 51% corn mash and be aged at least three years.
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This one has already been answered by the Straight Dope folks. You might want to run a search and find it (can’t recall if its on this board or the MSIMS board).
I worked in a liquor store through college, and we did classify Jack Daniels as a bourbon, for the purposes of shelving. (To tell you the truth, I didn’t remember that the label didn’t actually say “Bourbon” until you brought it up) From the retail point of view, “whiskey” is a generic term that covers any alcohol distilled from a grain source (as opposed to grapes or other fruit) although it’s generally only used to describe “brown goods” (Bourbon, Scotch, Irish Whiskey, and blended whiskey). By that definition, most vodka is whiskey, but it’s not usually referred to that way. It’s been a while since I thought of this stuff, but if my memory serves, the description on the page supplied by Cabbage is a little off. The 51% or above corn mash and the aging requirement are correct, but IIRC, some bourbons are aged in charred, used, wine casks for flavoring.
My understanding is that Bourbon is American whiskey, Rye is Canadian whiskey, Scotch is Scottish whiskey, and so on. (I know one of them is spelled without an “e”, but I can’t remember which 
Each has to meet specific standards to use that particular name.
Old Overholt is a straight Rye American whiskey as is a personal Maryland favorite of mine Pikesville Rye. Canadian whiskeys are generally thought to be Rye, I certainly used to think that, but, in fact, all Canadian Whiskeys are blends.
By the way, in spelling, the Scottish and Canadian distillers prefer the forms “whisky/whiskies” and American, Irish, and most other distillers favor "whiskey/whiskeys."
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Now who can tell me why Maker’s Mark tastes so much better than other bourbons?
Just for the record, my great-great-…great-grandfather’s son, Elijah Craig, invented the Bourbon process when an accidental fire damaged some of his barrels.
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What’s the difference between bourbon and whiskey?
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