The 7 Types of Spirits, Explained
3:32 · October 12, 2026 · Spirits
Every back bar comes down to seven main types of spirits: whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, tequila and mezcal, brandy, and liqueurs. This three-and-a-half-minute explainer covers what each one is made from, how it's made, and the styles customers ask about.
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In this video
- 0:00 The seven types of spirits
- 0:13 What makes a spirit a spirit
- 0:39 Whiskey: bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish
- 1:05 Vodka
- 1:19 Gin
- 1:36 Rum
- 1:53 Tequila and mezcal
- 2:18 Brandy and Cognac
- 2:41 Liqueurs
- 2:58 Recap and the free course
Transcript
That wall of bottles behind the bar comes down to seven main types of spirits. Learn the seven, and any shelf starts to make sense. Here they are, in about three minutes.
First, what makes a spirit a spirit. You ferment something sugary, then distill it to concentrate the alcohol. From there, three choices create most of the variety: what it's made from, whether it's aged in oak, and what gets added. One label note: in the U.S., proof is double the alcohol by volume, so 80 proof is 40 percent.
One: whiskey. Made from grain and aged in oak. Bourbon is at least 51 percent corn and aged in new charred oak, which brings vanilla and caramel. Rye is spicier and drier. Scotch is made in Scotland, aged at least three years, and can be smoky. Irish whiskey is typically triple distilled and smooth.
Two: vodka. A neutral spirit made from grain, potatoes, corn, or grapes, and filtered to be as clean as possible. So what sets one apart is texture, and how well it mixes.
Three: gin. Take a neutral spirit and flavor it with botanicals. Juniper has to be the dominant flavor. London Dry is crisp and juniper forward. Contemporary gins let citrus, floral, or spice notes step up.
Four: rum. Made from sugarcane, either molasses or fresh cane juice. White rum is light and clean. Aged rum adds caramel and baking spice. Dark rum is rich and heavy on molasses.
Five: tequila and mezcal, the agave spirits. Tequila is made from blue agave, mostly in Jalisco. Blanco is unaged, reposado rests in oak for a few months up to a year, and añejo ages one to three years. Mezcal can use many kinds of agave, and gets its smoke from roasting the agave in earthen pits.
Six: brandy. Distilled from fermented fruit, most often grapes, and usually aged in oak. Cognac is brandy from the Cognac region of France, distilled twice and aged in French oak. On the label, V.S. is the youngest, V.S.O.P. is older, and X.O. is the oldest.
Seven: liqueurs. A spirit base, sweetened and flavored with fruit, herbs, spices, cream, nuts, or coffee. They're usually lower in proof, and they're the modifiers that make cocktails work, like the orange liqueur in a margarita.
That's the big seven: whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, agave spirits, brandy, and liqueurs. There's more beyond them, like baijiu, soju, and absinthe, but the seven are the place to start. If you sell or serve spirits, Learn Brands has a free Spirits 101 course your team can take at its own pace. The full guide and the free course are linked below.