Jim Murray, an English writer and one of the world’s top whisky critics, believes Scottish malt is no match for American bourbon.

“Generally speaking, bourbon … has overtaken Scotch,” he said, according to the Telegraph.

Mr. Murray, who wrote “Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible,” argues that Scotland’s decrease in quality whisky is due to the use of sulphur candles to sanitize some barrels that have been used to age sherry, giving it a “bitter finish.”

Bourbon, however, is aged in virgin oak casks, which do not require sulphur treatment, the Telegraph said.

“The best whisky is coming not from Scotland any more, but from Kentucky,” he said, adding that Buffalo Trace, a bourbon distillery in Frankfort, Ky., is “arguably the best distillery in the world.”

Rosemary Gallagher, the spokeswoman for the Scotch Whisky Association, argued that Mr. Murray’s claims are only a matter of his “personal taste.”

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