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Besides the obvious Scotch = barreled in Scotland / Irish Whiskey = made in Ireland there are a few more differences in the way that each is made.
In the process of making Scotch, the barley is dried over an open peat moss fire is what gives Scotch its distinct "peaty" taste. Irish whiskey is made using barley dried in an enclosed kiln.
In addition, Irish whiskey is made with both malted and unmalted barely while Scoth is made with only malted barely.
And finally, Irish whiskey is triple distilled (as mentioned earlier) and Scotch is ond distilled twice. I also mispoke earlier when talking about MacAllan. It is aged in old COGNAC barrels not Sherry. The Irish, being a frugal thrifty lot, used the old Sherry barrels to age their whiskies which is part of what makes it so delicious.
As for the variances in Scotch, the differences in the mineral content of the water in each area also serves to differentiate the taste as well as the air of the region. As the Scotch (or any spirit including wine) ages in barrels, gases are mixed and passed both in and out of the barrel and therefore in and out of the Scotch which alter and add to the flavor. This can be good or bad depending on your taste. For example, Islay Scotches are said to get their saltiness from the ocean air that exists in the area as, if you check a map, Islay is basically an island and the region is all coastal including the Jura area that the OP referrenced.
Fascinating stuff!
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