tl;dr (I’m in an argument here!) American Whiskey is bourbon, rye, and straight whiskey made in the United States of America, including all the variations of those main spirits, American single malt, and white whiskies. Moonshine is not considered a whiskey, officially, but only a dumbass would make that argument.
American whiskey is any whiskey made in the United States of America. That means the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska. I assume the category includes whiskey made in any of the eight territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.
What are the ingredients of U.S. Whiskey?
Mash bills can be comprised of various grains grown in the U.S. The big three are corn, rye, and wheat. Other grains include barley, oats, and variations of the main grains such as triticale wheat and the many variations of rye. Similar to wine, terroir matters: wheat grown in Minnesota bear a slightly different taste than the same wheat grown in southern Illinois. However, cooperage, blending, and finishing often obscure terroir in more popular or higher production spirits.
What spirits are categorized as American Whiskey?
The most prominent spirits made in America are bourbon, rye, and straight whiskey. Other whiskies are made, though their popularity is only just beginning to grow. They include white dog, white whiskey, single malt whiskey and, arguably, moonshine. Within these style verticals of American whiskey. there are endless variations from additives, aging, storage, cooperage, and more affecting the flavor of American whiskey.
Popular whiskies in America
All American Whiskey is working on our whiskey database and will soon publish a complete list of independent American whiskeys, brands, and distilleries. Similar resources are available at some reputable sites like Distillery Trail, or the comprehensive list published by the American Distilling Institute. There are directories for almost every state, some of which you may find surprisingly robust. Florida, for instance, has a growing distillation industry. So does Alabama, Texas, and Georgia.
American made bourbon
The most popular and widely known whiskey made in America is bourbon. The mash bill, or the ratio of grains, from which bourbon is distilled must include 51% corn, then any percentage of wheat and malt, most often barley. A malt is a grain that’s been sprouted then heated to stop the growth process. Once distilled, the spirit for bourbon must be aged in a new, charred oak barrel.
American whiskey brands of bourbon
All American Whiskey only covers small producers and independent distilleries, blenders, and rectifiers. That means the whiskey types we recommend and write about do not belong to any of the big industry brands (Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Pernod Ricard, Diageo, or Sazerac. These companies own brands that form the globally recognized backbone of American spirits, producing consistent, dependable, sward-winning, delicious bourbons, whiskies, and ryes, all of which we drink on the regular. However, we feel they have the means to easily promote themselves and are usually household names in the spirits industry. You know Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. They don’t need our help.) We cover the people who are making the whiskey, labeling the bottles, and making sales by themselves.
What does American bourbon taste like?
Generally, bourbon’s biggest flavors tend to be a swirl of corn, charred oak, faint vanilla, strong caramels, and a kind of light, almost negligible wisp of pepper. However, the flavor of any spirit is hard to explain because it is, ultimately, subjective. There are infinite variations. An aficionado can rant quietly in an easy chair by a fire about the subtle differences between bourbon made in Texas and bourbon made in Washington state. A beginner may not notice the difference and in fact may have a hard time telling the difference between one style of whiskey and another. Which is fine. The joy of exploring a spirit is the development of one’s palette.
Some examples of U.S. bourbon brands, but certainly not an exhaustive list:
American Rye Whiskey
Rye whiskey’s mash bill is 51% rye. Other grains are usually corn, wheat, and malt. It is aged in charred, new oak barrels. Rye is experiencing a rush of interest similar to the reemergence of bourbon a decade ago. There are amazing rye whiskies hitting the shelves and more distilleries are experimenting with this generously mutable spirit.
What does rye whiskey taste like?
The main difference between bourbon and rye is that corn imparts a softer flavor than rye grain. Bourbon is 51% corn, rye is 51% rye. So bourbon tends to be ‘mellower’ than rye, where rye tends to be ‘hotter’ than bourbon. However, some ryes have grain receipts that provide a remarkably soft sip. Journeyman’s Last Feather rye (this author’s favorite) is 40% wheat, a grain that lends its inherent silkiness to the spirit. Most people don’t think of rye as a sipping whiskey. They tend to use it in cocktails, but some like Last Feather, are worthy of a wide porch, a slow sunset, and a long evening of crickets and a warm breeze.
A short list of American rye whiskey brands:
Arguably, the oldest known continuously produced rye whiskey brands is Stoll & Wolfe Distillery, in Pennsylvania. They began making rye, the first American spirit 250 years ago. If you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of them it’s because Pennsylvania distribution law is cumbersome and draconian. They can’t ship outside the state and buying locally means going to a state run liquor store.
Other popular whiskey styles in America
The number of American whiskies strung out from bourbon and rye are almost endless. What the hell is Michigan whiskey? However, most of them are damn good. Triticale, for example, is a flavor bomb. It’s a kind of wheat and let me tell you, it’s delicious. It’s not easy to find, mostly used in making beers. But Maverick’s got one and we love it. I had a High West white rye margarita in Savannah, GA that blew my mind. There are amazing whiskies in America. Here are some of them.
- White whiskey—any unaged whiskey, including white rye and white dog whiskies.
- Malt whiskey—51% malted barley in the mash
- Triticale—made with a rye/wheat hybrid called triticale
- Tennessee Whiskey—straight bourbon made in Tennessee
- rye malt whiskey—rye whiskey with 51% malted rye in the mash
- wheat whiskey—51% wheat in the bill
- corn whiskey—80% corn in the mash receipt
- American blended whiskey
F.A.Q
You can get bourbon in any liquor store and most grocery stores. If you are visiting the U.S., please note we still use liquor laws from the 50s and earlier so there are ‘dry counties,’ ‘blue states,’ and other legal restrictions wit distribution which may limit purchases to specific dates, regions, or states.
Nope. Any state can make bourbon and most of them do. Bourbon does have to use a mash bill that is 51% corn. Otherwise, anything goes.
Any spirit produced in the United States of America and aged in oak barrels.
White whiskey is any American whiskey that is unaged. Meaning it doesn’t sit in charred oak barrels so it doesn’t take that color.
Hold on tight, this gets complicated. American single malt, in order to be officially recognized, must be: made entirely in the U.S., 100% malted barley, distilled entirely at one distillery, matured in oak barrels less than 700 liters, distilled under 160 proof, bottled at 80 proof or more. This is according to the American Single Malt Association.
Great read!