Bourbon Whisky must be produced in the United States and used in distilled grain with a corn content of 51% or more, aged at least 2 years in brand new, carbonized (i.e. charred) North American white oak barrels. No more than 80% alcohol content when leaving the still and no less than 40% alcohol content when bottling.
RyeWhisky is required by law in the United States to be produced in the United States and used in distilled grain with a rye content of 51% or more, aged at least 2 years in brand new, carbonized (i.e. charred) North American white oak barrels. The alcohol content when leaving the still is not higher than 80%, and the alcohol content when bottling is not less than 40%.
Canadian law stipulates that rye whisky must be produced in Canada and must be aged for more than 3 years in oak barrels with a volume of not more than 700 liters (new barrels and old barrels do not matter, and it does not matter whether they are burnt or not).
When it comes to the difference in flavor, whisky distilled from corn is sweeter; whisky distilled from rye is more spicy. If you drink 100% corn bourbon whisky and 100% rye rye whisky, this difference will be very obvious.
But in reality, 100% single corn or rye whiskey is not so much, bourbon whiskey is often mixed with a certain amount of rye; rye whiskey is mixed with a certain amount of corn, so the difference is not that big.
Good rye whiskey, I recommend these:
1RittenhouseRye – the choice for beginners
American rye whiskey is more cost-effective, with the characteristic spicy taste of rye, and other flavors such as pepper, caramel, and vanilla. It is a bit complex. It is very good as a starter wine, and OldFashioned is also very good.
2BulleitSmallBatchRyeWhiskey – Advanced Wine
These days, those who dare to print “SmallBatch” (small batch production) on the wine label feel that they have a lot of background. In Cantonese, “It’s not a dragon that can’t cross the river”. Large quantities correspond to industrialization, and small batches naturally correspond to fine manual production, but how many wines of average quality actually use this guise to cheat money? But this wine is worthy of the hint behind the title “SmallBatch”. 95% of the grain raw materials are rye, which is very high, but the entrance is not too spicy, and the balance and complexity are good.
3SazeracStraightReyWhiskey – Rye Star
US law states that StraightRye cannot add caramel or any other additives, and if it is not marked with an age, it means that the minimum oak barrel age is more than 4 years – twice that of ordinary rye wine. This wine is from the legendary winery Sazerac, and it has won numerous awards. Even the author of the Whiskey Bible, Jim Murray, praised it. The flavor is my dish. It is spicy, but it is not choking, and the flavor is rich and complex. It is comparable to some single malt; it is used for Sazerac, OldFashioned, and Mahattan. The disadvantage is that the price is not very friendly. Of course, you get what you pay for.
4WhistlePigBarrelStrengthSingleBarrelSingleRye12YO – Rye for Audiophiles
People who often drink single malt are too excited to see the words BarrelStrength and SingleBarrel. Besides, this is still 100% rye, and it is still a rare 12-year-old. The name is also pleasing, called “Whistling Pig”? It is Canadian, the wine is both spicy and very smooth, rich in herbs, cream, and spices. It has a full sense of change after soaking up, and the aftertaste is long. If you want to see it in North America, you might as well buy it and try it, and the price is acceptable. But import it into China… Forget it, let’s drink single malt.
5WildTurkey101KentuckyStraightRye – Collector’s Rye
says it’s a collector’s rye, not because of how good it is – in terms of quality, it’s on par with the first one I recommend. However, this wine has long been discontinued and is very rare on the market. Buy it when you see it, it will appreciate in value in the future – provided you can find someone willing to take it.
~~~~~~~~ small advertising segmentation line ~~~~~~~~
If you are interested in wine and want to know more, you may wish to follow my WeChat official account “Drinker”, I have been committed to popularizing the knowledge and culture of wine in interesting ways. Thank you for your support!