American Whiskey
American whiskey comprises a huge swath of sub-categories, and most of the whiskeys you’ll encounter fall into one of these. Bourbon (distinguished by its 51%-or-greater corn mashbill) is undoubtedly the largest of these, with Rye (at least 51% rye) arguably second. Tennessee Whiskey (a subset of Bourbon, made in Tennessee and charcoal mellowed) is another major, with Wheat Whiskey, Corn Whiskey, and Malt Whiskey all having their adherents. White whiskey (unaged whiskey) is another segment growing in size. Other categories, including Blended Whiskey, Light Whiskey, and Spirit Whiskey can also be found occupying this broad catch-all category.
Top American Whiskey Categories:
Bourbon
Tennessee Whiskey
Rye
Wheat Whiskey
American Single Malt
It’s back! In 2021, Wild Turkey dropped an amazing 13 year old limited edition expression of Russell’s Reserve at cask strength. Now this unique expression is returning — at the exact same abv, oddly — again for a limited time. There’s really nothing new to report when it comes to barrel picking and production; if…
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The latest Buzzard’s Roost release is a true rarity, a seven year old bourbon made from just 2 barrels of whiskey, born of a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley and featuring a secondary maturation in 18-month-seasoned Level 1 charred barrels before being bottled at cask strength. Just 260 bottles were…
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Taub Family Selections introduced their Jacob’s Pardon line back in 2021 with a unique focus on the somewhat obscure category of light whiskey. As a refresher, the first Small Batch release was a blend of MGP-sourced light whiskey and Tennessee whiskey sourced from George Dickel. A line of single barrels drawn from those same 15-year-old…
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Barrell Bourbon is back with yet another batch in its long-running bourbon series. For those keeping score at home, we’re up to 35 now. To describe this one as another mix of bourbons sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee probably simplifies things too much. The Barrell folks do a great job of explaining on their…
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Hot on the heels of their 10th anniversary release, Tenniel, Kentucky’s Rabbit Hole Distillery is out with yet another limited edition, the fourth in their Founder’s Collection line. Like their very first Founder’s release, Boxergrail, this latest offering is a rare, cask strength formulation of another whiskey from the core lineup. The details, per Rabbit…
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The release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon — now 23 years running — marks the unofficial start of whiskey season (never mind Four Roses sneaking into the schedule a couple days early), and today’s release of OldFo Birthday Bourbon 2023 is no exception. As has long been the case, this is a 12 year old…
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For its 135th anniversary edition of its coveted Limited Edition Small Batch release, Four Roses is dropping a whopper, blending up a 14 year old OESK (40%), 12 year old OESV (35%), 16 year old OESV (20%), and the doozy, a 25 year old OBSV (5%), into the release. There might not be much of…
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The second Booker’s Bourbon release of 2023 is upon us, and this one dives deep into the Noe family archives for its naming inspiration. According to the official release notes for Booker’s “Apprentice Batch”: This batch pays homage to the beginning of Booker Noe’s distilling career when he first learned the art of making bourbon…
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We’ve visited the well at Texas bourbon pioneers Garrison Brothers quite a few times, and today we’re taking a fresh look at a couple of expressions we’ve experienced in the past. The distillery should need no introduction, so let’s dive into the two whiskeys. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon (2023) – A bit of a…
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As promised, Round 2 of the new Hardin’s Creek line from Jim Beam is here. As a reminder, the trilogy of whiskeys are all identical 17 year old bourbons save for one detail: They were aged in different rickhouses in Kentucky, exposing the impact of Kentucky’s various microclimates. The first release, Clermont, showcased the impact…
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