Wheat Whiskey
While some whiskeys can be “wheated,” where wheat is used as a flavoring grain (i.e. Maker’s Mark bourbon), wheat whiskey is actually a separate category, defined by whiskey made primarily from wheat. In the U.S., wheat whiskey follows the same requirements for production as bourbon, with the exception of the majority grain in the mashbill. Wheat whiskey must be at least 51% wheat, distilled to no more than 160 proof, enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak barrels, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. To be designated a straight wheat whiskey in the U.S., it must be aged at least two years. Wheat whiskey is only rarely produced by larger U.S. distillers, but smaller craft producers are experimenting more and more with the style. In Scotland, wheat whiskey is sometimes used in blended Scotch. It is also a common whiskey style in Germany.
Top Wheat Whiskey Posts:
Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey
Masterson’s Straight Barley 10 Years Old and Straight Wheat Whiskey 12 Years Old
Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch Wheat Whiskey 13 Years Old (2014)
We reviewed Craft Distillers’ Low Gap White Wheat Whiskey two years ago. Who knew that the company would radically broaden its horizons to launch plans for four different Low Gap whiskeys, a Wheat (previously reviewed), a Rye (reviewed below), a Bourbon (coming soon), and a mystery blend (coming after that)? Will a mere four white…
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The white whiskey craze continues to rumble along, and artisan producers keep driving the trend. Our friends at Craft Distillers offer this spirit, distilled from Bavarian hard wheat (wheat with a higher protein content) and fermented to an 8.8% alcohol beer. It’s then double-distilled in a copper pot still and bottled at about 90 proof,…
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Yes Virginia, they make whiskey out of wheat. Not all wheat, mind you, but mostly wheat. While Scotch is made from malted barley and bourbon is made primarily from corn, Bernheim Original is the only known whiskey on the market to use winter wheat as its primary grain. To be sure, wheat is a grain…
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