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
George Dickel is clearly sitting on sizable stocks of well-aged whiskey. The release of their Bottled in Bond in 2019 (first a 13 year and recently a more modest 11 year) and the ever-growing list ...
Dripping Springs, Texas-based Kooper Family has been slowly ramping up its product line since we first encountered them 5 years ago. Our latest find is this bourbon, a 4 year old sourced from Kentucky (though ...
Longmont, Colorado is home to Dry Land Distillers, a true grain-to-glass craft operation “influenced and inspired by Colorado’s landscapes.” “With a focus on single grain 100% wheat whiskeys, prickly pear cactus spirits, native Colorado gin ...
Since 2016, Barrell has ended a long year of whiskey releases with a limited edition bourbon send-off dubbed New Year. When I first discussed this release years ago with the Barrell Team, I was told ...
Seattle-based Westland is evolving its limited edition Garryana oak line of single malt whiskeys, folding this line into a broader series of single malts called the Outpost Range. The Outpost Range will include Garryana and ...
It’s round five for Yellowstone’s special-edition bourbon releases, which always hits at the tail end of the year and offers a much different experience than the standard Yellowstone Select bottling — as well as the ...
Three Chord — producer Neil Giraldo’s boutique whiskey brand — has been gaining significant notice for its entry-level Blended Bourbon — and now more upscale bottlings are hitting the market from the brand. Today we’re ...
Newcomer Reverend Spirits hit shelves earlier this year in Virginia, the passion project of Norfolk-based restaurant owner Karl Dornemann. Karl named his distillery, R.D.Wilhelm Distilling Co., and its spirits line for his own father, an ...
For its next trick, Evanston, Illinois-based Few Spirits has dropped Few Immortal Rye, a version of its cask-strength Few straight rye whiskey (70% rye, 20% corn, 10% malted barley) that’s proofed to bottling strength “with ...
It’s been far too many years since we’ve revisited the offerings of Westward American Single Malt Whiskey, formerly bottled under the House Spirits brand in Portland, Oregon. (Once things open up again, it’s a great ...