Rye
While bourbon is considered America’s native spirit, rye was actually the favored whiskey among her earliest colonists and continued to be popular well into the 1800s, especially in northeastern states like Maryland and Pennsylvania. George Washington even famously distilled rye at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. By U.S. law, rye whiskey must be made from a mash of at least 51% rye (with corn and malted barley typically rounding out the remainder of the mashbill). Rye must adhere to the same production standards as bourbon: aged in new, charred oak containers, distilled to no more than 160 proof, entered into barrel at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. A straight rye whiskey must be aged for at least two years. Rye whiskey production largely ceased in the U.S. after Prohibition, despite its popularity with America’s nascent cocktail culture at the time — although rye has always been popular in Canada, and rye remains a major component in many Canadian whiskeys today. The resurgence of American whiskey in the late 1990s and an explosion in the popularity of craft cocktails around the same time has launched a revival in rye whiskey production — and consumption — in America.
Top Rye Whiskey Posts:
Knob Creek Rye
WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey 10 Years Old
Woodford Reserve Rye
Out of Fort Worth comes another experimental release from TX Whiskey, the 16th total in their series, and the second so far this year. We previously reviewed Experimental Series #15, which was a rye/bourbon blend with the latter portion finished in Vino de Naranja barrels. The latest release is a Texas straight rye whiskey, aged…
Basil Hayden is out with a new edition. Well, sort of. Their latest, Golden Rye, is replacing the whiskey formerly known as Malted Rye introduced in 2024. It’s part of a new portfolio strategy that narrows the core lineup to two whiskeys, this newest rye release and the original Basil Hayden Bourbon. A more experimental…
Virginia whiskey lovers, you know the drill. A. Smith Bowman is out with another Abraham Bowman Special Release. The lottery closed May 11 (womp womp), but there’s still a chance some bottles will go unclaimed at the end of the month. In the past, a few bottles have even circulated through the Virginia ABC and…
As David wrote in his 2025 review, High West’s Bourye has build a bit of a cult following — and deservedly so. This ever-evolving blend of bourbon and rye from some combination of Indiana, Kentucky, and Utah is one of the most reliable American whiskeys on the market, and it’s a whiskey I never turn…
For all the attention paid to mashbills and barrel regimens, fermentation rarely takes center stage in American whiskey. The industry’s reliance on sour mash has long set the tone, particularly across the major distilleries of Kentucky and Tennessee. Against that backdrop, a smaller group of producers has worked to reintroduce sweet mash fermentation into the…
American whiskey has spent more than a decade experimenting with finishing casks, and the pace hasn’t slowed. Distillers seem locked in a quiet contest to uncover the next captivating angle, whether that means breaking new ground or refining techniques that have already proven their worth. In May 2018, Nelson’s Greenbrier in Nashville introduced Belle Meade…
Terroir is one of whiskey’s most fascinating ideas, and one of the toughest to pin down in any meaningful way. In wine, it’s easy to picture. A grape grown in a specific place can carry the imprint of its surroundings, shaped by soil, climate, elevation, and everything in between. Whiskey rarely offers that kind of…
Jack Daniel’s has been dropping ultra-proof whiskeys since the launch of the original Coy Hill Special Release, each one seemingly more popular than the last. For 2026, master distiller Chris Fletcher has a new trick up his sleeve for us: Five batches of barrel proof rye, including two from Coy Hill and three from two…
When it comes to rye, Angel’s Envy is best known for its always-on, rum-finished expression. But over the past few years, the brand — under the guidance of Master Distiller Owen Martin — has gradually expanded its rye lineup. That includes an inaugural Cask Strength Rye in 2023, which featured both Sauternes and toasted oak…
Couldn’t get your hands on Sazerac 18 Years Old this year (hey, neither did we) — make do perhaps with this more accessible upgrade to Sazerac 6 Years Old — Sazerac Full Proof. This permanent addition to the Sazerac Rye lineup is the same juice as other Sazeracs, but bottled at a blazing 125 proof, the…