American Whiskey
Whiskey was brought to America by the Scottish and Irish immigrants. As with other groups of immigrants, they had to adapt in a number of ways in an attempt to settle in the new homeland. The use of raw materials was also one of them. A brand new kind of whiskey then slowly and gradually evolved over the years.
At present, American whiskey is vastly different from its cousins the Irish and Scottish Whiskey. For instance, they use smoke to dry the wheat, rye and corn which allows American whiskey to have a fuller, sweeter and stronger taste than its Scottish and Irish counterparts.
Generally speaking, American whiskey is divided into 6 categories, namely Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, Corn, Wheat and Blended whiskey. Such categories are clearly motivated by the huge differences in the amount and type of grains used and storage time, for example.
Bourbon Whiskey
As nearly all Bourbon are made exclusively in Kentucky, an awful lot of people believe this must be a requirement. However, Bourbon may, in fact, be produced in any US state. There are a few prerequisites that must be followed. For instance, it must contain at least fifty-one percent corn and be well stored for at least 2 years in new, clean, charred oak barrels. Finally, the raw spirit must be distilled to not more than eighty percent alcohol by volume.
Tennessee
Tennessee is very closely related to Bourbon, with a couple of differences; it must be produced in the Tennessee State and must always be filtered through high quality sugar-maple charcoal. The unique filtering process normally takes 8-12 days to complete. US government officials recognised Tennessee whiskey as a separate style in 1941.
Rye and Wheat Whiskey
To fully qualify as a Rye whiskey, the spirit has to be made from more than 50% rye, distilled not more than 80% and stored in brand new, clean, charred oak barrels for two years, at least. Rye whiskey is a bit more powerful than Bourbon and most of it is now made in Kentucky and Indiana. Wheat whiskey is made from more than 51% of wheat and is rather uncommon.
Corn
Corn whiskey was developed as a result of the vastly abundant supply of corn. It is also a predecessor to Bourbon. This type of whiskey must contain at least 80% corn. Corn whiskey doesn’t have to be aged in wood, unlike its Bourbon counterpart. Should Corn whiskey be aged, any kind of maturation has to be done in new un-charred barrels or alternatively used Bourbon barrels.
Blended American Whiskey
This type of whiskey should never be confused with the blended Scottish whiskey. The American version only consists of 20% of Bourbon and Rye whiskey, with the remaining 80% made up of a neutral spirit that is mass-produced on an industrial scale. That is precisely why American blended whiskey is so much cheaper. It’s also relatively lighter than, say, Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey.