What is special about rye whiskey?
Rye whiskey was extremely popular in America, particularly before the buzzkill that was alcohol prohibited.
Few Rye Whiskeys are still offered in the United States nowadays because the spicy flavour has fallen out of favour.
A vital ingredient in Canadian blended whiskies is Canadian rye whiskey. With the release of both small and large distilleries’ renditions of bourbon’s hotter sibling, the rye revival has gathered momentum.
In the past, rye whiskey predominated in the northeastern states, particularly in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Around the late 1700s and early 1800s, rye whiskey manufacture was concentrated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
After Prohibition, rye whiskey essentially vanished. A few brands, including Old Overholt, managed to endure, however by the late 1960s, Old Overholt and other former Pennsylvania labels were largely distilled in Kentucky.
How is rye different from whiskey?
Rye whiskey is merely one of the many whiskey variants; whiskey is the more generic or general name for the beverage.
With a distinctive spicy finish, rye whiskey has a grassy, peppery flavour. There may be fruit, oak, or smoke overtones, depending on the brand. In general, rye has a more assertive flavour and is hotter than bourbon. With flavours of vanilla, oak, and caramel, bourbon whiskey often has a sweeter, more mellow flavour than rye.
Our top 17 Rye Whiskey Brands
A lot of the rye whiskey you can buy now originally comes from MGP, an historic, factory-like distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, that specializes in whiskey with a 95 percent rye/5 percent malted barley mash bill.
Rye is necessary for any correctly constructed Manhattan or Sazerac, and it can successfully replace bourbon in an Old Fashioned or Boulevardier. However, rye is not necessary for all cocktails. But if those cocktails hadn’t been fashionable again, there’s a good probability that rye would have remained on its downward trajectory of popularity and been on the verge of extinction by now. In other words, while rye is crucial to these beverages, the drinks themselves are equally significant to the modern history of whiskey.
- Old Overholt Bonded Straight Rye Whiskey
- Elijah Craig
- Wild Turkey 101 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- WhistlePig
- George Dickel Rye Whisky
- Old Forester Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky
- Boardroom Spirits Northbound Rye Whiskey
- Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey
- Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
- High West Whiskey Double Rye!
- Pinhook ‘Hard Rye Guy’ Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- Burnside Whiskey Oregon Oaked Rye
- Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- Rabbit Hole ‘Boxergrail’ Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- Frey Ranch Straight Rye Whiskey
