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Various styles of American whisky
WHISKEY
Spelt with an 'e' when referring to American or Irish whiskeys. Refers to any alcohol distilled from fermented grain mash - the wet grain mixture (typically corn, malted barley and wheat or rye) from which the raw whiskey is fermented - and aged in wooden casks, usually oak.
SOUR MASH
A sour-mash whiskey uses mash from a previous fermentation to add acidity and control bacteria growth.
BOURBON
Corn-based whiskey was a product of 18th-century Bourbon County, Kentucky. It's now a legally protected term. Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, be distilled at no more than 80 per cent ABV / 160 proof and aged for a minimum of 2 years in new, white-oak barrels, with nothing added. Though the law does not stipulate origin, 99% of Bourbon Whiskey comes from Kentucky. The unique limestone spring water found in Kentucky is considered by many as the only water with the ideal proportion of minerals that can yield the finest Bourbons.
RYE WHISKEY
Similar to bourbon but mash must contain at least 51 per cent rye. Rye malt whiskey, which is made from mash that consists of at least 51% malted rye.
CORN WHISKEY
The mash must be 80 per cent corn.
TENNESSEE WHISKEY
Identical to bourbon, but filtered through sugar maple charcoal for a sweeter flavour. is another type of American whiskey, that bears similarity to Bourbon, in that it is composed of a mash of at least 51% corn (maize) and is aged in charred oak barrels, typically for four or more years. But unlike Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey undergoes filtering through a thick layer of maple charcoal before it is put into casks for aging. This filtering imparts the whiskey with a distinctive smooth and sweet flavour. |
