American Whiskey

Traditional American whiskey, Bourbon and Tennessee, are sweet, indulgent and toasty. The use of new, heavily charred oak casks proffers spice and gentle smoke, plenty of rum, coffee notes with buttery cereal sweetness, toffee and caramel. These are straightforward drinks, but they can be as enjoyable as any whisk(e)y. American whiskeys are of a remarkably consistent quality, requiring far less ageing than Scotch, they are often much cheaper as... well. American whiskeys are distilled from a variety of cereal grains. The most popular are corn, wheat, rye and barley.

The selection of grains used for distillation is known as a mashbill. Bourbon is distilled from a minimum of 51% corn, though the majority of bourbon distillers used as much as 80%. Bourbon is buttery and rich in style. Tennessee whiskey is produced similarly to bourbon, though it undergoes an additional filtration though sugar maple charcoal. Jack Daniel’s whiskey is a noteworthy advocate of this. Tennessee whiskeys are slightly smoky and are very creamy. Rye whiskey is distilled from at least 51% rye and the resultant liquor is a far spicier offering. There have also been a handful of single malts produced on the North American mainland.

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