Types Of Whiskey Flashcards
American Whiskey
A distilled beverage produced from a fermented mash of cereal grain produced in the United States.
The primary types of American whiskey are
bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey. All of these are made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains.
Bourbon: Made with at least 51% corn in the mash
Distilled to no more than 160 proof. Barreled in New Charred oak at 125 proof and bottled at minimum 40% ABV.
Straight Bourbon: Legally compliant bourbon aged 2 years.
Flavor profile: Generally sweeter than other whiskeys, with a smooth, rounded mouthfeel and a hefty body. Aged bourbon is even smoother.
Bourbon doesn’t technically have any aging minimums—bourbon that touched charred new oak for 45 minutes could be sold legally.
Because of the large proportion of corn, Bourbon has an impression of sweetness, smooth undertone with varying notes of spice, caramel, vanilla. (Myriad other flavors, from tobacco and toffee to tannin, fruit, leather, etc.)
The flavor profile has many influences from whatever makes up the rest of the grain bill, the strong influence of charred new oak, even the climate of the “Rickhouse”.
(if aged less than 4 years, it has to have an age statement on the bottle, a straight bourbon with no age statement is at least 4 years old).
Rickhouses or Rackhouses: Warehouses where barrels are stored in “ricks,” or racks that stack barrels three high and store them on their sides and are rotated as they age and climate changes
Rye Whiskey
Made with at least 51% Rye. Is distilled to no more than 160 proof and aged in charred, new oak barrels. The whiskey must be put in the barrels at no more than 125 proof.
Straight Rye Whiskey has been aged for at least two years and has not been blended with other.
Flavor profile: Flavors tend to be spicier, & there is more flavor variety between the different types of rye.
Malt Whiskey
Made from a fermented mash consisting primarily of malted barley. If it is produced exclusively at a single distillery, it is considered a Single Malt Whiskey
Wheat Whiskey
Made with at least 51% Wheat in the mash.
Distilled to no more than 160 proof. Barreled in New Charred oak at 125 proof and bottled at minimum 40% ABV.
Tennessee Whiskey
Made exactly like bourbon, except the spirit is maple charcoal filtered (with maple trees being cut and burned into charcoal seasonally), theoretically resulting in a smoother product.
Flavor profile: Just a bit lighter & less sweet than bourbon with more savory & herbal notes.
Corn Whiskey
Made with at least 80% corn in the mash.
Distilled to no more than 160 proof. Does not require wood aging(If barreled it must be in uncharred oak or previously used oak barrels at 125 proof)
Canadian Whiskey
Made from several different grains, unlike bourbon, in Canada each grain is fermented, distilled & aged separately.
Scotch Whiskey
Malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. It must be aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years. and bottled at minimum 40% ABV.
Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories:
Single malt Scotch whisky,
Single grain Scotch whisky,
Blended malt Scotch whisky,
Blended grain Scotch whisky, &Blended Scotch whisky.
