Russell's Reserve Rye Single Barrel (spice 2), 52% ABV - A higher proof, single barrel bottling of the Russell's Reserve 6. In classic Tennesse Whiskey fashion (see below) It's filtered through sugar maple charcoal, which gives it some mellow honey notes. Look for their bonded bottling as well.ĭickel Rye (Spice 2), 45% ABV - A delicious underrated rye that's sourced from MPG and has their 95% rye mashbill. And you can't beat the price, which hovers around $20. Old Overholt (Spice 1) - I used to be down on Old Overholt, but it does make a damn good cocktail. On that note, all of High West's Whiskey is great and interesting, you can peruse here. This is a blend of a spicy 2-year rye and a mellower 16 year rye, both from MGP. High West Double Rye (Spice 2), 46% ABV - Another great mixing and sipping option. This is not to be confused with their Wild Turkey 81 proof rye. Wild Turkey 101 (spice 1), 50.5% ABV - A wonderful high whiskey, and my other go-to pick for everyday rye, next to Rittenhouse, which it's a little richer than.

Excellent for sipping (and shooting) as well. It is the gold standard mixing rye and what many cocktail bars use. Rittenhouse (Spice 1), 50% ABV - My early cocktail years were drenched in Rittenhouse. In general, wheated bourbons can spend more time in the barrel without becoming over-oaked. Wheat’s subtler profile provides a canvas for certain complex barrel flavors to develop over longer periods, as opposed to rye which is more pronounced from the beginning. Wheated bourbons are great for long aging. Not because there's more sugar, but because wheat has less spice than rye, allowing more oak flavors to come through. These bourbons will be lighter and taste slightly sweeter. Wheated - Here wheat is used in place of rye as the secondary grain. These bourbons will be a little drier and have a more distinctive spicey bite. High Rye - The rye proportion is upped to around 13-20% so there's less corn. These are your classic bourbons where the balance between sweet and spice is pretty even, though there is still a range. Traditional - Over 70% corn with about 10-12% rye. I've made notations below for high rye and wheated bourbons, otherwise it's the traditional mashbill.

Sometimes these will be acknowledged on a label, though not always. There are three basic flavor profiles of bourbon, which has to do with the mashbill.

More on that can be found in the craft whiskey section. There are also references to 'sourced' whiskey, which means it was purchased from a distillery, not made by the brand. For more details about mashbills and how American whiskey is made, visit the American whiskey main page. In the sections below, you'll see references to the mashbill of some whiskey. This is the proportions of different grains used in that particular whiskey. The choice is yours, and there isn't a wrong one. But I certainly love a bourbon Manhattan or a rye Mint Julep as well. For shaken and/or refreshing cocktails like a Whiskey Sour or Mint Julep, I often go with the more even-keeled bourbon. I generally lean towards rye in stirred, spirit-forward cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds cocktails because its spicier flavors punch through a little more. Tennesee whiskey is sort of a sub-category of bourbon, it's made in exactly the same way, just with a few added variables.Īs I've said, a ny time a recipe calls broadly for 'whiskey' either bourbon or rye will serve admirably in its own particular way. Bourbon and rye are the heart of the American whiskey category and the base of whiskey cocktails everywhere.

Tennessee whiskey brands