Rye Whiskey
Also known as: rye
In short
Rye whiskey is America's spicy side: at least 51 percent rye, drier and sharper than bourbon. We explain the definition, its role before Prohibition and the classics manhattan and sazerac.
In depth
What is rye whiskey?
Rye is American whiskey with at least 51 percent rye, aged in new charred casks, as US law prescribes for whiskey. In taste, it is considered spicier and drier than bourbon.
The whiskey of the early days
Before Prohibition, rye was the whiskey of choice especially in the American northeast, afterwards bourbon caught up. Today rye is enjoying a comeback, and the old classics return with it.
Classics with rye
Manhattan and sazerac. The manhattan lives on a dash of Angostura, which you know from our Angostura entry. Tradition has it that the sazerac was first built with cognac and switched to rye after the phylloxera crisis.
Remember this one
"Scotch makes the dignity, bourbon the sweetness, rye the spice, Tennessee the smoothness."
At our lounge
For the spicy moment: ask us about a rye in your manhattan, the difference to bourbon is smaller in the glass than on paper.