Benjamin Prichard’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey

Rye whiskey is a generic category for single-malt whiskey distilled from predominately rye mash combined with a lesser quantity of corn mash. Mainly refers to American straight rye whiskey, but is also a term used by Canadian distillers (in which case, unless specifically noted otherwise, really denotes a blended whiskey). In the main, rye is quite like Bourbon but, with a few exceptions, is drier (not as sweet) tasting. Historically, rye was produced mostly in Pennsylvania and aged in warehouses along the Monongahela River, though currently it is made along side the more popular Bourbon in the places Bourbon is produced. “Straight rye whiskey” in the United States means whiskey produced from a mash of at least 51% rye grains, distilled below 160 proof, aged at least two years in new, charred oak barrels, and diluted with nothing other than water. Note that, with careful discretion, it is sometimes possible to substitute for straight rye a spicy bourbon with a rye-heavy mashbill.