SPIRIT STYLES
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An eye on the rye Spirit styles Part 1: American rye whiskey “Always carry a agon of whisky in case of snakebite, and furthermore, always carry a small snake.” – W.C. Fields American rye whiskey is the proverbial underdog to bourbon’s Goliath-like presence. Historically these whiskies developed during similar periods and at one point, rye was considered more popular. But dim minds bring dark times and American Prohibition nearly killed off one of the United States’ pre-eminent whiskey styles.
possibilities of using corn but rye was a better-known entity. Corn didn’t grow quite so well north of Maryland. And perhaps not so coincidentally north of Maryland was where most of the colo- nial populace lived. So, rye whiskey became a popular spirit throughout the Atlantic seaboard. The rst President of the United States, George Washington, in his twilight years, was at one point the largest rye distiller in the country, producing 11,000 gallons annually at his Mount Vernon estate in Northern Virginia. Interestingly, the Mount Vernon distillery has been reconstructed in recent years and works similarly to the original. You can even taste its unaged rye whiskey which is based on George Washington’s original recipe of 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley.) Much of the early rye whiskey was sold young, often right off the still. Pricing was typically based on spirit strength. Of course, time wears away
T hings are starting to change, how- ever. Rye is having a renaissance and times are looking good. But for most of the drinking public, American rye whiskey remains a mystery. Let’s suit up and dive in to discover what exactly makes American rye whiskey tick. Some history The history of rye whiskey in the United States is easy to understand when viewed through the lens of thirst-based
agronomics. Rye had historically been grown in Britain and throughout Europe and even turned into spirit on occasion. When the colonisation of America began it made sense to plant rye as well. It’s a hardy grain that grows in a variety of climates and at the time is particularly well suited to North Atlantic colonies such as Pennsylvania and New York. During colonisation distillers were only just beginning to understand the
26 ● BREWER AND DISTILLER INTERNATIONAL I november 2019
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