If you've checked out our post on What is Bourbon?! then you'll be pleased to find out that the requirements for what (legally) classifies a whiskey to be called American rye whiskey aren't too different!

For a whiskey to be called American rye whiskey it must:

• Must be made from at least 51% rye
• Must be aged in a new, charred oak barrel
• Must be lower than 80% alcohol (160 proof)
• Must be introduced into the barrel at under 62.5% alcohol (125) proof

As we mentioned in our bourbon post, all whiskey is made from grain, fermented, distilled, and aged in barrels. Rye whiskey gets its spicy/peppery characteristics from a grain mash that's made primarily from rye. Rye is a grass that's grown as a grain and is closely related to wheat and barley. Unlike bourbon, rye can be as high as 100% rye content and still retain the same name (however most distillers don't go above 90%).

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Fun fact: Canadian rye whisky has no legal requirements for the amount of rye in the mash bill. The requirements to be called Canadian rye whisky are;

• Must have a mash made from cereal grain or cereal grain products
• Must be aged in a small wood barrel for at least 3 years (under 700 liters)
• Must possess the armoa, taste, and character attributed to Canadian whisky
• Must be mashed, distilled, and aged in Canada
• Must contain more than 40% alcohol (80 proof)

If a rye has been aged for a minimum of 2 years it is then allowed the option of labeling it "Straight". Any straight rye aged under 4 years must state its age on the bottle. Rye that's "Bottled-in-bond" is straight rye that has been aged for at least 4 years.