Rye is the whiskey bartenders reach for when a drink needs backbone. It is the whiskey named in the International Bartenders Association Manhattan and in the Sazerac House recipe for the Sazerac, and it has a peppery, drier edge that sets it apart from bourbon. The word "rye" also means different things depending on where the bottle comes from, so this guide covers the American rules, what Canadian rye means, the Australian and European ryes worth knowing, and how to use rye in three classic drinks.
Quick picks
- Willett Family Rye 4 years Small Batch: a cask strength Kentucky rye at 54.5% from the family-owned Willett distillery.
- Michter's US 1 Rye: a single barrel rye at 42.4%, and an easy first step into the style.
- Sazerac Rye 6 Year Old: the rye that shares its name with the New Orleans cocktail.
What makes a rye: the American rules
In the United States, whisky classes are set by the federal Standards of Identity for distilled spirits (27 CFR Part 5). Under those rules, rye whisky must be made from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent rye. It must be distilled at 160 proof (80% ABV) or less, and stored in charred new oak barrels at 125 proof (62.5% ABV) or less. Like all whisky under those rules, it must be bottled at not less than 40% ABV.
Straight rye adds a time requirement: a minimum of two years in those charred new oak barrels. When you see "straight rye" on an American label, that is what it is telling you.
The other part of the mash is usually corn and malted barley, and the split matters. Willett publishes its recipe for the 4 year Small Batch rye: 90 percent of the blend comes from a mash of 74% rye, 11% corn and 15% barley, and the other 10 percent from a mash of 51% rye, 34% corn and 15% barley. Both go into the barrel at 110 proof, and the whiskey is bottled at cask strength.
Bourbon is defined in the same part of the rules, with corn as the 51 percent grain instead of rye. If you want the bourbon side of the story, our Australian guide to types of bourbon covers it.
Canadian "rye" is a different idea
Canada handles the word differently. Its compositional standard covers "Canadian whisky, Canadian rye whisky or rye whisky" as one standard, so on a Canadian label the word rye is a traditional name rather than a signal of the American 51 percent rule. Canadian whisky must be aged at least three years in small wood, meaning casks of no more than 700 litres.
Sortilège shows two sides of Canadian rye. Sortilège Wild North Rye is blended from whisky batches aged five and seven years, using spring water from northern Quebec and barrels of North American white oak, and is bottled at 43%. Sortilège Rye Whisky 3 Years spends three years in oak and is then macerated with roasted maple wood chips at Sortilège's Montreal plant, which gives it a distinct maple note. It is bottled at 40%.
Australian and European ryes
The American rules apply to American whiskey, so producers elsewhere make rye their own way, and the label is where you find the grain and the casks.
Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky is made in Sydney from malted rye and malted barley, and matured in virgin American oak casks that were air-dried for 36 months. It is bottled at 46%. For more local bottles, see our guide to Australian whisky from Tasmania to the mainland.
From Europe, Dumangin Batch 026 Dutch Rye is a 100% rye whisky, with no malt or corn, distilled at Zuidam in the Netherlands. Champagne house Dumangin aged it four years in a bourbon barrel, then finished it for 21 months in a cask that held the estate's Ratafia Champenois. It is bottled at 47.4% without chill filtration.
How rye tastes next to bourbon
Producers describe rye in a consistent way. Sazerac calls its rye "spicy and assertive". Willett describes its small batch rye as "a balance of fruit and spice". FEW pairs a "generous rye content" with "the sweetness of corn" in its straight rye. As a rule of thumb, more rye in the mash brings more spice and a drier finish, while more corn rounds the whiskey out with sweetness.
The easiest way to learn the difference is side by side. Pour a measure of Michter's US 1 Rye next to a bourbon of similar strength and the contrast shows straight away. Michter's makes its US 1 Rye from American rye grain that it shears to draw out flavour, matures it in fire-charred new American white oak, and bottles each one from a single barrel at 42.4%.
FEW Straight Rye Whiskey sits in the middle, a rye with corn in the mash for a softer style, bottled at 46.5%. Willett, at 54.5%, is at the bold end, with dark cherry and spice in the product notes.
How to use rye: three classic drinks
Manhattan. The International Bartenders Association recipe calls for rye. Stir 50 ml rye whiskey, 20 ml sweet red vermouth and 1 dash of Angostura bitters with ice in a mixing glass, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry such as Luxardo Maraschino Cherries. Browse our vermouth range for the second ingredient.
Old Fashioned. The IBA version takes bourbon or rye. Place a sugar cube in an old fashioned glass, saturate it with Angostura bitters and add a few dashes of plain water. Muddle until dissolved, fill the glass with ice, add 45 ml whiskey and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry. A rye Old Fashioned is drier and spicier than a bourbon one. For more on the bitters, see Bitters Explained.
Sazerac. This is the Sazerac House method. Pack one old fashioned glass with ice. In a second glass, place a sugar cube, add three dashes of Peychaud's Bitters and crush the cube. Add 45 ml Sazerac Rye and ice, and stir. Empty the ice from the first glass, coat it with 7.5 ml Herbsaint and discard the rest. Strain the whiskey mixture into the coated glass and garnish with a lemon peel.
A cask strength rye like Willett makes a bigger, bolder drink at the same measure, so it is worth tasting as you go.
Where to start
- New to rye: Michter's US 1 Rye for a single barrel rye at an approachable strength.
- For a Sazerac: Sazerac Rye 6 Year Old, the rye the drink is built around.
- For a bold Manhattan: Willett Family Rye 4 years Small Batch at cask strength.
- Something local: Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky from Sydney.
- A Canadian rye: Sortilège Wild North Rye, or Sortilège Rye 3 Years for the maple finish.
- A pure rye from Europe: Dumangin Batch 026 Dutch Rye.
- Browse the full rye whisky collection, the Willett range and our bourbon shelf.
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