Rye Whiskey: A Beginner’s Guide

This week at the Distillery at Kiepersol, we're crafting rye whiskey. While Bourbon enjoys its status as America’s whiskey and holds the title of the most popular whiskey in the country, it wasn’t the first American whiskey. That distinction belongs to rye whiskey. 

History of Rye 

Pennsylvania is the home of rye whiskey; we can trace rye whiskey all the way back to the 1700s. There was a large concentration of Scottish and Irish immigrants who had settled in Pennsylvania, and they wanted to bring their native spirit with them. However, barley, which they used to create Irish and Scotch whiskey, had a hard time growing in the Pennsylvania climate. Rye grew well in Pennsylvania and neighboring states and became the grain of choice for local distillers. During the Revolutionary War, when America lost access to other spirits, rye became the drink for early Americans.

What is Rye Whisky?

These distillers and farmers quickly realized that rye flourished and soon became a replacement for barley-heavy recipes. This grain was utilized along with the native corn to make a uniquely American style of whiskey which evolved in the 18th and 19th centuries. These days rye whiskey must be made from a minimum of 51% rye and the rest usually made up of corn, wheat, and malted barley, distilled no higher than 160 proof, barrel-aged no higher than 125 proof, and much like bourbon, aged in new charred oak barrels.

The Disappearance of Rye
The Prohibition Era in America began in 1920 with the passing of the Volstead Act, which created the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, banning the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquors. This marked the start of the decline of rye whiskey, as production practically stopped overnight, with all the small farm distilleries being shut down in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. After Prohibition, the Second World War further halted all production in America as distilleries were called upon to aid the war efforts. Just as production started to ramp back up in America, Americans turned to Vodka, Gin, and Scotch, causing rye whiskey to gain a reputation as bottom-shelf whiskey.

Rye Reborn 

The growing interest in whiskey, especially craft whiskeys, has brought the once-dominant rye whiskey back to the public eye. Additionally, bartenders in the US and around the world are rediscovering classics like the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned, which traditionally would have been made with rye.

Join me next week to investigate the flavor profiles of different styles of rye whiskey and discuss how our rye whiskey, aged in Texas, will stand out as a classic.

Cheers, 
Dylan