Talk:Rye whiskey

Sugar content?
Is Rye Whiskey, particularly Jim Beam brand rye, lower in sugar content than white label?

It depends on the country where you buy the whiskey. In the US and other countries that require labeling to adhere to the same standards as the origin country's, whiskey labeled "straight rye whiskey" contains no added sugar in the US, although if it is not labeled 'straight' it may contain added sugar, standard Jim Beam White label is straight bourbon whiskey, rather than rye whiskey and contains no added sugar as per TTB §5.23(a)(3)(iii) of the CFR, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/27/5.23 Kardonius (talk) 10:10, 19 October 2017 (UTC)

Old Potrero 18th Century not really a rye?
Technically Old Potrero 18th Century is not considered a rye whiskey despite being distilled from 100% rye malt mash because it is stored in toasted (uncharred) oak barrels and not charred oak barrels. Amlai 11:03, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Please add URL to your Link list
As our contribution to Wikipedia's probably unintended, but nevertheless growing, collection of American whiskey folklore and legend, we believe readers would enjoy also visiting our website dedicated to just that subject, along with documentation of our personal visits to various American whiskey distillery sites, current and defunct. Our URL is...

http://www.ellenjaye.com

Thank you,

--Jeffelle 04:31, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Russell's Reserve Rye Whiskey Released
A new rye has come on the market. Russell's Reserve Rye. Distilled in Lawrenceburg, KY by Austin Nichols, the subsidiary of Pernod Ricard USA which produces Wild Turkey.

http://www.pernod-ricard-usa.com/media/pr.php?id=26&pr_id=265

Yes, it is marketed as Wild Turkey "Russell's Reserve" Rye, a 6 year-old bottling. This is not to be confused with the Wild Turkey "Russell's Reserve" Bourbon, a 90-proof 10 year-old bottling from the same company, obviously, but the problem for consumers is, both bottles look virtually identical and could easily be mistaken for each other. CrashRiley (talk) 01:01, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Wild Turkey
I don't know how to edit this, but the link to "Wild Turkey" on this page goes directly to the page for the bird, not the whiskey. If anyone can fix this it'd probably be helpful.

BaikinMan 18:00, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Templeton Rye
Added reference to Templeton Rye and reference link to Iowa Public Radio interview with distillers. -cman- (talk) 13:44, 25 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I've fixed so it links to the bourbon, which is probably the best we can do. (I doubt there is a separate article for the rye version.) Crypticfirefly 01:24, 6 May 2007 (UTC)


 * None of that much matters, as Wild Turkey is *NOT* Rye Whisky, rather it is Bourbon. Even the manufacturer says so.  --65.96.186.165 23:19, 1 December 2007 (UTC)


 * That is correct, however Wild Turkey does market a Rye whiskey: http://www.wildturkeybourbon.com/flock/bottxt8.htm so Wild Turkey's inclusion here is relevant. CrashRiley 19:22, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Indeed. 65.96.186.165 apparently failed to read the line where "Wild Turkey [brand] Rye Whiskey" is referred to. Crypticfirefly 04:08, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Founding fathers?
I thought rum was the drink of the founding fathers, and rye came along later. Rees11 (talk) 21:21, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Rum and rye were both popular. Rye was made domestically in PA (that's why labels like Rittenhouse Rye still exist) until the Whiskey Rebellion (America's first tax protest post Constitution), and actually the bourbon and corn-basis for "American" whiskey followed when the distillers fled to Kentucky territories.


 * Washington's distillery I think was something he started well after the Rebellion in his retirement, very late in life.

Errors/Clarification in product attribution
Vintage 21 and Vintage 23 are not Heaven Hill products, they are sold by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD. http://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/vintage_line.php

Red Hook Rye is distilled by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD for Lenells, a retail spirits shop in Brooklyn, New York.

Classic Cask has their rye bottled for them by Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD. CrashRiley (talk) 01:01, 19 June 2008 (UTC)


 * KBD doesn't distill anything, they only age and bottle product distilled by others.

Wild turkey
The link for wild turkey goes to the bourbon page, not rye.72.78.11.42 (talk) 04:12, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

Is it really rye?
Tried to find a reference for "Rare Perfection" but had no luck. Have not heard of this brand. Does anyone know of Rare Perfection Rye? It is also out of alphabetical order which should probably be fixed if Rare Perfection actually exists.

GrandpaDave (talk) 02:54, 4 May 2009 (UTC)


 * It apparently does exist (see this ad for it online), but I don't know if it is rye. I'm going to remove it from the article until such time that someone can verify that it is actually a rye whiskey. Crypticfirefly (talk) 05:04, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

One more thing, Wild Turkey is still listed as being a subsidiary of Pernod, and I think it's since been bought out by Campari. Cheers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.231.213.50 (talk) 17:04, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Canadian Whiskies Sold by American Companies
Both Jefferson's Rye and WhistlePig are Canadian made, but sold and bottled by US companies. Jefferson's was moved to the Canadian section, but WhistlePig was not. Unless somebody objects, I think they should both be listed as American, since they are not only in the American style, they both qualify as Straight Rye Whiskey under US regs, which most Canadians do not.Samogon (talk) 23:22, 22 November 2011 (UTC)
 * If both these whiskies are made in Canada and then sold in the US in an unadulterated state then they should be listed as Canadian. Hammersbach (talk) 00:03, 23 November 2011 (UTC)
 * OK. Moved WhistlePig to Canadian section.Samogon (talk) 22:07, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

U.S. Rye Whisky labelling in Canada
It seems pretty hard to argue with the facts on the ground (as by Oknazevad), but doesn't the plain language of the Canadian regulations very clearly require that all Rye Whisky' (a) shall ... (v) be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada"? —BarrelProof (talk) 21:28, 3 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Actually, the section in question only applies to whisky made in Canada, which is absolutely clear if the next sections are read; they cover imports, and much like the US regulations covering Scotch, Irish and Canadian whiskies, defer to the producing countries' laws for those products. My biggest problem with the edit was that it was clearly you interpreting the law without checking if you were correct. You're much better than that! Oh well, we all make good faith mistakes. oknazevad (talk) 02:13, 4 January 2015 (UTC)
 * I read the next sections too, but I don't see it. The next sections govern products identified as "Highland Whisky", "Bourbon Whisky", and "Tennessee Whisky", and previous sections govern products identified as "Malt Whisky", "Scotch Whisky" and "Irish Whisky", but that's the only section that governs products identified as "Rye Whisky", and it seems to rather clearly prohibit all imported products from using that label identification. It says that "Bourbon Whisky" has to be from the United States and "Tennessee Whisky" has to be from Tennessee and "Scotch Whisky" has to be from Scotland and "Rye Whisky" has to be from Canada. But I fully agree that if the language isn't interpreted that way, the article shouldn't say it. —BarrelProof (talk) 02:26, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

Bourbon tends to be fuller bodied than rye?
Under the "Differences between rye and bourbon" section is the following claim:

"Bourbon, distilled from at least 51% corn, is noticeably sweeter, and tends to be fuller bodied than rye."

I found the following conflicting statement in this news article: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/rye-whiskey-american-original-no-longer-rocks-n406066

''"Rye is a gloriously spicy grain," said Dave Pickerell, who left a longtime job as master distiller for Maker's Mark, a "wheated" bourbon, to make rye whiskey. "It's big and full bodied. It's what you want to graduate to if you're an American whiskey drinker."''

Can someone provide a source for the "bourbon more full bodied" claim?

GDW13 (talk) 18:36, 8 August 2015 (UTC)