In my almost two decades of writing about alcohol, I’ve learned many things. One thing I realized is that America’s “native spirit” bourbon is by far the most beloved American whiskey variety. Sure, there are countless fans of American-made rye whiskey and the newly categorized American single malt whiskey. But neither is as popular as bourbon.
For those new to this type of whiskey, bourbon is geographically specific to the US. It must be made in the US (but definitely not just Kentucky) and have a mash bill of at least 51% corn. It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof and enter the barrel at 125. It also must be matured in new, charred American oak barrels and contain no artificial colors or flavorings. While there are a handful of other rules and regulations, those are the most important.
Now that you know a bit about the basics of bourbon, it’s time to take a deeper dive into this popular whiskey style. If you look closely at the bottles of bourbon at your local liquor retailer, you’ll see that they aren’t all labeled the same. You won’t simply find the words “bourbon whiskey.” There’s a whole world of bourbon categories just waiting to be discovered.
The different types of bourbon
As I mentioned, you won’t likely find a bottle of bourbon labeled “bourbon.” If you do, that means it’s a really young bourbon. There are a variety of different types of bourbon. These include straight bourbon, single barrel bourbon, wheated bourbon, and more. Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about the different bourbon varieties.
Straight bourbon
You’ve probably seen the word “straight” written on your favorite bottle of bourbon. To be considered a straight bourbon, the whiskey must follow all the bourbon rules but must also be matured for a minimum of two years. If it’s under four years old, it must have an age statement.
Wheated bourbon
Wheated bourbon is precisely as the name suggests. It’s a type of bourbon that uses wheat instead of rye or barley as its secondary grain. A high wheat percentage gives the whiskey a soft, smooth, velvety palate. Wheated bourbon brands include Maker’s Mark, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, Weller, and Pappy Van Winkle.
High-rye bourbon
As the name suggests, high-rye bourbon utilizes rye as the secondary grain. It shouldn’t be a low percentage, though. High-rye bourbons have between 20% and 35% rye included in the mash bill. Adding rye brings the corn whiskey an herbal, peppery, gentle, spicy flavor.
Four-grain bourbon
Four-grain bourbon gets its name because it consists of all four of the primary grains associated with bourbon. The mash bill will contain corn, wheat, rye, and barley. The result is a well-balanced, flavorful whiskey.
Single barrel bourbon
Single barrel bourbon is made the same way as other types of bourbon. It gets its name because it comes from a single American oak barrel instead of a blend of various barrels found throughout the rickhouse. This style is noteworthy because every barrel has its own specific flavor palate, so different releases of the same single barrel bourbon will be, at the very least, slightly different.
Bottled-in-bond bourbon
Named for the “Bottled in Bond Act of 1897” (which was created to establish a standard of quality for American whiskey), any bourbon with this label must follow strict rules. It must be made in a single distillation season by a single distiller at one distillery, matured for four years at minimum in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at 100 proof.
Cask strength bourbon
Also known as barrel proof, cask strength bourbon gets its name because it’s bottled directly from the barrel after maturation without being proofed down by any water. This means the alcohol content is exactly the same as it was in the cask. While the average bottle of whiskey is 80-proof, cask strength whiskeys are typically 100-proof and above. Most are 120-proof and beyond.
Small Batch bourbon
There might not be a more mysterious bourbon variety than small batch bourbon. In the simplest terms, it’s a bourbon made by blending whiskey from a “small” or limited number of barrels. There’s no official definition of the number of barrels that constitutes a small batch bourbon. Some distilleries believe it applies to whiskeys made with 10-25 barrels, and others think it can be hundreds or more. Some distilleries even use a thousand or more barrels and still call their expressions “small batch”.
