The difference between rye and bourbon is the grain. Rye whiskey must be made from a mash of at least 51% rye. Bourbon must be at least 51% corn. Nearly everything else in the rulebook, from the new charred oak barrels to the proof limits, is the same for both.
This page used to tell you how each one tastes and which bottles to buy. We sell those bottles, so describing them is advertising rather than information, and that copy has been removed. What is left is the rulebook and the mechanism, which is what actually explains the difference.
How whiskey is made
Whiskey is a spirit distilled from a fermented grain mash and, in nearly every category, aged in oak. The distiller cooks the grain to release starch, converts the starch to sugar (usually with malted barley), ferments the sugar into alcohol, distills it, then barrels it. Which grains go into the mash, in what proportions, is the single biggest decision in the process and the one that defines the category.
What is rye whiskey?
Under US federal standards, rye whiskey is distilled from a mash of at least 51% rye grain, to no more than 160 proof, and aged in new charred oak barrels, entering the barrel at no more than 125 proof. Add “straight” to the label and it must be at least two years old.
The remaining 49% of the mash is up to the distiller, usually corn and malted barley. Some producers go to 95% or even 100% rye.
American vs Canadian rye
The word “rye” does not mean the same thing on both sides of the border. In the US it is a legal category with the 51% minimum above. In Canada, “rye” is a traditional name for Canadian whisky generally, and Canadian rules do not require any particular proportion of rye grain. Many Canadian ryes are corn-led blends with rye as a component. If the mash bill matters to you, check the producer’s own site rather than the front label.
What is bourbon?
Bourbon must be made in the United States from a mash of at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof, entered into new charred oak barrels at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at 80 proof or above. There is no minimum age for bourbon; “straight bourbon” must be at least two years old, and anything under four years must state its age.
Common mash bills:
- Traditional. Roughly 70% corn, with rye and malted barley making up the rest. The most common recipe.
- High-rye. Still at least 51% corn, but with a larger rye share, often 20% to 35%. Bulleit, Four Roses and Basil Hayden’s are the usual examples.
- Wheated. Wheat replaces rye as the secondary grain. Maker’s Mark is the widely stocked example.
Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey meets every federal requirement for bourbon, plus one added by Tennessee state law: the new-make spirit is filtered through sugar-maple charcoal before barrelling, the Lincoln County Process. Producers generally do not call it bourbon, but legally it qualifies as one.
Rye vs bourbon: the actual differences
- Grain. 51% rye vs 51% corn. This is the whole legal distinction.
- Geography. Bourbon must be made in the US. Rye whiskey can be made anywhere, though the US definition only applies to US-made rye.
- Proof limits, ageing, barrels. Identical. Both are distilled to 160 proof or less, barrelled at 125 or less in new charred oak, and both use the same two-year rule for “straight.”
- Overlap. A high-rye bourbon and a corn-heavy rye can have mash bills within a few percentage points of each other. The category line is drawn at 51%, and plenty of whiskeys sit near it on either side.
Whether you prefer one over the other is not something a page can tell you. Both are used in the same cocktails: the Old Fashioned, the Whiskey Sour, the Manhattan. Ordering the same drink with each is the fastest way to find out.
A note on proof
Both categories are commonly sold at 80 to 100 proof, and some bottlings run higher. A 1.5 oz pour at 80 proof is one US standard drink. At 100 proof it is 1.25. At barrel proof, often 110 to 130, a single pour can be close to 1.5 standard drinks. The number on the label is the one that tells you what you are actually pouring.
The fine print
What’s available depends on your address. Enter it and we’ll show you what’s in stock nearby, including whiskey. Delivery is $4.99, plus applicable taxes and fees, shown before you order, as fast as 25 minutes in the best case. Alcohol is 21 and up. ID at the door, every time, no exceptions and no negotiating with the driver.
