American and Canadian whisky are two popular flavours known for their smooth and easy-drinking taste. American whisky, also known as bourbon, is made primarily from corn and matured in oak barrels, giving it a sweet and rich flavour profile with notes of caramel, vanilla and oak. Canadian whisky is also made from corn and can be blended with other grains. It is matured in barrels made from various woods and is known for its smooth and pleasant flavour with notes of maple, vanilla and fruit. American whisky is distilled in either pot stills or column stills and can be labelled as bourbon or Tennessee whiskey depending on the production process. Canadian whiskey, also known as rye whiskey, may or may not contain rye and can be made from a variety of grains. Both American and Canadian whisky is often aged in new, charred oak barrels, which contributes to their different flavours and aromas.
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Content: 0.7 Liter (€62.84* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€72.84* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€45.70* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€74.27* / 1 Liter)
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Content: 0.7 Liter (€29.99* / 1 Liter)
Content: 0.7 Liter (€47.84* / 1 Liter)
All bourbon or what?
Even if it seems like it on some drinks menus: Not every American whiskey is a bourbon. However, bourbon is undoubtedly the most popular whiskey on the continent today. It consists mainly of corn (at least 51 per cent, although usually significantly more), which gives it a characteristic sweetness. The law also stipulates that straight bourbon must be stored for at least two years in new American white oak barrels and may not contain any additives. However, the origin and production technique are not precisely defined. The tubular Coffey stills or, as with Scotch malt whisky, the more traditional pot stills can be used for production. A bourbon does not have to come from Kentucky either - and certainly not from Bourbon County. A whiskey from Tennessee, such as Jack Daniel's, also fulfils all the formal requirements for a straight bourbon. Here, however, the emphasis is on being a Tennessee whiskey. This differs from conventional bourbon due to the special "charcoal mellowing" filtering process.
But whether bourbon or Tennessee, whether corn or wheat: the original whiskey in the USA and Canada is rye whiskey distilled from rye. Until Prohibition almost 100 years ago, rye was the predominant whiskey in North America. But the distilleries in the states on the north-east coast, such as Maryland and Pennsylvania, did not survive the Prohibition era. In the USA and Canada, the traditional, flavoursome rye was then increasingly replaced by sweeter corn. It is only in recent years that the classic straight rye has regained importance.
But beware: in Canada, a whiskey may be called "rye whiskey" even if it contains no rye at all. For the sake of tradition...
An American speciality
Like the Irish, distillers in the USA and Canada usually spell their spirit with an "E", meaning whiskey. Another special feature of straight bourbon is that the barrels may only be used once. These new barrels give off more aroma and flavour than reused ones would. A side effect of this is that the whiskey matures more quickly.
This is what America tastes like
The storage in new, charred American oak barrels gives American whiskeys distinct vanilla flavours, often accompanied by notes of (coconut) nuts and caramel. Whiskeys distilled from corn - such as bourbon - also have a very pronounced sweetness. Rye whiskey made from rye, on the other hand, is drier, more bitter and spicier. Pronounced peat and smoky flavours are not found in whiskeys from the USA and Canada. This is better left to the colleagues in Scotland.
Tasting tips: American classics...
When you talk about North American whiskeys, you naturally immediately think of some of the big names: Jim Beam, Maker's Mark or Wild Turkey from Kentucky, Jack Daniel's and George Dickel from Tennessee. Not forgetting the elegant stars of Canadian whiskey such as Canadian Club and Black Velvet. What some people don't know: Some of the major distilleries also produce very different whiskeys. Jim Beam, for example, produces a rye whiskey in addition to its popular straight bourbon. And Jack Daniel's also offers a wide range of special bottlings in addition to the famous Old No.7, which perhaps not everyone is familiar with.
... and our insider tip
Dad's Hat, aged in port wine pipes, is a wonderfully smooth and complex rye whiskey from Pennsylvania. A real rarity is the "Mc Carthy's Oregon Single Malt" from the Clear Creek Distillery, for which Scottish barley was used. Have fun discovering it!