United States

If Kentucky bourbon, made primarily from corn, is the emblematic American whiskey, in the 18th century its ancestor, Monongahela, was distilled in Pennsylvania exclusively from rye. Rye whiskey still survives today within micro-distilleries spread across the country, from California to New York. Kentucky, however, remains unrivaled, even though Tennessee regularly steals the spotlight thanks to the international fame of Jack Daniel’s. Other North American distilleries have also become essential names in whiskey, such as Blanton’s, Michter’s, or Templeton, making American whiskey a serious competitor to Scotch whisky. The official regulations for “American Whiskey,” which notably require the use of certain grains in majority depending on the category (corn for bourbon or rye for rye), as well as the obligation to age in new charred oak barrels, guide all these whiskeys toward a distinctive aromatic style, often recalling vanilla, salted caramel, coconut, or spices.