What type of whiskey should i buy

Wild Turkey This is absolutely stunning stuff. At There are so many different styles of American whiskey right now. Drinkers of American whiskey are typically interested in exploring different, spicy, powerful flavours, while also being appreciative of a sweeter side to things too.

Balcones Baby Blue: The toffee and oak notes are absolutely superb with this whiskey. A seriously impressive display of what great American whiskey can be, moving away from the uber-sweetness of bourbon and into something with a lot more depth.

Irish whiskey has enjoyed double-digit growth in the last couple of years. Jameson Caskmates: This is the classic Jameson that we all know and love, only aged further in ex-stout barrels. This rounds off the flavour and adds a fruity, malty note. I would happily also recommend Teeling; they only release great stuff, and they really put the effort into their brand. The brilliance of this stuff is amazing. People who are proper whisky explorers and are looking for something different. More people should be drinking Islay whisky!

A no-nonsense blended malt from the makers of The Famous Grouse, this is a smooth but robust all-malt whisky matured in sherry casks.

Rich and very slightly sweet, with no peaty smoke, this is possibly the nearest fine whisky comes to the taste of Christmas pudding in a bottle. A smooth, single malt matured in bourbon and sherry casks for extra layers of flavour, this softer offering from the award-winning Tomatin distillery in the Scottish Highlands has undertones of caramel and vanilla. A robust A warm, long-drinking single-pot whiskey, smooth with creamy vanilla notes.

Rich and spicy with a fruity, cinnamon aftertaste, Bulleit drinks well straight from the hip flask and mixes very well in cocktails. Sign up for our daily newsletter Newsletter. Best whisky The smoothest single whiskies you can buy Best Buys.

Danielle Amato. Lise Smith. Bourbon also must not exceed 80 percent ABV proof in the mash, and cannot enter maturation barrels — all of which must be charred new oak — above Bourbon is the largest American whiskey category, and is known for appeasing a wide range of tastes and preferences. There is more variance and choice within bourbon than any other whiskey category, and though it was once considered great value for the money especially compared to pricier scotch whisky , bourbon pricing has risen dramatically in recent years.

Rye has the same production proofing rules bourbon has — mashed below 80 percent ABV proof and aged below The difference is in the balance of grains used in the mash with, as you might guess, rye making a majority of at least 51 percent. While no rules exist without exceptions, most rye whiskey is relatively affordable, and the spirit is known to reach peak maturity — when the whiskey is at its best — sooner than other whiskeys.

Expect more pepper and spice-forward whiskeys from the rye category, but don't be surprised by rye whiskey that's nearly indistinguishable from bourbon. Plenty of ryes especially those made in Kentucky are made with the minimum rye grain and aren't nearly as aggressive as those made popular by mega-distillers in Indiana.

Like bourbon, rye and most American whiskeys, wheat whiskey is subject to the same production proof thresholds and must matured in charred new oak barrels. Wheat whiskey is created from a mash of at least 51 percent wheat, too, and it far less popular than rye or bourbon.

For whiskey purposes, wheat is often considered the opposite of rye: where rye gives strength and spice, wheat brings soft sweetness and floral notes. Set to the same standards as wheat, rye and bourbon, but built off a minimum 51 percent malted barley mash. For most whiskey drinkers, malt whiskey is first and foremost scotch whisky, because most scotch is malt whiskey of some kind.

But there's plenty of American malt whiskey as well, most of which is coming from craft distilleries like Westward, Stranahan's and Copperworks experimenting with new mashbills. Though not defined so strictly for American labeling purposes, single malt whisky is very well defined in its native Scotland.

All malted barley and entirely made at a single distillery, single malt whisky without the "e," this time is Scotland's most famous export.

American whiskey makers are not bound to follow Scotland's single malt production restrictions one could make a single malt American whiskey with malted barley and rye, for example , but many abide by them regardless. A mostly forgotten category dominated by the very cheap Mellow Corn and its corn-obsessed cult following. Corn whiskey must be made of a mash of at least 80 percent corn and is subject to the usual production proof restrictions. Interestingly, according to the TTB, corn whiskey cannot be subjected to any manner of extra treatment to charred wood beyond the standard aging process.

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