American Whiskey Distilleries
Bourbon, rye, and a frontier without limits — Kentucky built the legend, America rewrote the rules
Bold, sweet, and oak-forward — vanilla, caramel, and spice
A guide to American whiskey and its distilleries
American whiskey is a study in contrasts: strict legal rules on one hand, and the widest range of styles in any whiskey nation on the other. This guide covers the history, what makes bourbon bourbon, rye, Tennessee whiskey, the craft wave and where to start.
A short history
Settlers from Scotland, Ireland and Germany brought distilling to the colonies and used whatever grain grew well, mainly corn and rye. Rye was the dominant style through the 18th and early 19th centuries, especially in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the 1791 federal tax on spirits sparked the Whiskey Rebellion. Many farmer-distillers moved west into Kentucky, drawn by cheap land, plenty of corn and limestone-filtered water that is naturally free of iron. Prohibition, from 1920 to 1933, nearly wiped the industry out, and bourbon’s modern revival dates from the 1980s and 90s, when single-barrel and small-batch releases made it a connoisseur’s spirit.
What makes bourbon bourbon?
Bourbon must be made in the United States, not only Kentucky, from a mash of at least 51% corn. It is distilled to no more than 160 proof, barrelled at no more than 125 proof, aged in new charred oak and bottled at 80 proof or more. There is no minimum age for bourbon in general, but straight bourbon must be aged at least two years, and anything under four years carries an age statement. The new charred oak is the biggest driver of the flavour, giving vanilla, caramel and toffee, and Kentucky’s hot summers and cold winters speed up maturation, so a six-year-old bourbon can taste as developed as a much older Scotch. See our bourbon section for more.
Kentucky, home of bourbon
Kentucky makes around 95% of the world’s bourbon, from a cluster of counties around Louisville and Lexington. We cover 23 Kentucky distilleries, from Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and Wild Turkey to Maker’s Mark and Woodford Reserve. Our Kentucky region guide has more.
Rye is back
Rye follows the same rules as bourbon but with at least 51% rye in the mash, which gives a spicier, drier whiskey. It nearly vanished after Prohibition, then came back with the cocktail revival of the 2000s, when bartenders rediscovered that a proper Manhattan or Sazerac wants rye, not bourbon. See rye whiskey, and try our Wild Turkey 101 Rye review.
Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey adds the Lincoln County Process, filtering the new spirit through several feet of sugar-maple charcoal before it goes into the barrel. That mellows it and adds a soft smoky-sweet note, even though it otherwise meets the bourbon rules. Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel are the best known, and we have a full profile of Jack Daniel Distillery. Read Is Jack Daniel’s a bourbon? and our Tennessee region guide, or Tennessee whiskey for the style.
The craft wave
Craft distilling took off around 2010, helped by changes to federal licensing. Thousands of small distilleries have opened across almost every state, from Westland in Seattle, pioneering an American single malt style, to Balcones in Texas, working with blue corn, and a big cluster in New York’s Hudson Valley. The craft scene has pushed for American single malt to be its own legal category, which the TTB has now recognised.
Where to start
Start with Eagle Rare 10, Four Roses Small Batch or Henry McKenna 10 Bottled in Bond, all excellent and reasonably priced. Step up to Woodford Reserve, Maker’s 46 or Angel’s Envy, and try Uncle Nearest 1856 and Russell’s Reserve 10 from the Tennessee and Kentucky sides. Prices run from about £25 to £400 or more for allocated bottles. For the process, see how whisky is made.
Sub-regions
Kentucky
The spiritual home of bourbon — about 95% of the world’s bourbon is made here
Tennessee
Charcoal-mellowed and smooth — bourbon’s quieter, more considered neighbour
New York & the Hudson Valley
The craft heartland of the Northeast — grain-to-glass and field-to-glass distilleries
The rest of America
Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Washington and beyond — a new wave of independent producers
Full distillery directory
Hudson Valley bourbon and rye, made on the famous black dirt farmland.
Craft bourbon and rye from the Catskill Mountains.
Floor-malted, small-batch whiskey from the Hudson Valley.
Grain-to-glass whiskey on the shores of Seneca Lake.
A field-to-glass distillery on a Hudson Valley estate.
Lynchburg’s charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey, and the best-selling American whiskey in the world.
New York's first licensed whiskey distillery since Prohibition.
Brooklyn bourbon, cut with limestone water from a Rosendale mine.
Jack Daniel Distillery
Lynchburg’s charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey, and the best-selling American whiskey in the world.
Car essential for the Bourbon Trail. Louisville is the natural base — most major Kentucky distilleries are within 90 minutes. Many offer shuttle services from Louisville.
American Whiskey Distilleries: quick answers