Bourbon, straight rye, single malt, Tennessee whiskey, white dog, moonshine, single barrel, straight corn, straight wheat... the list of American whiskey styles goes on and can appear quite…Show more
Bourbon, straight rye, single malt, Tennessee whiskey, white dog, moonshine, single barrel, straight corn, straight wheat... the list of American whiskey styles goes on and can appear quite overwhelming at first. Of these styles bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are the best known - Jack Daniel's is Tennessee whiskey although many people mistakenly refer to it as a bourbon.
The production and maturation standards American whiskey must adhere to, according to US law, are very strict. These govern the type of casks used and the minimum length of maturation. In the case of bourbon they include the stipulation that only virgin American oak casks may be used - that is to say brand-new casks that have never held another spirit. A consequence of this is that once the casks have been used they must be sold or discarded, making them a popular and cost effective choice for the maturation of other spirits included much Single Malt Scotch Whisky.