American whiskey American whiskey American whiskey is a distilled beverage produced in the United States from a fermented mash of cereal grain. The primary types of spirit included under this designation are bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey. All of these are made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains. Also included are blended whiskeys, blends of straight whiskeys, grain whiskeys, and spirit whiskeys, which do not specify a dominant grain. In the case of blends, American whiskeys may include artificial colors and flavorings. Laws regulating the above products
Corn whiskey be barreled at lower than 125 proof (62.5% abv). In contrast, a whiskey distilled from a mash consisting of at least 80% corn in a charred new oak barrel would be considered bourbon. Aging is usually brief – six months or less – during which time the whiskey absorbs color and flavor from the barrel while the off-flavors and fusel alcohols are reduced. A variant called straight corn whiskey is also produced, in which the whiskey is stored in used or uncharred new oak containers for two years or more. Whiskeys produced in this manner and aged for at least