American – Whisky freak

American whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain. It must have the taste, aroma, and other characteristics commonly attributed to whiskey.

Some types of whiskey listed in the United States federal regulations^[12] are:

Bourbon whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 51% corn (maize) and aged in new charred American white oak barrels.
Corn whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 80% corn and is not aged, or, if aged, is aged in uncharred or used barrels.
Malt whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 51% malted barley
Rye whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 51% rye
Rye malt whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 51% malted rye
Wheat whiskey: made from mash that consists of at least 51% wheat

These types of American whiskey must be distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume, and barrelled at no more than 125 proof. Only water may be added to the final product; the addition of colouring or flavouring is prohibited. These whiskeys must be aged in new charred-oak containers, except for corn whiskey, which does not have to be aged. If it is aged, it must be in uncharred oak barrels or in used barrels. Corn whiskey is usually unaged and sold as a legal version of moonshine.

There is no minimum aging period required for a spirit to legally be called whiskey. If one of these whiskey types reaches two years aging or beyond, it is additionally designated as straight, e.g., straight rye whiskey. A whiskey that fulfils all above requirements but derives from less than 51% of any one specific grain can be called simply a straight whiskey without naming a grain.

US regulations recognize other whiskey categories,^[12] including:

Blended whiskey: a mixture that contains a blend of straight whiskeys and neutral grain spirits (NGS), and may also contain flavourings and colourings. The percentage of NGS must be disclosed on the label and may be as much at 80% on a proof gallon basis.
Light whiskey: produced in the US at more than 80% alcohol by volume and stored in used or uncharred new oak containers
Spirit whiskey: a mixture of neutral spirits and at least 5% of certain stricter categories of whiskey

Another important labelling in the marketplace is Tennessee whiskey, which includes brands such as Jack Daniel's, George Dickel, Collier and McKeel,^[47] and Benjamin Prichard's.^[48] The main difference defining a Tennessee whiskey is that it must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging, known as the Lincoln County Process. (Benjamin Prichard's, which is not so filtered, was grandfathered in when the requirement was introduced in 2017.)^[49] The rest of the distillation process of Tennessee Whiskey is identical to bourbon whiskey.^[50]^[51] Whiskey sold as "Tennessee whiskey" is defined as bourbon under NAFTA^[52] and at least one other international trade agreement,^[53] and is similarly required to meet the legal definition of bourbon under Canadian law.