Rye whiskey is often confused with Canadian whisky. At one time Canadian whisky was mostly rye whisky, however nowadays, Canadian whisky is blended with neutral spirits. American rye is straight rye whiskey. By law, it is made from mash that contains at least 51% rye, with corn and barley usually making up the rest.
Rye whiskey used to be quite popular in the United States. However, prohibition hit pretty hard. People began drinking Canadian whisky, which accounted for $40 million worth of alcohol being smuggled across the border at the height. People acquired a taste for the smoother Canadian whisky, and people began to associate, mostly incorrectly, rye whiskey with Canadian whisky. Once prohibition was repealed in 1933, most of the former rye whiskey distilleries didn’t start up again, and not many new ones set up shop. Americans were unused to the harsher taste of rye whiskey, lighter spirits such as rum and gin had captured a large percentage of the market share. Those who had a taste for the more potent whiskey opted almost exclusively for Bourbon.
However, rye seems to be making a comeback. The number of commercial brands of rye whiskey seem to be on the rise. Some of the more common brands include:
Cocktails that can be made with rye whiskey:
Algonquin
Manhattan
The ever popular Rye and Coke
Saratoga
Sazerac
Scofflaw