6 Whiskey Styles In One Kit For A True Whiskey Explorer

Oh hello, were you the lucky recipient of one of our SipScout Craft Whiskey Kits this holiday season? Or thinking about gifting SipScout to the whiskey enthusiast on your list? Whether you or they are already a whisky aficionado, or just starting out on your whiskey journey: this kit will take your knowledge and palate to the next level. When it comes to Whiskey, we are here for you. From how to taste whiskey like a pro to an in depth look at distillation and how whiskey is made, even cocktail recipes to use your whiskey in– our whiskey experts have compiled all the resources you need to fully immerse yourself in uisce beatha, “the water of life.”

Whiskey (or whisky if it comes from a country with no “e” in the name) refers to distilled spirits made from fermented cereal grains, distilled below 190 proof, put in an oak container, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. Under the category of whiskey, each style and country have their own rules to follow. It can be a little tricky to keep it all straight (yup that’s a whiskey term!) but don’t worry, we’ve got ya! 

Our whiskey kit showcases a variety of whiskey styles to tickle your tastebuds and broaden your horizons, all from fabulous craft whiskey makers! In fact, you’ll receive 6 different whiskey styles from 6 different craft distillers in 6 different regions…a true exploration and education! Interested in learning more about each distiller? Head on over to the first article in this series for a deep dive on the makers.

Now, we’re going to take you through each of the styles of whiskey, throw in some fun facts, and finish up with a few tasting notes. Ya’ll ready?

Neat!

Now, pour yourself a dram and let’s talk style…

Explore The Whiskey Styles Featured In Our Whiskey Kit

Corn Whiskey

Balcones Distilling, Waco, Texas

First whiskey style up from our whiskey kit sure is a fun one: corn whiskey! This style of whiskey must be 80% corn (or more) in the mashbill and isn’t legally required to be aged. The high corn content results in whiskies with notes of grassy hay, corn oil, banana chips, and toasted tortilla. Our whiskey kit includes Balcones Baby Blue, made from 100% blue corn and aged in 5 gallon oak barrels. Baby Blue spends just enough time in oak to pull out flavors like vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, and cocao– all flavor compounds in American oak. 

Baby Blue is also the first Texas whiskey to be legally produced and sold post Prohibiton! Want another fun fact? At many of our virtual whiskey tasting events guests often indicate that the nose of Baby Blue reminds them of a Reposado Tequila…likely due to the light touch with the oak and likely the unique 100% blue corn mashbill.

American Single Malt Whiskey

Boulder Spirits, Boulder, CO

Want to know something wild about American Single Malt Whiskey? Unlike the rest of the whiskey styles in our whiskey kit, American Single Malt *technically* has no legal definition!  The proposed rules  submitted to the TTB by the American Single Malt Commission in 2022 specified that to be labelled American single malt, a whiskey must be made from 100% malted barley; distilled entirely at one distillery; mashed, distilled, and matured in the United States; matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres; distilled to no more than 80% alcohol by volume; and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume or higher.

How does this differ from, say, Single Malt Scotch?  The mashbill is the same: 100% malted barley, but Single Malt Scotch must be distilled in a pot still and, oh, yeah, made and aged in Scotland. The Scots also tend to dry or kiln their malted barley using peat, which imparts a smoky or medicinal aroma. The founder of Boulder Spirits happens to be from Scotland, and single malt whisky is his jam!  Its long fermentation and the three+ years it spends in freshly charred American oak result in a whiskey with notes of bright citrus oil, warm toasty barley, and a luscious round mouthfeel. 

 Rye Whiskey

Catoctin Creek Distilling, Purcellville, VA

“Inspired by the untold story of rye whisky in Virginia,” chief distiller and self proclaimed “rye evangelist” Becky Harris and her husband, Scott, founded the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. Untold story of rye? Yes, Tippler Nation, don’t call it a comeback, this whiskey style has been here for years! In fact, if you want to make most classic whiskey cocktails correctly, you should be reaching for rye!

The problem is: post Prohibition, America developed one heck of a sweet tooth and if there’s one thing rye isn’t, it’s sweet.

What is rye whiskey? Glad you asked! American rye must be made from 51% rye (which is a tricky little grain to grow and distill with).  After distillation, it must be put into a new charred oak container at 125 proof or below. Ryes are spicy, with lots of dry pepper, clove, stone fruit, maybe a hint of marzipan depending on the style of rye used. This particular rye in our whiskey kit, Roundstone Distillers Edition, is distilled in a pot still, and  at a higher proof. It’s so special that only 1 in 10 barrels assessed by Becky make it in the blend. 

Hopped Whiskey

Charbay Distillery ,Ukiah, CA

In 1999, the head distiller of Charbay created the first US whiskey distilled entirely from finished beer. In that vein, Doubled & Twisted (the name refers to the stream coming off the still during distillation) is a blend of whiskies distilled from 4 year old straight malt and pilsner whiskies and 8 year old stout whiskey. The blend makes for one fun and unique little dram! Wonderful as a straight sipper, but also a favorite for Old Fashioned with Coco (or Molé) Bitters.

With aromas of smoke, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, you’ll also taste hints of malted barley, toasted vanilla, dark roasted coffee, chocolate, bright citrus, and a bright punch of hops. We’ve never tasted anything quite like it!  Doubled & Twisted is a mainstay in our whiskey kits!

Irish Whiskey

Clonakilty Distillery, County Cork, IE

Moving on with a little distilled history for ya: we have the Irish to thank for whiskey. Irish monks brought stills and distillation techniques back with them from their travels and began making uisce beatha circa the 12th century. A few fun things about Irish whiskey: due to the Crown taxing malting barley, Irish whiskey evolved with a mashbill using green (unmalted) barley. While pot stills have always been popular, Aeneas Coffey (an Irish dude) perfected and patented the Coffey (or double column) still which is used in blended whiskey production and neutral spirits. In fact, the word “bonder” in Irish whiskey refers to a whiskey blender (v different from the USA’s Bottled in Bond).

Now some folks get some type of way when it comes to blended whiskey, let us be real clear: blended whiskey is not a statement of quality, it is a chance to layer flavor and create unique expressions. We’re into it and you should be, too.

Which brings us to the Irish whiskey featured in our whiskey kit, Clonakilty Port Cask! It is a blend of single malt and single grain whiskies aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in port casks and aged on the Wild Atlantic Way. Aging the whiskey near the ocean imparts a hint of salinity, the port cask finish adds a dose of deep red fruits and raisins, the influence of the bourbon cask imparts soft baking spice, vanilla, a hint of cardamom, and a touch of chocolate. 

Bourbon Whiskey

Fort Mose, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Last but not least in our whiskey kit: our national spirit! Bourbon legally became our national spirit in 1964, but we’d been distilling this whiskey style long before that. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought whiskey distillation with them. Through migration and ingenuity, they began to eschew sticky and hard to grow rye in the mashbill and instead reached for a very plentiful, very sweet crop: corn! See, when you are fermenting and distilling, yeast need plentiful sugar to convert into alcohol (also creating CO2 and heat in the process) and corn, unlike other cereal grains that need to be germinated and kilned, has so much sugar at the ready!

Bourbon must be at least 51% corn, aged in new charred American oak, contain no additives or coloring, and be fermented, distilled, aged, and blended in the Unites States of America. 

 Fort Mose bourbon spends 4 years aging in American oak, the malted barley and rye in the mashbill add depth and a little spice to the sweet. This whiskey has rich notes of custard, caramel, cocoa, and a hint of cinnamon. Yum.

Give The Gift Of Whiskey!

We adore guiding you on your craft spirit journey with knowledge on all the whiskeys, whiskies, bourbons, ryes, single malts, and more in our SipScout whiskey kit! Want to know more about the makers behind the whiskies in the our whiskey kit? In part 1 of this series you (or your gift recipient) can learn all about them!

Not sure if this is the right gift for you? If the person you’re thinking about loves whiskey or is just getting into whiskey this is the perfect gift. Not only does it push whiskey enthusiasts out of their comfort zones with styles they may not typically order, but it also introduces them to incredible new craft distillers they likely haven’t had an opportunity to try yet. And for whiskey newbies this is a full whiskey exploration and education, complete with a companion tasting techniques video with these exact 6 whiskeys, digital tasting mats and wheels, and more!

Holiday gifting with SipScout couldn’t be easier:  an amazing craft whiskey flight, shipped right to your door. Yeah, we sure do know how to spread holiday cheer around here!