USA

A country as vast and diverse as the USA still has not one but many vibrant food and drink cultures, and you’ll find the world’s beverages made here – be it New York sake, Oregon pinot noir, or Texas agave spirit. But, if you drive your Chevy to the levee, you’ll find them good ol’ boys are still distilling whiskey and rye, even if their kids are drinking celebrity-owned gin and vodka. Whiskey remains the quintessential American spirit and it is a category with ever-increasing variety to explore. In both bourbon and rye, the two great rivals of American whiskey, the mash bill (or grain recipe – bourbon must be over 51% corn; rye over 51% the eponymous grain) is so important, as is fermentation of those grains, just as much as distillation. Because it all has to age the same way, in new American oak, the best whiskey makers are obsessively meticulous about the character of the new-make. A newly recognised category, American single malt, is exciting to explore because, although it has to be 100% malted barley, many creative distillers are approaching it with a “mash bill mindset”, using different styles of malting to create different flavours. ​

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