If you see “High Rye Bourbon” on one bottle and “Straight Rye” on another, you might assume the difference is simple: one has some rye, and the other is made almost entirely from rye. Not quite. A straight rye whiskey can actually contain a significant amount of corn. In fact, our Straight Rye at Branch & Barrel Distilling has 40% corn in its mash bill. The difference comes down to which grain takes the lead, and that shift can have a major influence on what ends up in your glass.
Our High Rye Bourbon and Straight Rye offer a great way to explore that difference. Both are made with Colorado grain. Both feature rye prominently, but their mash bills put corn and rye in very different roles.
First, What Is a Mash Bill?
A mash bill is simply the recipe of grains used to make a whiskey. Corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley can all contribute different characteristics during fermentation, distillation, and maturation.
For bourbon, the mash bill must contain at least 51% corn. Accordingly, for rye whiskey, it must contain at least 51% rye. That means there is quite a bit of room within each category for distillers to shape a whiskey through the remaining grains. And that brings us to these two bottles.
High Rye Bourbon
64% corn | 22% rye | 14% malted barley
Straight Rye
51% rye | 40% corn | 9% barley
At first glance, one number might jump out: our Straight Rye is still 40% corn. Yes, a straight rye whiskey can have that much corn.
When Does Bourbon Become Rye?
It doesn’t, exactly. “High rye bourbon” is still bourbon. The term “high rye” describes a bourbon with a relatively prominent rye component, but it does not create a separate legal whiskey category or establish a specific minimum percentage of rye. Our High Rye Bourbon begins with 64% corn, keeping corn firmly in the lead, while 22% rye and 14% malted barley complete the three-grain mash bill.
Rye whiskey changes the equation. To qualify as rye whiskey, rye must account for at least 51% of the mash bill. Our Straight Rye lands right at that threshold with 51% rye. The remaining mash bill contains 40% corn and 9% barley.
That creates an interesting comparison. We haven’t simply removed corn and replaced it with rye. We’ve changed which grain is leading the conversation.
Same Grains, Different Balance
Our High Rye Bourbon starts with the familiar foundation of a corn-forward bourbon, then gives rye plenty of room to make itself known. Made with climate-hardy unmalted rye from Monte Vista, Colorado, the High Rye Bourbon showcases notes of spiced almond, toasted walnut, lemongrass, nutmeg, white pepper, fresh soil, and lemon custard layered over caramel, oak, and butterscotch.
With our Straight Rye, rye moves from supporting grain to the majority of the mash bill. That shift brings forward a grassy rye bite, bright lemon, and warm baking spices. But with corn still accounting for 40% of the recipe, there is also a soft, silky and slightly sweet side to the whiskey.
Put the two side by side and you get an opportunity to taste what changing the balance of corn and rye can do.
So What Does “Straight” Mean?
The word “straight” isn’t a reference to how much rye is in the bottle. A straight rye still only needs to meet the minimum 51% rye requirement for rye whiskey. “Straight” refers to additional production and aging requirements, including maturation for at least two years in new charred oak containers.
Our Straight Rye has been pot distilled and aged for a minimum of three years, with the entire mash bill made from Colorado grain. So while “Straight Rye” may sound like it means a whiskey made entirely or almost entirely from rye, the designation is telling you something different.
That’s why a mash bill of 51% rye, 40% corn, and 9% barley can still produce a Straight Rye.
Which One Should You Pour?
If bourbon is usually your starting point, High Rye Bourbon offers a way to explore more of rye’s spicy, earthy character while keeping corn at the center of the whiskey. Straight Rye changes that relationship. Rye takes the lead, bringing its grassy bite, citrus brightness, and baking spice forward, while the substantial amount of corn helps provide balance and softness.
Neither mash bill tells you which whiskey you’re supposed to prefer. That’s the fun of putting them next to each other. Pour them side by side. Taste the High Rye Bourbon first, then move into the Straight Rye. Pay attention to where you notice sweetness, spice, citrus, earthiness, oak, and texture. Same Colorado grain. Different proportions. Two very different expressions of what rye can bring to a whiskey.
At Branch & Barrel Distilling, that’s part of what keeps whiskey interesting. Sometimes changing the character of a spirit doesn’t require changing everything about the recipe. Sometimes it’s about changing which grain gets to lead.
From the land. Lifted by altitude. Refined by time.