Wheated Bourbon

Where it started

Wheated bourbon is defined by recipe, not by a law or a date. It shares bourbon's history: Congress recognized bourbon as a distinctive product of the United States in 1964, and the premium shelf grew out of the single barrel and small batch bottlings of the 1980s.⁴

Where and how it's made

The law does not mention wheated bourbon. Bourbon must come from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn, be distilled at 160 proof or less and aged in charred new oak at 125 proof or less, with nothing added.³ What goes in the other 49 percent is the distiller's choice. The KDA defines wheated bourbon simply: bourbon made from a mash bill that contains wheat instead of rye grain.¹ Malted barley is still there in both recipes, because malt supplies the enzymes that convert starch to fermentable sugar.¹

The process is standard: corn is cooked first, then rye or wheat is added after the temperature drops to bring flavor and texture.² Do not confuse a wheated bourbon with wheat whiskey, which flips the proportions: wheat whiskey needs a mash of at least 51 percent wheat and is a different federal type.³

How to taste it

Taste a wheated and a rye-recipe bourbon of similar age side by side. The wheater will read as rounder and sweeter with less pepper at the back of the palate; the rye bourbon will finish drier and spicier. Wheated bourbons suit people who like their whiskey smooth and dessert-leaning. Pairings: bread pudding, salted caramel, soft cheeses.

Styles and what the label means

• Wheated bourbon — corn-led, wheat as the flavoring grain.¹ bourbon →
• High-rye bourbon — the opposite direction: more rye, more spice. high-rye-bourbon →
• Wheat whiskey — 51 percent wheat or more; not a bourbon.³
• Bottled-in-bond wheater — 100 proof, one season, one distillery. bottled-in-bond →
• Cask-strength wheated — at barrel proof the softness shows as sweetness, not weakness. cask-strength →