Types of Bourbon Explained: Wheated, High-Rye, Bottled-in-Bond & More

There are a lot more types of bourbon than the word on the label lets on. Wheated, high-rye, bottled-in-bond, cask strength, single barrel: they all describe something real, and most bottles fit two or three of them at once. All bourbon starts from the same legal recipe, so the differences come from four places: what grain goes in, which labeling rules the bottle meets, how it gets bottled and what state it comes from.

We make bourbon in Sewickley Hills, outside Pittsburgh, and we get asked about these terms at the tasting bar constantly, so we’ve broken the main bourbon whiskey types down the way we’d explain them across the counter.

What Every Type of Bourbon Has in Common

Whatever the style, it still has to clear the same bar. The federal whisky regulations set it, and the rules are shorter than you’d think. It has to be made in the U.S., in any state (Kentucky isn’t required). The grain has to be at least 51% corn. It can’t come off the still above 160 proof or go into the barrel above 125, the barrel has to be new charred oak, and it needs to be at least 80 proof in the bottle. Water is the only thing you can add. There’s no minimum age, either, which surprises a lot of people.

Every style covered from here on keeps those rules and then tweaks something: the grain, the aging, the bottling or the state it’s made in.

Bourbon Types at a Glance

If you just want the cheat sheet, here it is.

Type	What makes it different	Typical flavor	Legal term?
Traditional (high-corn)	Mostly corn, a little rye and barley	Sweet, caramel, vanilla	No
High-rye	More rye in the mash	Spicy, peppery, drier	No
Wheated	Wheat instead of rye	Soft, round, bready	No
Four-grain	Corn, rye, wheat and barley	Layered	No
Straight	2+ years in new charred oak	Depends on the recipe	Yes
Bottled-in-bond	One season, one distillery, 4+ years, 100 proof	Fuller, bolder	Yes
Blended	51%+ straight bourbon, plus other spirits	Lighter, milder	Yes
Single barrel	One barrel per release	Changes barrel to barrel	No
Small batch	A limited blend of barrels	Consistent	No
Cask strength (barrel proof)	Bottled undiluted, straight from the barrel	Hot, rich, concentrated	No
Finished	Extra time in a second cask	Picks up that cask’s notes	Must be on the label
Kentucky	Made in Kentucky	Varies	Yes (state name)
Pennsylvania and other states	Made outside Kentucky	Varies	Yes (state name)

Types of Bourbon by Mash Bill

Mash bill is distiller talk for the grain recipe. Corn has to make up at least 51%, and whatever goes in the rest does most of the talking in the glass.

Traditional (High-Corn) Bourbon

When somebody pictures bourbon, they’re usually picturing this one. Lots of corn, often 70% or more, a splash of rye and a bit of malted barley to get fermentation going. It drinks sweet. Think caramel, vanilla, maybe some brown sugar on the finish. Most of the big everyday bottles are built this way, and there’s a good reason for it: it mixes well and it’s hard to dislike.

High-Rye Bourbon

Bump up the rye and you get high-rye bourbon. Nobody officially draws the line, but you’ll usually see something in the 20 to 35% range. Rye brings the pepper. Baking spice, a drier finish, a little more grip on the tongue. That spice is exactly why bartenders like it in a Manhattan. One thing to keep straight: it’s still mostly corn. Rye whiskey is a different animal, with rye at 51% or more.

Wheated Bourbon

Take the rye out, put wheat in its place, and you’ve got wheated bourbon. It’s the soft one of the family. Honey, fresh bread, toffee, not much heat. Ask around and you’ll hear the same story a lot: somebody who swore off bourbon tried a wheater and changed their mind.

Four-Grain Bourbon

Some distillers can’t pick, so they use all four: corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. You don’t see it as often. Done right, you get a bit of everything (sweetness up front, some spice in the middle, a softer finish) without one grain shouting over the others.

Types of Bourbon by Label and Aging Rules

Now for the words with actual law behind them. If one of these is printed on the bottle, somebody had to follow specific rules to put it there.

Straight Bourbon

Straight bourbon has spent at least two years in new charred oak and had nothing added for color or flavor. If it’s under four years old, the label has to say how old it is. A lot of what’s on the shelf qualifies. It’s a handy shortcut, though. See “straight” and you know the basics were done the old-fashioned way.

Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

This one’s a holdover from 1897, back when plenty of so-called whiskey was cut with who knows what. The Bottled-in-Bond Act set the standard: one distilling season, one distiller, one distillery, at least four years in a government-bonded warehouse and exactly 100 proof. Nobody worries much about doctored whiskey anymore, but bottled-in-bond bourbon still tells you exactly where your bottle came from. A lot of them are priced pretty fairly, too.

Blended Bourbon

Blended bourbon only has to be 51% straight bourbon. The rest can be other whiskey or even neutral grain spirit, and color and flavor are allowed. For a long time that meant cheap, and a fair amount of it still does. Lately a few independent bottlers have taken blending seriously, mixing bourbons from different distilleries on purpose, so the category isn’t the punchline it used to be.

Types of Bourbon By How It’s Bottled

These come down to choices made near the end: which barrels get used and what happens before the bottle gets filled.

Single Barrel Bourbon

A single barrel bourbon comes out of one barrel and only one. No blending, so every release tastes a little different from the last. Look for a barrel number on the label. Once that barrel’s empty, it’s gone. Heritage Barrel Bourbon is the McLaughlin version: one barrel we kept out of our regular batches and bottled by itself, not on any production schedule.

Small Batch Bourbon

Small batch means a blend of a limited number of barrels, but “limited” is doing a lot of work there. No law says how many. At one distillery it’s a handful. At another, a couple hundred. What every small batch is going for is a bottle that tastes the same this year as last.

Cask Strength (Barrel Proof) Bourbon

Cask strength bourbon (you’ll also see barrel proof) skips the water. It goes into the bottle as strong as it came out of the barrel, usually 100 proof and up, sometimes past 130. Big flavor, real heat. A few drops of water will calm it down and open it up. Our Cask Strength Baby Barrel Bourbon is bottled exactly that way.

Finished (Double Barrel) Bourbon

After its regular time in new charred oak, a finished bourbon gets moved into a second cask that used to hold something else. Port, sherry, wine and rum barrels are the usual suspects, and they leave behind notes like dried fruit or extra sweetness. The label has to tell you what it was finished in. Double barrel and double oaked bottles are a close cousin, except the second barrel is usually fresh oak.

Types of Bourbon By Where It’s Made

Kentucky Bourbon

Kentucky makes most of the world’s bourbon, no argument there. A label that says Kentucky bourbon means it was distilled and aged in the state, and people love to credit the limestone water and the big swings between summer and winter for the classic flavor. It’s a great tradition. It just isn’t a rule.

Pennsylvania Bourbon: It Doesn’t Have to Come From Kentucky

Bourbon can be made in any state, and Pennsylvania has more whiskey history than most. Western PA was one of the country’s first big whiskey regions, long before Kentucky took over, and craft distilleries around the state are making bourbon again. Our Baby Barrel Bourbon is a Sewickley Hills bourbon aged in small-format barrels, where more wood touches less whiskey and you get a deeper, rounder pour for it.

Is Tennessee Whiskey a Type of Bourbon?

Sort of, but not officially. Most Tennessee whiskey checks every bourbon box, then adds one more step: it gets filtered through sugar maple charcoal before it goes in the barrel. That’s called the Lincoln County Process, and Tennessee law requires it for anything sold as Tennessee whiskey (at least one distillery got an exception). Call it bourbon in Lynchburg and you’ll probably get corrected.

Bottles That Get Mistaken for Bourbon

A few bottles end up shelved next to bourbon without actually being bourbon:

• Rye whiskey: Rye at 51% or more, instead of corn. Our Blackburn Rye is one of these, a rye whiskey and not a high-rye bourbon.
• Corn whiskey: 80% corn or more, and it doesn’t need new charred oak. It can go in used or uncharred barrels, or skip aging altogether.
• Flavored whiskey: Add flavor and it can’t be called bourbon anymore. That’s why our Maple Whiskey says flavored whiskey on the label.

Which Type of Bourbon Should You Try First?

New to bourbon? Start easy with a traditional or wheated bottle. Once you’re hooked, grab a high-rye and see what the spice does. Save bottled-in-bond and cask strength for when you want more punch. If you’re at our place, 3799 Bourbon is what we pour for first-timers. The name comes from our address on Blackburn Road.

Bourbon Styles You Can Taste at McLaughlin Distillery

Everything we sell is mashed, distilled, barreled and hand-filled up here in Sewickley Hills. You can work your way from 3799 and Baby Barrel to the cask strength bottles and the Heritage single barrel, then try Blackburn Rye next to them to taste what rye does. Honestly, tasting a few side by side teaches you more than any chart, and that’s what the tasting room is for.

Finding Your Favorite Type of Bourbon

Strip it down and every bourbon is the same base recipe with four choices on top: the grains, the label rules, the bottling and the place. Once that clicks, the shelf gets a lot less confusing. Want to try a few types of bourbon in one sitting? Book a distillery tour and tasting near Pittsburgh, call McLaughlin Distillery at 412-737-1840 or email info@mclaughlindistillery.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some commonly asked questions to consider:

What type of bourbon is the smoothest?

Usually a wheater. Wheat is softer than rye, so there’s less bite. Lower proof and a few extra years in the barrel smooth things out too.

What type of bourbon is best for an Old Fashioned?

Depends how you like yours. High-rye makes it spicier and drier. Wheated makes it rounder and sweeter. Either way, something around 90 to 100 proof stands up to the sugar and the ice without going watery.

Is sour mash a type of bourbon?

No, it’s a method. Some leftover mash from the last run goes into the next one to keep fermentation on track. Almost all bourbon is made that way, whether the label says so or not.

How many types of bourbon are there?

Nobody keeps an official count. Sort them by grain, label rules, bottling and origin and you’ll find a dozen or so that come up a lot. Plenty of bottles wear more than one label, too. A single bourbon can be wheated, straight and single barrel at the same time.