Bourbon and Rye Indistinguishable to Public

A new study by a WSU researcher has shown that the public cannot tell the difference between bourbon and rye.

Assistant Professor Tom Collins says they had a test group separate a set of bourbon and rye based on their senses.

“What we found was some separation based on the producer and then there was also some separation based on the age of the whiskeys and the alcohol strength.”

Collins has been working on this study with other researchers at Drexel and UC Davis.

Growers of rye, corn and other crops used in spirits could start to see some more variety.

“There is an interest in the craft distilling industry to go to more traditional mash bills, things that are higher in rye content or might be dependent on other grains. There are a number of different grains that are out there that craft distillers have used for producing whiskeys that are distinctive.”

The results were published in the Journal of Food Science.

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