Bouryes are more common than you think – and their popularity continues to grow

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There is an emerging category of whiskey that I’m absolutely crazy for. I think the title has already given it away, but most people know it as “bourye.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term (and I assume those people grow fewer every day), it’s a portmanteau that combines the words bourbon and rye whiskey.

For reasons I’ll get into later, producers other than High West cannot use the word bourye to describe a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey. So you’ll see these companies using words like “hybrid whiskey,” “blend of whiskies” or even the generic-sounding “American Whiskey” to describe the whiskey inside.

What’s so special about blending together two different whiskies? They combine the naturally sweet and oaky character of a bourbon with the bright herbal/spice and fruit notes of a rye whiskey. Together it makes a whiskey that tastes more complete than the individual components. Best of all, bourye’s are not any more expensive to make since they don’t require any extra steps.

I believe bouryes are going to be embraced by every producer in the industry in the near future. Even though their numbers are still low, there are more bourbon+rye blends available to purchase right now than ever before. But don’t just take my word on it, scroll down through the timeline I put together and see for yourself.

2009

The first bourye appeared in 2009 when a fledgling distiller/producer out in Utah named High West came up with the new concept of marrying bourbon with rye whiskey. They took an unidentified Bourbon with a mash bill of 75/15/10 (likely from Barton) and blended it with a rye whiskey from MGP and a rye whiskey from Barton. Bourye was the name Dave Perkins came up with. It was so iconic that he decided to trademark the term. This is why no other producer uses that word even if that’s exactly what they’re bottling.

Strangely, High West would go on to pause production of their Bourye label after the 2011 release. It wouldn’t come back until 2015. It was never explained why, but it appeared like they ran out of their older bourbon stocks. In its place, they launched a product called “Son of Bourye” which was made with whiskies half the age of the standard release.

2010

Wild Turkey creates their own Bourye

Wild Turkey was the first producer after High West to combine a bourbon and rye whiskey together in a release they called “Forgiven.” An incident occurred in 2010 where an unassuming worker accidently combined rye whiskey and bourbon in the vatting room at Wild Turkey. The story goes on to say that the combination gave Eddie the idea for a release that would combine both mash bills. The worker was “Forgiven” for his mistake because the whiskey ended up being good.

The official batches of Wild Turkey Forgiven weren’t publicly released until 2013 (and again in 2014), but the concept had been proven in 2010. Is this a real story or was it all made up to sell a new product? Rarebird101 was told it’s an authentic story, but you have to agree that the timing was odd considering it came a year after High West’s release. Regardless, it’s not last time a bourbon and rye whiskey were mixed together by accident – keep reading to find out another producer who allegedly experienced the same thing many years later.

2012

Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey

Michter’s was next to join the trend by releasing Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey in 2012. While they have never came out and said it, Sour Mash Whiskey is nothing more than a blend of their bourbon and rye whiskey. We’ll probably never get to know the ratio of the barrels they use, but if they wanted to create something close to the original Michter’s recipe used in the late 1940’s (which was neither a bourbon or a rye), they need to get the derived mash bill to around 50/38/12. My fuzzy math says that it would take roughly 2 barrels of rye whiskey to be blended with every 1 of bourbon.

In 2019, Michter’s released a Toasted Barrel version of their Sour Mash Whiskey and kept all the same specs. It has been released a couple more times to limited fanfare.

2013

Michter’s Celebration

The concept behind Michter’s Sour Mash must have held so much promise that Willie Pratt decided to use it on older barrels of whiskey that Michter’s had sourced from Willett/KBD and United Distillers. In 2013, Michter’s Celebration was born.

There have only been 3 or 4 Celebration releases throughout the years and each one uses six barrels in the blend. Sometimes it’s an equal split of rye whiskey to bourbon barrels but some years it leans more heavily on one particular style. If you don’t believe that Michter’s Sour Mash or Shenk’s Sour Mash is a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey, knowing that Michter’s openly admits that Celebration Sour Mash uses that technique should be proof enough. To this day, it remains the most highly sought after Bourye on the market.

2014

Heritage Spirits Bomberger’s Whiskey

The story on this one is convoluted, but here’s the basic rundown. Erik Wolfe wanted to bring whiskeymaking back to Pennsylvania to honor the distilling heritage of the region. He even went as far as to bring on legendary distiller Dick Stoll who was the last Master Distiller of (Pennsylvania) Michter’s. He filed a TTB label request for the Bomberger’s name in 2012 and it was granted. Joe Magliocco (Kentucky Michter’s founder) was alerted to this and began the race to get a bottle with the same name to market first. Joe’s Bomberger’s did beat Erik’s by a few months and what ensued was a legal battle over the name. Eventually, Joe’s Michter’s secured the rights after an expensive legal fight. Not only did he get the Bomberger’s name, but also Shenk’s. More on that further down the page.

Erik had to change the name of the whiskey to Stoll and Wolfe. The years that followed saw him continue to release a whiskey that still used a blend of MGP rye whiskey and bourbon until his and Dick’s distillate could come of age.

2015

Jefferson’s Chef Collaboration

Let’s be honest, most enthusiasts don’t pay attention to Jefferson’s. There was a brief period of time where Trey Zoeller was bottling Stitzel Weller barrels, but otherwise his blends are fairly lackluster and low in proof. All of that aside, he was a relatively early adopter of the Bourye concept.

In 2015, Jefferson’s Chef Collaboration was introduced which was a blend of 5, 8 and 14 year old bourbon and an undisclosed rye whiskey that was allowed to marry for 9 months. The results were underwhelming according to many reviewers. This was only supposed to be a limited time offering and I believe it was discontinued after 2018.

Rebel Yell American Whiskey

Luxco was in a transitory period around 2015 when they released Rebel Yell American Whiskey. This extremely tiny release was made with bourbon and rye whiskey from MGP that was young (2 years old!), low proof and frankly, not good.

As Luxco has continued to grow and make their own whiskey, they have never returned to make more American Whiskey. One would hope that if they would, they’d use barrels older than 2-years-old.

2017

Redwood Empire Lost Monarch

Redwood Empire was still in its infantile stage back in 2017. They were sourcing both young and old whiskies to create blends while they distilled and aged their own. One of their earliest releases was a product called Lost Monarch which combined various aged barrels of MGP bourbon and rye whiskey.

The blend has mostly been hit or miss throughout the years as a result of the ever-changing components. Their current blend sees wheated bourbon, ryed bourbon, MGP rye whiskey and a rye whiskey that contains wheat. They even have a cask strength version if you don’t want to experience such a watered-down bottling.

2018

Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey

Michter’s didn’t stop at just two different bourye’s, they also created one more in the form of Shenk’s Homestead Sour Mash Whiskey in 2018. This is different from Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey because it typically has a bourbon or rye whiskey component that was finished in different oak barrels (like French or Chinquapin).

Say what you will, but Michter’s is now the largest producers of bourye’s by volume in the industry – and most enthusiasts don’t even realize it.

Mythology Distillery – Hell Bear

Mythology Distillery based out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado was an early craft distillery adopter of the bourye concept. They released their first version of Hell Bear American Whiskey in the fall of 2018.

The current blend appears to be MGP 95/5 rye whiskey, MGP 60/36/4 high-rye bourbon and Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 68/20/12 (not wheated bourbon, apparently) bourbon. Leafing through their Instagram account shows that they also have a version finished in Syrah barrels.

Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye

Whenever you mention the experimental whiskies that Jim Beam produces, most people think of Little Book or the now-defunct Jim Beam Signature Craft lineup. But the most obvious example of Beam doing things outside of the ordinary is their Basil Hayden’s line of whiskies.

In 2018, Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye was launched which saw a blend of 5-year-old rye whiskey, a 7-year-old “high rye” Kentucky Straight Rye (is that the Booker’s Rye recipe?), a 13-year-old bourbon and a 6-year-old bourbon. Unfortunately, we only get to taste this at a watery 80 proof. I bet it was pretty tasty at barrel proof, but we’ll never know.

2019

Whitmeyer’s Bourbon & Rye Whiskey

Whitmeyer’s Distillery was an extremely small operation located in the Houston Texas area. They had a few products out before Covid including a single malt that they made themselves (some say that they contract-sourced the fermented mash) and a Bourbon & Rye Whiskey blend that they launched in 2019.

When the pandemic hit, they basically had to shut down operations. They struggled for a couple years to keep afloat but now it appears as if they have partnered with Gulf Coast Distillers and moved to their location to make whiskey again (with Gulf Coast Distillers’ oversight). They even operate a tasting room. It is unknown if their standard line will continue to have this bourye. But if they do, all of the components still seem like they are available since it was originally a blend of bourbon from Kentucky, a “house bourbon” that is probably made by Gulf Coast Distillers and a rye whiskey from Indiana.

2020

Unintentional Bourye – Angel’s Envy Cellar Collection Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks

Back in 2020, there was a release of Angel’s Envy Cellar Collection that was labeled as a rye whiskey finished in ice cider casks. The beautiful packaging (the bottle was made to appear like it was frosted with ice) and the whiskey inside captured many eyes and won more than a couple awards. The rye whiskey was finished in 60-gallon French Oak casks that had previously held ice cider from Vermont-based Eden Specialty Ciders.

But this release has one dirty little secret. Rumor has it that an Angel’s Envy employee accidently left a valve open that began to introduce bourbon from an adjacent holding tank into the tank that held the rye whiskey. When this incident was discovered and the valve was shut, the damage had been done. The blend was supposedly very much “off” and it required additional casks of aged rye to be blended into the mix to get it back to where they wanted it.

It must not have mattered because this release was generally well-received and few people knew about the story, but if you believe it, then this release technically counts as a bourye.

2021

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Tasters “Twin Blend”

Brown-Forman had been pushing all of their brands to begin experimenting with finishes, blends and unique grains to create a steady stream of limited time releases. Jack Daniel’s line of these limited releases was originally called “Tennessee Tasters” but now goes by the name “Distillers Series.”

In 2021, a release came out that was called “Twin Blend” due to the blend of Tennessee Whiskey (which is essentially a bourbon) and rye whiskey. This is personally one of my favorite TT/DS bottles that they’ve released because the sum is greater than the parts. I’m honestly surprised they have not taken this a step further and released it in their annual Special Release series. Hopefully soon!

2022

Wild Turkey reaches into their old bag of tricks and reintroduces another Bourye

In 2022, Wild Turkey created perhaps the most beloved Master’s Keep yet (at least according to me and other reviewers I know): Unforgotten. This was a reboot of the old Forgiven release a decade earlier. You can tell by the play on words from the phrase “Forgive, but don’t forget.”

This release used much older bourbon and rye whiskey from Wild Turkey’s rickhouses and also bottled it at a higher proof (105 compared to the 91 from the original). It should become a permanent product in their portfolio in my opinion.

2023

OKI Reserve Blended Rye Whiskey

Launched in 2022, OKI (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana) was doing some interesting blends with various whiskies in order to revitalize the brand. Instead of just bottling just bourbon or rye whiskey, they released a product that blended all sorts of whiskies together.

The second batch was a true bourye compared to the first (which used Corn Whiskey and Light Whiskey from MGP in the blend). The second batch used moderately aged rye whiskies from Ohio (Middle West Spirits) and Indiana (MGP) and a bourbon from Kentucky (Bardstown Bourbon Company).

The Beverly Reserve

 Los Angles-based startup Beverly Spirits launched their second whiskey product in 2023 that saw a blend of 60% straight bourbon and 40% straight rye whiskey coming together to create The Beverly Reserve.

This release was bottled at 116 proof and was limited to only 550 bottles. The rye whiskey component is said to be “from a distillery in Indiana” (we all know who that is), but the bourbon component is not. The source may surprise you – it’s from Cedar Ridge Distillery based out of Iowa. You know their bottles, right? The ones that set on the shelf while you wonder to yourself “who would buy this?” The latter component is likely a result of Cedar Ridge Distillery’s Head Distiller Murphy Quint being part of the team that blended the final product for this brand.

2024

Little Book Chapter 8 “Path Not Taken”

Jim Beam released not one, but two bouryes in 2024. The first one was Little Book Chapter 8 which sees every rye whiskey recipe Beam make (Monongahela Mash, Booker’s Rye and their standard rye) blended together with 18-year-old Old Grand Dad (which is already a high-rye bourbon recipe).

I could gush on and on about this release, but I won’t do it here. Instead, read my review of it here or see how it placed on my Top 10 list of 2024. I think that ought to demonstrate its chops.

Brother’s Bond American Blended Rye Whiskey

Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder – otherwise known as “The Salvatore Brothers” from the TV series “The Vampire Diaries,” created the brand “Brother’s Bond” a couple years ago as a joint venture in their shared interest of whiskey. They sourced young barrels of MGP bourbon and rye whiskey to create a basic lineup.

The market for their products have primarily been to women in their 30’s and 40’s who watched their show back in the day. But to generate hype, they travel around the country to do bottle-signing events at stores. Women literally descend upon the stores to get close enough to them (by buying a bottle). Seriously, I witnessed this first hand in a Kroger in Greenwood, Indiana a couple years ago and it was weird. There were no men in line to buy a bottle.

Anyway, this blended rye whiskey was made by blending together barrels of 4-year-old MGP bourbon (some of it wheated) and rye whiskey. It’s simply too young to be that good, but part of me thinks that the people buying these bottles aren’t really buying it to drink, ha.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaboration Series: Amrut

By my count, there were only two other bourbon-rye whiskey blends that were finished in another type of barrel prior to BBCo Amrut – Mythology’s Hell Bear and the Angel’s Envy Ice Cider Cask release. Bardstown Bourbon Company decided that they wanted a bourye blend to finish inside of casks that previously held Amrut Indian Single Malt Whiskey.

The result was actually quite good and was one of the more memorable Collaboration Series releases.

Breuckelen Distilling – 77 Bourbon & Rye Straight Whiskey

Breuckelen Distilling’s products has had a strange history of “is this their own distillate or is it sourced?” Generally, if it tastes young and bad, it’s their own. It seems like their products weren’t well-received by enthusiasts or the general public which caused them to go on a bit of hiatus. But now they’re back with a new range of rye whiskey and a bourye (their bourbon is coming soon).

The bourye looks like it’s made from sourced whiskies because the components look eerily familiar to anyone familiar with mash bills. The bourbon recipe uses 70% Corn, 25% Rye, 5% Malted Barley (a common bourbon made at Barton) and a Rye Whiskey that uses a 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley recipe (likely MGP)

Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye

I don’t know if this was planned or not, but I’m guessing somebody in Jim Beam’s product planning department saw Freddie Noe cooking up a bourye for his Little Book series and decided they could do that with another brand. Knob Creek was the easy answer because it was already known for its full range of bourbon and rye whiskey. Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye was born.

The great thing about this release is that Beam puts the ratios (and ages!) right there on the front label. This bottle says that 30% of the blend is a 9-year-old bourbon and 70% is a 7-year-old rye whiskey. The cherry on the top is that it’s bottled at a crowd-pleasing 113 proof and its extremely reasonable price of $55. Jim Beam really gets us!

“Almost Bouryes”

This section is devoted to whiskies that come very close to being Bouryes but don’t quite make it. Read on to see why.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery #7 and #8

If you want to get really technical, these two releases aren’t bourye’s in the strict sense because they have Canadian Whiskey in the blend. But if you put that pesky fact to the side, it’s still a blend of bourbon (to include Tennessee Whiskey) and rye whiskey from MGP.

These two Discovery releases from 2022 and 2023 have received poor scores from reviewers and represent the dark days of the Discovery series – Batches 5 through 10. If you’re looking for a reason to blame that decline, the Canadian Whiskey would be a good place to start (and don’t forget about the Georgia bourbon!). Cost cutting, amiright?

High West Campfire

Ever since 2012, High West has been taking a bourbon and a rye whiskey and added peated Scotch (rumored to be from Balvenie) into the blend. Nowadays the blend is much younger, but the concept remains the same. It’s a love-or-hate bottle.

Barrell Craft Spirits – Infinite Barrel

Barrell’s idea came from watching enthusiasts post their Infinity Bottles online and saying what they were filled with. The concept is basically just to take whiskies from bottles that are close to being finished and making an endless cycle of blends. Barrell has not only added bourbon and rye whiskey in the blend, but Scotch and Irish Whiskey as well. Plus, a lot of the barrels had been finished in various casks. The experiment lasted from 2018 to 2022 and looks like it’s done.

Wyoming Whiskey: Outryder

The story for this one began with Wyoming Whiskey telling their former Master Distiller Steve Nally to distill some rye whiskey for them. Steve wasn’t having it. After a short argument where he said he refused, he eventually made some – except the mash he made failed to reach the required minimum of 51% rye (it used only 48%). He later said he did this on purpose and it was only found out after he left.

The owners weren’t happy, but Nancy Fraley said she’d try something new and create a blend with it and a batch of ryed bourbon that Steve also made. The result was Outryder and it’s been consistently better than any of the wheated bourbon that Wyoming Whiskey has put out since then.