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Bourbon and Whiskey Mash Bills

Find bourbons and American whiskeys by mash bill. What is a Mash Bill? | Understanding Mash Bills | Popular Grains

Mash Bill
100% Barley
100% Corn
100% Malted Barley
100% Merced Rye
100% Rye
100% Wheat
45% Rye, 30% Wheat, and 25% Barley
51% Corn, 45% Wheat, and 4% Malted Barley
51% Rye, 35% Corn, and 14% Malted Barley
51% Rye, 37% Corn, and 12% Malted Barley
51% Rye, 45% Corn, and 4% Malted Barley
51% Rye, 49% Malted Barley
51% Wheat, 37% Corn, and 12% Malted Barley
55% Rye, 35% Corn, and 10% Malted Barley
56% Corn, 38% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley
56% Corn, 38% Rye, and 6% Unmalted Barley
60% Corn, 14% Wheat, 14% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
60% Corn, 20% Wheat, 10% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
60% Corn, 22% Barley, and 18% Wheat
60% Corn, 30% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
60% Corn, 30% Wheat, and 10% Malted Barley
60% Corn, 35% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley
60% Corn, 36% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley
60% Rye and 40% Wheat
60% Unsmoked Malted Barley and 40% Mesquited Malted Barley
63% Corn, 27% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
64% Corn, 24% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
64% Corn, 24% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley
64% Corn, 30% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley
64% Wisconsin Red Corn, 14% Rye, 14% Wheat, and 8% Barley
65% Corn, 25% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
65% Corn, 30% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley
65% Rye, 20% Malted Barley, and 15% Corn
66% Rye, 30% Corn, and 4% Barley
68% Corn, 16% Rye, and 16% Malted Barley
68% Corn, 16% Wheat, and 16% Malted Barley
68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 10% Malted Barley
68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley
68% Corn, 28% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 15% Rye, and 15% Wheat
70% Corn, 16% Wheat, and 14% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 20% Rye, and 10% Malted Barely
70% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 10% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 21% Rye, and 9% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 21% Wheat, and 9% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 25% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley
70% Corn, 25% Wheat, and 5% Rye
70% Corn, 26% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley
70% Rye, 18% Corn, and 12% Malted Barley
70% Rye, 20% Corn, and 10% Malted Barley
72% Corn, 15% Malted Barley, and 13% Rye
72% Corn, 16% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
72% Corn, 18% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
72% Corn, 22% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley
73% Corn, 18% Rye, and 9% Malted Barley
74% Corn, 15% Wheat, and 11% Malted Barley
74% Corn, 18% Rye, and 8% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 13% Brown Rice, and 12% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 13% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 15% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 15% Wheat, 7% Rye, and 3% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 20% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 5% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 20.5% Rye, and 4.5% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley
75% Corn, 21% Wheat, and 4% Malted Barley
75% Rye and 25% Malted Barley
77% Corn, 13% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
78% Corn, 10% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, and 10% Rye
78% Corn, 12% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
78% Corn, 12% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
78.5% Corn, 13% Rye, and 8.5% Malted Barley
80% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, and 8% Rye
80% Corn, 14% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley
80% Corn, 19% Rye, and 1% Malted Barley
81% Corn, 13% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley
84% Corn, 8% Rye, and 8% Malted Barley
86% Corn, 8% Malted Barley, and 6% Rye
91% Corn and 9% Malted Barley
94% Rye and 6% Malted Barley
95% Corn and 5% Malted Barley
95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley
96% Corn and 4% Barley
99% Corn and 1% Malted Barley
Buffalo Trace Mash Bill
Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1
Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #2
Buffalo Trace Rye Mash Bill
Buffalo Trace Wheated Mash Bill

What is a Mash Bill?

A mash bill is a mix of grains (usually comprised of types of corn, rye, wheat, or barley) that distilleries cook and ferment to make bourbon or other American whiskeys.

Understanding Mash Bills

To properly understand mash bills, you must familiarize yourself with the brewing process. The first is mashing. Mashing is how non-fermentable and fermentable sugars are created and extracted from grains. This is followed by steeping the said extractions in hot water to activate the enzymes that break down the sugars into starch. The substance created at the end of the process is known as wort.

Mash bills, sometimes referred to as grain bills or mash ingredients, are the grain materials (corn, rye, barley malt, etc.) that distilleries use in the fermentation process, which results in the creation of alcohol.

The most commonly used primary mash bill is malted grain. In fact, for modern-day malt recipes, the light malt is of a higher percentage and is referred to as base malt. To add a bit of flavor and color, other types of malt, though of a smaller percentage, are used, and they are known as specialist malts.

However, corn is the primary component of a bourbon mash bill in bourbon, with a popular combination being 78% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. The most common mash bill for rye whiskeys is 95% rye and 5% malted barley.

When it comes to bourbons, ryes, and other whiskeys, a plethora of ingredients and their portions are used. Below, we break down some of the main mash bills used to create some of the most popular types of liquor.

Popular Grains

Corn

Corn is perhaps the most widely used mash bill because of its availability and low cost. In addition to being the base grain in Tennessee whiskey, it is also the base in Bourbon whiskey. By law, bourbon is at least 51 percent corn. Corn adds herbal and sweat flavors to whiskey. Most bourbon contains 70 to 78 percent corn in the mash bill.

Additionally, corn is used to create Belgian Beers such as Rodenbach. It was introduced initially to breweries since it had a high six-row barley content. The said breweries found that using maize made it possible to thin out the beer's body since corn has a high sugar but low protein content. Over time, the increased use of maize in creating beer led to the American pale lager being developed.

Rye

The use of rye is mainly seen in American rye whiskeys. However, it is one of the core mash bill components in Europe too because it is readily available there. However, rye is not used widely since it lacks a hull. Additionally, compared to other grains, it has large quantities of beta-glucans. These are long-chain sugars that, after some time, can leash out during mashing, and create a sticky gum. When brewing with rye, it is necessary to give it a thorough beta-glucanase rest.

Barley

Barley is used as the primary grain for Irish whiskey. In American whiskey, it is the 3rd most popular mash bill component. There are a couple of types of barley. Roast barley is toasted in an oven until it is almost black, and thus it has some strong undertones of coffee and chocolate once it is used. Black barley is akin to roast barley, the difference being a bit nuanced; it is darker and may have stouts. Flacked barley is dried barley that has been rolled up into flat flakes. When used to create beers, it imparts a grainy yet rich flavor, which is why it is used in many stouts, including Guinness. Flacked barley also improves head formation and retention. Torrefied barley is a type of barley whose kernels have been heated until, like popcorn, they pop.

Wheat

Many alcoholic drinks use raw wheat, including Lambic and Belgian witbier. Raw wheat has a cloudy appearance and distinctive taste characteristic of a witbier. Additionally, it has the more complex carbohydrates that are needed in Lambic. Torrefied wheat is mainly used in British beer since it can increase the retention and size of the head of the beer; it is thus used more as an enhancer. Wheat malt is used mainly in German beers that rely heavily on malted wheat.

Other Grains

As mentioned earlier, many other grains can and are used as mash bills. Rice, sorghum, and millet are good examples. They are gluten-free and are very popular in the northern hemisphere. Oats are also very popular, and they are used as either steel-cut or rolled when they are to be used as the mash ingredients.

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