Updated March 2026.
“High-rye bourbon” is a mash-bill nickname, not a TTB class. It still must be bourbon: mash ≥51% corn, new charred oak, bottled at ≥80 proof. The flavoring grain is rye, not wheat. We will not invent a 30% rye figure. A 1.5-ounce 40% pour is one NIAAA drink; at 45% it is 1.13. This is not a 2022 top-16 tasting.
Straight still means ≥2 years and no added flavoring. Related: rye vs bourbon, American rye, Bulleit, bourbon vs whiskey.
What the label can actually say
| Term | Legal meaning | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | ≥51% corn; 80-proof floor | 1.00 at 40% |
| “High rye” | Marketing. Rye is the flavoring grain | Use labeled proof |
| Straight rye whiskey | ≥51% rye — different class | 1.00 at 40% |
| Wheated bourbon | Also marketing; wheat instead of rye | Use labeled proof |
A 750 mL 45% bottle is about 19 drinks. Four 90-proof pours are about 4.5 drinks. NIAAA binge pattern is a health line, not a target. Mash-bill percentages are not on the official Jim Beam / Buffalo Trace pages we cite — not invented. No 2026 MSRP. Pour math: whiskey drinks.
Sources
- TTB 27 CFR 5.143: bourbon ≥51% corn; rye whiskey ≥51% rye. No “high-rye bourbon” standard.
- Prior brand-page flags: mash-bill % not printed on official Jim Beam / Basil Hayden pages.
- NIAAA (December 2025). No invented ranking or MSRP.
- (27 CFR 5.143)