Whiskey Made from Grains You Wouldn't Expect

Most whiskey comes from the same four grains: corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. A growing number of craft distillers are reaching for something else entirely.

Oats

Oats bring a soft, creamy texture and a gentler sweetness than wheat produces. They're harder to work with during mashing, which is part of why using them is a deliberate choice rather than a shortcut.

Spelt

An older relative of modern wheat, spelt brings a nuttier, earthier character. Distillers using it are often chasing a flavor note modern wheat varieties left behind as they were bred for higher yield.

Buckwheat

Despite the name, buckwheat has nothing to do with wheat. It brings an earthy, slightly bitter quality that reads as genuinely different from anything else in a standard whiskey.

Heirloom grain varieties

Some distillers are reviving older grain strains that fell out of commercial use, similar to Michigan's own history with a rye variety that once dominated the state before disappearing from most farms.

An unusual mash bill won't automatically taste better than a standard one, but it will taste genuinely different. Ask us next time you're in if we have anything built on an alternative grain worth trying.