Rye whiskey symbolizes the American colonial spirit. For all their puritanical pursuits, when the colonists weren’t busy with the sordid details of colonizing, they were making booze. Those hailing from Ireland and Scotland, while not uniquely familiar with the magical art of distillation, were both experienced with the process and disposed to consume the elixir. Being practical, and based on necessity, the colonists used what grains were on hand and American whiskies closely interrelated with localized agriculture and farming. Pennsylvania and Maryland were among the first colonies and the new locals distilled rye whiskey because the grain — similar to wheat and barley — was bountiful.  This differed from those that later settled in Kentucky where there was plenty of corn available. There, bourbon was born, cobbled together, than codified. But that is another story. Both styles of American whiskey were popular and you could expect to have both styles [...]