Distilling Rice Whiskey In The American Style

<p>We&apos;re all used to whiskey being made from barley, corn, rye, and even wheat. But what about rice? <br/>Rice is the world&apos;s third most abundant cereal crop, and yet historically, you would be hard-pressed to find a whiskey distiller that used it as the base of their spirits outside of Japan. <br/>But recently, that has all changed. Distillers like Louisiana-based JT Meleck are amongst a small number of US producers who are crafting a contemporary image of what rice whiskey can offer. <br/>And the subsequent liquid is distinctly different from what is being created by their Japanese counterparts. <br/>To find out more, we talked to Mike Fruge from JT Meleck about fermentation, flavour and the future of rice in a country where corn is king. </p>