A grain used in whisky production that imparts spicy characteristics to the spirit. In the U.S., refers to whiskey made from a mashbill of at least 51% rye, distilled to a maximum of 80% ABV, aged in new, charred oak containers with a maximum barrel entry of 62.5% ABV, and bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV. Canadian whisky is sometimes referred to as rye, even if no rye grain was used in its production.