According to the Tax and Trade Bureau, there are no fewer than 41 different types of what’s legally whiskey in the United States. Among them are some of your favorites – bourbon, rye, single malt – as well as some more obscure categories we’ve written about in the past, like light whiskey and spirit whiskey.

But let’s take a step back. What is whiskey, anyway?

It might sound like a silly question, but with all the innovation going on among craft distillers, the issue is getting more complicated than you think. A spirit made out of rye is definitely…