Have you ever wondered what makes up the mash bill of your favorite bourbon brands? Or why you might prefer Maker’s Mark to Bulleit Bourbon? Well, let’s find out.

The most basic requirement for bourbon is that it must contain a minimum 51% corn in the mash bill. Traditional bourbons (Knob Creek, Eagle Rare, and Jim Beam, for example) are made up of 70-80% corn, with the balance being a combination of rye and barley.

The three general mash bills used for making bourbon are traditional, high rye, and high wheat. A high rye bourbon will contain 18% or more rye.…