Clay Risen is an editor at The New York Times, where he writes about whiskey and the spirits industry. He is the author of Single Malt: A Guide to the Whiskies of Scotland and American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye: A Guide to the Nation's Favorite Spirit.

The Best Rye Whiskey Under $50
America's oldest spirit has seen a boom in the last decade, giving rise to a variety of styles. Here are the five bottles that topped our recent blind tasting.
- story: Clay Risen
- photo: Lizzie Munro