Originally Posted by StephenE

Actually, rye and Canadian are on the opposite ends of the whiskey spectrum. Canada has almost no whiskey regulation, so they can add almost anything they want to whiskey. "Canadian rye whiskey" means nothing, since it doesn't have to be 51% rye. "American rye whiskey", on the other hand, is the original American whiskey. George Washington himself made rye whiskey. Rye whiskey is very spicy and much less sweet than bourbon or Canadian whiskey.

Rye is good when drunk by itself, and also makes fantastic Manhattans. Bourbon wasn't popular until after prohibition, so Manhattans and Old Fashioneds were originally made with rye...