Dad’s Hat Builds On Their Seminal Bottled In Bond
Although rye whiskey once enjoyed great success in Pennsylvania through the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, the passage of the 18th Amendment and Prohibition terminated production for the entire state’s rye whiskey distilling business, which would never truly recover and eventually died in 1990. Fast forward 28 years to today, and rye whiskey distilling is a booming business in the state, and Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye has been a standard bearer in the comeback.
“We love rye whiskey. That’s our drink, and it always has been,” said Mihalich, who hails from Pittsburgh. “It just made sense for us to open a distillery. We’re doing what we love, and business is booming right now. The entire craft spirits world has seen a significant boom lately, and we are proud to be a part of that movement.”
Once they refined their recipe, Dad’s Hat Rye commenced producing whiskey in 2011, and eventually began bottling for the first time in the summer of 2012. Today, nearly seven years after production began, Mihalich and Cooper have a growing team, a state-of-the-art 6,000 square-foot distillery, and another 4,000 square-foot space for barrel aging. They fill over 6,000 bottles per month, and age their whiskey in 15 and 53-gallon barrels.
Co-founder Herman Mihalich has just finished approving the label for Dad’s Hat’s newest product, a new release of their Bottled in Bond, which by law is aged a minimum of four years. The Bottled in Bond designation also means this whiskey is fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled at distillery. This delicious Straight Whiskey is set to be released at the end of May and will be launched first in Pennsylvania’s Wine and Spirits stores. It will be available in other states as supplies allow.
When Dad’s Hat released their initial Bottled In Bond whiskey last year, it was the first such Pennsylvania Whiskey to receive that designation since whiskey production ended in the state, and was a landmark achievement for the Keystone State’s craft whiskey sector.
“Our Bottled in Bond product is very special, and not just because of the incredibly complex flavor profile,” said Cooper. ” The Bottled in Bond designation also means this whiskey is fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled at our distillery – all made by our team. This is a tough business to get into, as you can’t even begin selling whiskey for a long time because of the aging process. This product represents four long years of aging in our warehouse, which is an amazing accomplishment. We’re thrilled to be hitting our stride as rye whiskey and craft spirits in general are having a moment right now. We’re excited about what’s happening in our industry.”
Located at 925 Canal Street in Bristol, PA, the Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey distillery, which is owned and operated by Mountain Laurel Spirits LLC, carries on a Pennsylvania tradition of whiskey production dating back to the early 1800’s. In addition to Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey, Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey Finished in Vermouth Barrels, and Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels, MLS also produces Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Straight Rye.
