Rye is not for everyone. But for those who love it, it can be everything. OK, that’s a little hyperbolic but a good aged one is a thing of beauty so when Bulleit Frontier Whiskey announced the launch of its 20-Year-Old Rye, we were all in.
The oldest Straight Rye Whiskey made by the brand features its 95% rye mashbill and aged for two decades. It was developed by the Bulleit Distilling Co. team with a blend crafted by Nicole Austin, Director of American Whiskey Liquid Development and Capabilities at Diageo. Austin led the barrel selection and blending process alongside the team, choosing barrels that could carry twenty years of age while preserving the rye character that has defined Bulleit.
“With a rye this mature, the challenge is finding barrels where age adds depth without overwhelming the grain,” said Nicole Austin, Director of American Whiskey Liquid Development and Capabilities at Diageo. “We wanted the spice and structure that define Bulleit Rye to stay front and center, while allowing twenty years of maturation to reveal new layers of complexity. The final whiskey has the spice people expect from Bulleit, with a depth that could only come from time.”
“Rye has always had a certain edge to it, which is exactly why it made sense for Bulleit from the brand’s inception,” added Brian Blackiston, Brand Manager for Bulleit Frontier Whiskey at Diageo. “In the earliest days of American whiskey, rye brought structure, spice and resilience to the glass in a way that helped distinguish it from other grains. When the category was still working its way back into the spotlight, Bulleit leaned in with a style that gave bartenders and whiskey drinkers more bite and more dimension. Bulleit 20-Year-Old Rye pays homage to that history while building on our own, showing what our signature rye character can become after two decades in barrel.”
With just 1,776 individually numbered bottles available, the label nods to a defining moment in American history while staying focused on the drink: a deeply aged, cask-strength rye that honors the grain that shaped American whiskey and builds on Bulleit’s role in its modern comeback.
Bulleit 20-Year-Old Rye Whiskey is available in limited quantities for $299.
