Mountain Laurel Spirits: Distillery Profile

Where Mountain Laurel Spirits is

Mountain Laurel Spirits, LLC makes Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey in Bristol, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County near Philadelphia.

Founders

The distillery is owned and operated by Herman Mihalich and John Cooper. Mihalich is the founder and distiller. Dad's Hat is named as an ode to his father, according to a 2012 interview. A November 2019 trade article marked seven years since the pair began, which places the start in about 2012.

Pennsylvania rye

Dad's Hat is made in small batches from locally sourced ingredients, and the distillery calls its approach farm to bottle. The core range is built around rye, and the company says it follows time-honoured methods for Pennsylvania rye.

Pennsylvania Straight Rye, 2014

In December 2014 the distillery released Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey as a limited single barrel release through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's web store. It was aged 26 months in a new charred American oak barrel from a mash bill of 80% local rye, bottled at 95 proof and priced at around $60. It was reported at the time as the first straight rye made in Pennsylvania in over 25 years.

Later releases

In November 2019 the distillery introduced a four-year-old straight rye. A Vermouth Finish expression is bottled at 47% ABV (94 proof) and labelled as distilled and bottled by Mountain Laurel Spirits in Bristol, PA.

Visiting

TripAdvisor lists tours of the distillery with a tasting session afterwards. Check the official site for current opening times.

Official website

Official website: https://dadshatrye.com

Sources: The Whiskey Wash, 15 December 2014; Craft Spirits Magazine, 20 November 2019; The Drink Nation, 25 October 2012; Dad's Hat product sell sheet.

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