Old Commonwealth Red Top Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml

Old Commonwealth Distillery operates out of the historic Lawrenceburg, Kentucky site once home to Julian Van Winkle III's Commonwealth Distillery, and the brand built its comeback on reviving forgotten Kentucky whiskey names. Red Top Rye traces back to Ferdinand Westheimer, who turned it into a national brand in the 1870s through relentless promotion, only for it to fade after his death near Prohibition. Van Winkle briefly revived it as a celebrated single barrel in the 1990s before it disappeared again, and Old Commonwealth has now brought the name back for a new era.

Unlike most Kentucky rye, which typically blends in corn or malted barley on a 95 percent rye base, Red Top is built from a 100 percent rye mash bill, a rare choice for the region that produces a fuller, less herbal profile than the classic spicy rye style. The whiskey is distilled and aged a full seven years, then bottled at cask strength, coming in at 105 proof.

Dried fruit leads the nose, with raisin and fig joined by dried flowers and a touch of rose petal, rounding out into cinnamon, cardamom, and freshly baked rye bread with honey butter. The palate brings clove and ginger alongside more rose petal, white pepper, and steeped pear, finishing on fig and milk chocolate that lingers pleasantly. Its structure holds up well in a Manhattan or a Vieux Carré for those who prefer their rye in a cocktail.