East Coast Wineries: Pennsylvania Distillers Meet With Legislators

Yesterday evening, the Pennsylvania Distiller's Guild held a tasting for legislators in Harrisburg in an effort to promote Rye Whiskey as the Pennsylvania State Spirit. In terms of history, I think this is altogether appropriate. While rye was largely a Northeastern/New England product, Pennsylvania had a relationship with Rye that far exceeded the others. A half decade ago, New York came up with the marketing rubric of Empire Rye, a worth class distinction (a concept which is now being copied across the country). But the recognition of Pennsylvania's historical connection to the spirit should be memorialized. Rye traces its history in the Keystone State as far back as the American Revolution, and the resulting Whiskey Rebellion. Rye has been a part of the state's spirit landscape at this point for more than 250 years. Yet the state has never recognized its historic importance.

The legislation is backed by renowned whiskey historian Sam Komlenic. Michael Veach, a renowned bourbon historian and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer, has been a vocal champion of Pennsylvania's distilling heritage . He frequently writes about and tastes specific Pennsylvania-made ryes, especially those from Dad's Hat Distillery and Liberty Pole Distillery. Veach has emphasized that the state's distillers have revitalized the rich, historic "Monongahela" style of rye whiskey, and how modern craft distilling continues to rediscover the state's lost whiskey legacy.

Famed beer and whiskey writer and editor Lew Bryson also represent such similar views. "I’m a proud son of Pennsylvania. The family first arrived here in 1741, and except for a few wanderjahre in my 20s, I’ve been here all my life. I have deep PA roots, almost as deep as rye whiskey. Almost," write Bryson. "I was honored recently to be asked to take part in a working committee created by those rye whiskey distillers to craft a definition for “Pennsylvania rye whiskey” that will be proposed to the state legislature. Such a definition would value and preserve the traditions of the state’s product, and protect it from casual use by distillers in other states and countries. If “Tennessee whiskey” and “Empire Rye” deserve such protection, surely Pennsylvania rye, with its very real history reaching back more than 250 years, deserves it, too."

That should tell you all you need to know.

Pennsylvania is the true birthplace of American rye whiskey, a spirit deeply rooted in colonial history and the famous 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. Lawmakers have proposed designating this traditional style as the official Commonwealth spirit to honor its agricultural heritage. Today, the state boasts over 75 craft distilleries, many specializing in spicy, bold Monongahela-style ryes and grain-to-glass bourbons.

I cannot list them all here, but here are several popular and highly-regarded Pennsylvania whiskeys to explore:

* Wigle Whiskey: A nationally recognized grain-to-glass producer in Pittsburgh known for organic, small-batch rye and bourbon.
* Liberty Pole Spirits: Located in Washington County (the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion), their flagship Monongahela Rye is an award-winning staple.
* Stoll & Wolfe: Crafted in Lancaster County, this distillery honors the legacy of Pennsylvania’s oldest commercial distilling sites.
* Midstate Distillery: Harrisburg's first post-prohibition distillery, featuring local, multi-grain bourbon and rye blends.
* Dad's Hat located in Bristol is one of the distilleries who brought back Rosen Rye, the pre-Prohibition choice of distillers, from seed vaults to commercial production. Herman Mihalich is one of Pennsylvania's prominent state whiskey historians.

According to the Pennsylvania Distiller's Guild:

Senate Bill 1248 was introduced on March 30th, 2026 to designate rye whiskey as the official State spirit of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Encourage your representative to support this bill.

Pennsylvania has a uniquely strong and historically grounded claim to rye whiskey as a defining agricultural, economic, and cultural product. Designating Rye Whiskey as the Commonwealth’s official state spirit would honor Pennsylvania’s heritage while delivering real and measurable benefits to farmers, producers, and the state’s tourism economy.

Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American rye whiskey. Long before the Revolution, German and Scots Irish farmers settled across the state, planting rye because it thrived in local soil and climate. Distilling rye into whiskey became both an agricultural necessity and an economic stabilizer, especially in frontier communities where whiskey often functioned as currency. Pennsylvania’s rye industry played a central role in the Whiskey Rebellion, the first major test of federal authority, which shows the spirit’s significance in early American identity.

Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey
For more than a century, Pennsylvania Rye was nationally known as a distinct and superior style that was aromatic, grain forward, and robust. Names like A. Overholt, Large, and later Dick Stoll defined the category and influenced American whiskey far beyond the state’s borders. Today, a new generation of Pennsylvania distillers is reviving that legacy by cultivating heritage rye varieties such as Rosen, restoring traditional production methods, and putting the Commonwealth back at the center of the national rye renaissance.

The designation carries meaningful agricultural benefits. Rye is a winter cover crop that improves soil structure, reduces erosion, increases carbon capture, and supports Chesapeake Bay watershed health. Encouraging greater rye cultivation strengthens family farms, diversifies grain markets, and supports Pennsylvania maltsters and grain cooperatives. With distilling demand rising, official recognition further incentivizes farmers to plant high value rye varieties that keep agricultural
dollars in state.

Economically, distilling is manufacturing, and manufacturing jobs ripple across rural communities. The craft spirits sector supports farming, trucking, malting, cooperage, bottling, hospitality, and tourism. Pennsylvania distilleries already generate hundreds of millions in economic activity. Elevating rye as the state spirit reinforces consumer awareness, strengthens in state brand identity, and helps small and family run distilleries compete against out of state conglomerates.

Tourism benefits are equally significant. Spirits tourism is booming nationwide. States with defined beverage identities such as bourbon in Kentucky and wine in California see large returns from visitors seeking local products and local stories. Pennsylvania is positioned to build a cohesive rye centered tourism strategy by connecting historic sites, rural distilleries, grain growing regions, and cultural assets such as West Overton, Lancaster County farms, and Monongahela heritage areas. A state recognized spirit gives DCED, Visit PA, and local tourism bureaus a powerful new marketing tool at no cost to the Commonwealth.

Formal recognition of rye whiskey aligns Pennsylvania’s identity with its authentic history, supports farmers and small manufacturers, strengthens rural economies, and advances tourism. It requires no new funding and no additional administrative burden. By designating Rye Whiskey as the Official State Spirit, the legislature would anchor a uniquely Pennsylvania story to a uniquely Pennsylvania product, honoring the past and creating clear agricultural and economic benefits for the future.