Bulleit Flexes Muscle in Revival of its 12 Year Rye

Posted on by Scott Dilley

Fast Facts about Bulleit 12-Year-Old Rye:

  • Style: Straight Rye Whiskey
  • Mashbill: 95% Rye; 5% Malted Barley
  • Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
  • Age: 12 Years
  • Price: $54.99
  • Availability: Nationwide (except for Maine: “sorrry Bob.”)

The 2024 release features whiskey with the famed “95-5 Rye” mashbill and blends in barrels aged up to 17 years.

Full Details on the Release:

After five years, a 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal, and a clamor of requests from bartenders and fans alike, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is announcing the return of its 12-Year-Old American Straight Rye Whiskey.

Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old is a limited-availability extension of Bulleit Rye Whiskey, America’s #1 selling rye whiskey. The 12-Year-Old uses the same mash bill as the flagship Rye: 95% rye and 5% malted barley- one of the highest rye percentages on the market. Aged and matured to perfection in new charred American white oak barrels for a minimum of 12 years, this 2024 release incorporates whiskey from barrels aged up to 17 years in the blend. The result is a smooth, aged taste as before, but with nuanced differences from the 2019 release. On the nose, we get light, fruity, woody-oaky, floral, and vanilla-spice notes. Bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV), on the palate it is semi-sweet, clean, and crisp. The finish is enjoyable with a slight-woody vanilla spice taste.

Consumers and bartenders alike prefer rye’s unique spicy flavor profile which adds a distinctiveness to classic cocktails. At Bulleit, we are proud to have been able to contribute to this fast-growing category ever since we launched our first rye expression in 2011. In bringing back the Rye 12-Year-Old we are responding to the demands from whiskey lovers for more premium expressions in the rye category. Our first release in 2019 performed exceptionally in the on and off trade. What we’ve created with this 2024 release continues our long tradition of striving to satisfy the growing appetite for bold, distinctive, and delicious premium whiskey.

Jesse Damashek, SVP of Whiskies & Liqueurs at Diageo

This Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old release remains true to the rye whiskies we’ve crafted before. The rye spicy character shines through the age of the whiskies and balances with those mature, elevated, and well-rounded flavors that originate from hand-selected barrels up to 17 years old. I do think it is best enjoyed neat or possibly with a single ice cube – which opens up some fruity character.

Bulleit Master Blender Andrew MacKay

Bulleit Rye 12-Year-Old is available nationally (except for Maine) wherever fine spirits are sold, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $54.99 for a 750ml bottle. The whiskey is packaged in the iconic Bulleit bottle, with a new all-green label that prominently features the 12-year-old age statement.

About Bulleit Frontier Whiskey:

Bulleit, founded in 1987, is one of the fastest-growing whiskeys in America. The brand attributes that growth to bartenders and cultural partners who have adopted it as their own. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey portfolio is distilled and aged in the Bulleit family tradition, using a distinctive high rye recipe, which gives them a bold, spicy, yet distinctively smooth taste. The award-winning Kentucky whiskey most recently won a Double Gold medal for Bulleit 10-Year Old and Gold Medals for Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2017, Bulleit celebrated its 30th anniversary with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art distillery located in Shelbyville, KY. Constructed with a focus on sustainable practices including natural habitat protection, water conservation and local ingredient sourcing.

In 2019, a Visitor’s Centre at the Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville opened to share our modern, technological, and sustainable approach to making great whiskey. In 2021, Diageo opened its first carbon-neutral whiskey distillery in Lebanon, KY with Bulleit being the first and leading brand being produced at the site. supplementing existing production at the Bulleit Distilling Co. For more information, visit www.bulleit.com or follow @Bulleit on Instagram.

Image Credit: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

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