Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is known for the creative things it does with rye. Now the distillery is bringing out its oldest rye whiskey so far: Bulleit 20-Year-Old Rye.
The distillery said, “With an outturn of just 1,776 individually numbered bottles available for sale, 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.”
“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.”
Bulleit 20-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 68.5%.
Tasting Notes (from the distillery): “On the nose, the whiskey opens with aromas of seasoned oak, warm baking spice and dried fruit. The palate unfolds with notes of caramelized sweetness, dark fruit and spice, leading to a long, layered finish that remains unmistakably rye.”
SRP: $299 for a 750 ml bottle.
Availability: Beginning July 2026, in limited quantities at the Bulleit Distillery in Kentucky and select cities nationwide
“Rye has always had a certain edge to it, which is exactly why it made sense for Bulleit from the brand’s inception. 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.” Brian Blackiston, Brand Manager for Bulleit Frontier Whiskey at Diageo
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 12-Year Old and a Gold Medal for Bulleit American Single Malt at the 2024 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.
