Candy corn | Caramel corn | Mint | Rye grain | Strawberry | Toffee | Warm brownie

Cinnamon almond brittle | Clover honey | Lemon tart | Herbal

Dry oak | Burnt sugar | Seared mint | Rye spice | Black pepper | Rye bread | Lightly floral

As Pennsylvania is known as the rye-loving state and the origin of the Monongahela rye style, this collaboration between Dad’s Hat and Liberty Pole Spirits was born out of mutual admiration. In 2025, they decided to take it a step further and collaborate on a blend involving a rye from each of their respective distilleries. According to the companies, “They swapped three barrels each and independently began blending trials using one barrel from each distillery. Out of nine possible combinations, both teams landed - without knowing - on the exact same two-barrel blend.”

As any collaboration should, this release showcases each of the distilleries’ trademark flavors. For Dad’s Hat, it’s the slightly dry, herbal, and peppery aged complexity their rye often brings. Liberty Pole Spirits showcases its bright, spicy character, with touches of floral and rye malt. The result is a flavorful rye that captures all of this, particularly on the whiskey’s finish. Its bold rye spice comes through, bringing with it dry oak, burnt sugar, and black pepper. It’s a unique tasting rye that is far from a traditional Kentucky-tasting rye as you can get. Though bold at heart, a wealth of subtlety is at play, spearheaded by each of the company’s unique flavors that make it such an interesting sip.

This first collaborative project yielded just 397 bottles and is offered at each of the companies’ distillery gift shops (though some bottles have been earmarked for online sales) to celebrate the local fans who have supported them over the years. Given how proud the Liberty Pole Spirits team was after speaking with them about this blend, another edition may be in the cards. More distilleries should attempt this style of collaboration. Not only does it help draw attention to brands you may not have heard of before, but if you are familiar with the brands, it’s like when two of your favorite athletes come together and play for the same team.