Bulleit brings back its 12YO rye

The 12-year-old Bulleit whiskey was first released in 2019 and uses the same mashbill as the brand’s flagship rye.

After a five-year hiatus, Diageo-owned Bulleit is bringing its 12-year-old rye whiskey back to shelves. 

Bottled at 46% ABV, the whiskey features the same 95% rye, 5% malted barley mashbill as the brand’s core rye offering. While it bears a 12-year age statement, the whiskey contains barrels aged up to 17 years.

“This Bulleit Rye 12 Year Old release remains true to the rye whiskies we’ve crafted before,” master blender Andrew MacKay said. “The rye spicy character shines through the age of the whiskeys and balances with those mature, elevated, and well-rounded flavours that originate from hand-selected barrels.” 

Bulleit Rye 12 Year Old is a limited release, available across the entire US excluding Maine. It is priced at US$55 per 750ml bottle and features updated packaging including a more pronounced age statement. The whiskey was originally launched in 2019, and Jesse Damashek, senior vice-president of whiskies and liqueurs at Diageo says they heard from consumers and bartenders alike to rerelease it.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

This is the second new whiskey from Bulleit this year following the release of the brand’s first American single malt in February.

​​With a TTB decision still pending, American single malt producers are wondering when their style will be formally recognised.