Building on the success of its limited launch last year, Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey is now available in an additional 15 markets.

This comes months after Whisky Advocate named the line extension #7 in its 2020 Whisky of the Year line-up.

“As Elijah Craig Small Batch continues to grow, we are excited to innovate with and grow the Elijah Craig family with new line extensions,” said VP American Whiskeys Susan Wahl. “The launch of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel and Elijah Craig Straight Rye offers both new and loyal consumers a chance to explore different varieties of whiskey from a premium, high-quality, and trusted brand name. Our hope is that Elijah Craig Rye will be a national staple on the shelf next to its small batch counterpart soon enough”.

Elijah Craig Rye is made as a traditional American Straight Rye Whiskey with 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. This combination of grains, which relies heavily on corn as the secondary grain rather than a higher percentage of rye, has been the primary mashbill used by Kentucky Bourbon distilleries since taking over virtually all American Rye production post-Prohibition – the same mashbill directly responsible for the Rye resurgence seen today.

Extra-aging is a tenet of the Elijah Craig portfolio, and Elijah Craig Rye is no exception. Each small batch is carefully selected for consistency of quality and tasting profile and bottled at the signature 94 proof. Packaged in the iconic Elijah Craig bottle, the Straight Rye is distinguished by new bottle decoration, face, side and neck labels with green features.

Heaven Hill first launched Elijah Craig Rye with a limited release in January 2020, in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Oregon. As of this month, the brand is available in Virginia, Ohio, California, Texas, New York, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Colorado, Washington, Massachusetts and Arizona. It is also available in the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience.

“This line extension affords experimenting whiskey fans the opportunity to challenge their palates with a new, extra-aged rye offering from the award-winning Elijah Craig family of Bourbons,” said Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll. “Within the vein of Elijah Craig himself, Elijah Craig Rye is a contemporary offering reflective of the innovative spark that changed the course of Bourbon.”

Elijah Craig Rye is a direct compliment to the award-winning family of Elijah Craig Bourbons. As a line extension to Elijah Craig, this new traditional American Straight Rye is creating its own story within the Rye Whiskey resurgence.

Elijah Craig Rye carries a MSRP of $31.99 for a 750ml bottle.