We founded Dad’s Hat® Rye because we, too, want to do it the right way. To take up a tradition and make something that mattered — by hand, in small batches, using only natural, local ingredients and the most careful methods. Dad’s Hat is made right here in Pennsylvania – the birthplace of genuine rye whiskey – in honor of my father, who enjoyed rye whiskey and served it at the family’s tavern, and of that wonderful, optimistic time in America’s history when we made a lot of things and took care to make them well. My heart tells me that many of us are searching for that spirit again.
John, lets just dive right in. Tell us a little about yourself. What is your background.
JC: Herman Mihalich and I are the Co Founders. Herman is the distiller and I am the blender. We met at the University of Pennsylvania and are fraternity brothers. Herman spent 30+ years in the Chemical Industry and I spent 34+ years in the Technology Industry. I was born and raised in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx and am the son of a Stone Mason. Herman was born and raised in the town of Monessen, PA and lived above his father’s tavern across the street from the local steel mill. We were both home brewers for many years and have a lifelong love of whiskey.
What was the vision for Dad’s Hat Whiskey? Is there a story behind the name. Can you share it with us.
JC: Pennsylvania was the birthplace of rye whiskey and was the largest producer of rye whiskey in the world pre-prohibition. The history of Pennsylvania Style Rye is deep and very rich and includes such events as the Whiskey Rebellion. Michter’s was the last of the Pennsylvania Rye distillers to close and that happened in 1989. Our vision is to bring the Pennsylvania Style back and to distill and bottle Dad’s Hat using time honored, hands on methods with locally sourced Rye grain. We use a mash bill of 80% rye grain, 5% Rye malt, 15% barley malt. We use 0% corn and a sweet mash not sour mash. The result is a spicy Rye Whiskey with a long soft finish.
Herman has been wearing his father’s fedora hats since the late 80s and those hats inspired our name. Our name is nostalgic. It evokes a time in America when we made things and made them well. The Fedora Hat is iconic and reminds people of their Fathers and Grandfathers. It screams pre-prohibition and classic times. People love our name and relate well to it.
Tell us about your choice of still – how did you know it would create the flavor profiles you were looking for?
JC: There were not many choices in 2009 when we started building our business plan and contemplating our recipe. We met a representative from CARL Stills from Germany, Nicolas Haase, who told us about their program at the time at Michigan State University – called the Artisan Distillery Program. We were able to attend one of their distilling seminars at MSU to learn the particulars about operating the still. Afterwards, we were able to return to their facility to test the recipe ideas that we found while researching the Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey traditions on a pilot sized still. These tests gave us a high level of confidence that we would be making the style of whiskey we were looking for.
What sort of whiskey are you making and how are you making it?
JC: At Dad’s Hat we only distill Rye Whiskey in the traditional Pennsylvania Style. We have a small barrel aged Rye, Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey which was named Craft Whiskey of the Year and awarded 90 points by Whisky Advocate Magazine.
We also just released Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Straight Rye Whiskey aged in 53 gallon barrels for over 3 years. This whiskey is earning wide spread praise.
We also have 2 double finished Rye whiskies:
1) Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey finished in Vermouth Barrels. This whiskey is first aged in American White Oak and then finished in barrels that were used to make Vya Sweet Vermouth. Wine Enthusiast Magazine named this One of the Top Hundred Spirits of 2015 and awarded it 90 points.
2) Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey finished in Port Wine Barrels. This whiskey is first aged in American White Oak and then finished in port wine barrels. The Beverage Testing Institute awarded this whiskey a gold medal and 91 points.
From time to time we also release other specialty bottling. We recently did a single barrel Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Bottled in Bond Whiskey and will do a limited release a Double Oak Rye later this spring.
Your website includes some descriptions of whiskeys in general, especially as regards the whiskey-making process. How important is this kind of consumer education to promoting your own brands?
JC: Educating people about our history, our distillery and our methods is extremely important in building brand awareness. Dad’s Hat has a distinct flavor profile due to our mash bill and Distilling methods. Its is a distinct advantage we enjoy in competing against the big brands and allows us to stand out. Getting people to understand what we do, why we do it and what they can expect as a result is critical to our current and future success.
Where do you see your distillery 5 years from now? Is there anything in the pipeline that you share with us?
JC: We will continue our expansion into new markets. Currently, we are available in 17 states and 24 international markets. We are focusing on growth within each of those states and deeper penetration in the foreign countries as well. As our capacity continues to expand we will add more states and more countries where people can enjoy Dad’s Hat.
We are committed to only distilling the best Rye Whiskey we possibly can and have no plans to deviate from our mission of delivering exceptional Pennsylvania Style Rye to our customers.
