Chicken Cock Cotton Club 20 Years Canadian Rye Whiskey

Grain & Barrel Spirits

First established in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, a town tucked away in the heart of Bourbon County, Chicken Cock Whiskey rose to popularity during the 19th century. James A. Miller built a distillery and started making Chicken Cock, a type of whiskey unique to the bluegrass region. During the 1920’s it was a staple of prohibition-era speakeasies, like the Cotton Club, where it was smuggled inside in nondescript tin cans, earning it the nickname, “the Whiskey in a tin can.” Unfortunately, the original distillery where Chicken Cock was made burned down in the 1950s, causing decades long pause for the once great brand. Known as “The Famous Old Brand” for much of its history, Chicken Cock Whiskey has now reclaimed its spot amongst the great American whiskies, because good spirits never go out of style. Staying true to the rich 166-year-old brand history while modernizing it just a touch, the products we’ve created are an unsurpassable collection of small-batch craft whiskies.

In 2011, Chicken Cock’s fortunes changed when spirits entrepreneur Matti Anttila discovered the brand while researching the early days of distillation in the U.S. Just a memory of yore at that time, Anttila decided that The Famous Old Brand was worthy of a rebirth, so he began buying the best aged bourbons he could find and exploring the market for old relics leftover from the days when Chicken Cock was one of the country's best known bands. From eBay to the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown, he found a treasure trove of original bottles and promotional materials, allowing him to resurrect Chicken Cock for the 21st century.

On September 10, 2018, The Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo) announced that Grain & Barrel Spirits, the maker of the famed Chicken Cock Whiskey, had joined their Collaborative Distilling Program. Grain & Barrel joined forces with BBCo to produce its own mash bills (recipes) for the historic Chicken Cock brand which was originally created a mere 78 miles away in Paris, Kentucky. The first collaborative distillation produced 616 spectacular barrels, with production ramping up to 1,200 barrels annually by 2022. Chicken Cock currently produces all its Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Kentucky Straight Rye at BBC. Our master distiller also works hand in hand with the team at BBC on all our LTO’s, unique barrel finishes and bottling.

To control all aspects of the whiskey making process, Chicken Cock works hand in hand with the West Virginia Great Barrel Company to select every piece of wood that will be used to make its barrels. Watch the below video to see how we ensure quality from barrel to bottle, every single time.