Bulleit Frontier 12-Year-Old Rye Whiskey: The Ultimate Bottle Guide

After introducing a 12-year-old rye whiskey that won the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Gold Medal, Bulleit let the limited-edition spirit disappear from shelves, much to the dismay of its fans. In spring 2024, however, Bulleit reintroduced a 12-year American straight rye whiskey. The Bulleit Frontier Rye 12-year is a limited-availability extension of Bulleit Rye. 

This 12-year-old uses the same mash bill as Bulleit 95 Rye: 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The difference comes in how long the products are aged for — four to seven years for the flagship and a minimum of 12 for the new expression. In fact, some of the whiskey included in the rye blend has been aged in new charred American white oak barrels for upwards of 17 years. The resulting blend is bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV), with plenty of that spiciness you expect from a rye, as well as some vanilla and anise notes. Bulleit Rye 12-year-old is available nationwide (except in Maine) for $54.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Unfortunately, we were not able to get our hands on the 2019 edition of the 12-year rye whiskey. So, when it was re-released in April, we made sure to get a bottle. Our quick opinion? It's well worth the hype and, simply, we hope it's not another five years before we can get some more.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Bulleit has only been releasing rye whiskey expressions for 13 years, but the first iteration of its 12-year American straight rye was in the works long before. It was released in 2019 and earned a gold medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The limited-edition release then ran its course and has been off the shelves since.

Playing on its strength in the rye whiskey field, Shelbyville, Kentucky-based Bulleit is "responding to the demands from whiskey lovers for more premium expressions in the rye category," according to Jesse Damashek, senior vice president of whiskies and liqueurs at Diageo, the owner of Bulleit (via PR Newswire).

This new iteration, per Bulleit Master Blender Andrew MacKay "remains true to the rye whiskies [Bulleit has] crafted before." That means sticking with the 95% rye mash bill that makes this bottle one of the highest percentage rye whiskeys available on store shelves. So, it's not surprising that the Bulleit Frontier 12-Year-Old Rye Whiskey has already won Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirit Awards, gold medals at the 2024 SIP Awards, 2024 Ascot Awards, and 2024 New York International Spirits Competition, and scored a 100 out of 100 at the 2024 Chilled 100 Spirits Awards.

The Bulleit Frontier 12-year rye whiskey differs in taste from the signature Bulleit 95 rye and the original 2019 release, despite all three using the same mash bill. That difference comes from the amount of time that the spirit was aged. While the flagship rye may age in new charred American oak barrels between four and seven years, this expression — as the name implies — incorporates whiskey aged for a minimum of 12 years.

Interestingly, this iteration even has nuanced differences from the 2019 version. In that initial release, the whiskey was aged for 12 years, while several barrels included in the 2024 release have been aged up to 17 years. Five years can make a world of difference when it comes to whiskeys.

On the nose, you will get a smoky, slightly peaty aroma, complemented by hints of vanilla and some caramel-esque sweetness. Many of these notes can be picked up on your palate, as well, with a spicy and anisey vanilla-forward flavor. Bulleit says you can expect "light, fruity, woody-oaky, floral, and vanilla-spice notes" that result in a "semi-sweet, clean, and crisp" whiskey. Sipping the spirit, it's very smooth and stands up to costlier rye whiskies that are aged longer. 

The 2024 12-year uses the same mash bill as Bulleit's flagship rye — that is 95% rye and 5% malted barley. What's notable about this, in general, is that the 95% rye component is one of the highest percentages on the market. This gives Bulleit its signature spice. All barrels of rye whiskey, as per U.S. government regulations, must be made in the United States to be termed "American whiskey." They must also be made of a mash bill that's at least 51% rye (differentiating it from bourbon), distilled to no higher than 160 proof, and aged in unused charred oak barrels, among other requirements.

Bulleit Frontier's 12-year rye whiskey is distilled and aged in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and bottled in Louisville, Kentucky. Like other whiskeys, the grains are mashed with water and yeast, which are then fermented before being heated up and distilled. The final step in the process is aging in unused charred American white oak barrels for a minimum of 12 years. No other flavors or colors are added, making this an American straight rye whiskey. After that, it's bottled in the standard Bulleit Frontier bottle with the signature, slightly askew label slapped across the front.

If you ask the folks at Bulleit, they will tell you there are two ways to enjoy Bulleit Frontier 12-year rye whiskey: neat or on the rocks. In sampling the product, we tried it both ways and noted that each has some pros and cons.

Drinking it neat (that is, poured in a glass, unchilled, unshaken, and with nothing else added), allows for you to get the fullest version of the spirit's aroma and flavors. Sipping this golden-amber spirit neat revealed the spicy, oaky-vanilla flavor that was promised in the tasting description. By drinking it on the rocks (with ice cubes — or with one large ice cube, as we prefer), it opens up some fruity aromas and makes for a much smoother sip. It does, however, tamp down that level of spice.

If that's not how you like to drink your whiskey, that's no problem either. Bulleit Frontier 12-year rye whiskey can definitely be used in any rye whiskey cocktail — whether that's a Manhattan, an old fashioned, or a Sazerac. Rye is also the best whiskey to make a classic Boulevardier. One cocktail that Bulleit recommends is the "Ryes Up," made with Bulleit Rye, sweet vermouth and cognac, elderflower liqueur, and a dash each of aromatic and Peychaud's bitters. Stir the ingredients with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

The 2024 expression and the 2019 expression share a similar mash bill, aging vessel, and proof. The subtle difference between the two is that the 2024 iteration incorporated whiskey aged up to 17 years, while the former did not. 

Bulleit has been afforded the chance to add whiskey that's been aged another five years into the blend. The resulting whiskey displays subtle aromatic and tasting differences from the previous version. Notably, while the initial Bulleit Rye 12-year-old had an aroma brimming with dried orchard fruits, baking spice, and oak, with flavors of dried pear, light toffee, and oak, this newer expression has a much less fruity flavor, and leans further into those profound spice notes. 

Instead of pear, the sweetness comes across as more caramel-forward, with a hint of vanilla. While both bottles are a pleasant drinking experience, the 2024 expression is much better suited for someone who likes those deep, complex flavors from their whiskey. 

The Revolver, despite its popularity today, is only about 20 years old. The cocktail was first made in California in the early 2000s, when a bartender was looking to use a case of newly released Bulleit bourbon. The result was a riff on a Manhattan. The renowned mixologist Jon Santer was looking to create a new cocktail with the ingredients he had around the bar. Since this was in 2004, well before the proliferation of craft cocktails, he did not have any homemade syrups or the like to use. He threw together some Bulleit, coffee liqueur, and a dash of orange bitters, finished with a flamed orange peel squeezed over the drink. It took off and, tangentially, put Bulleit bourbon — a rye-heavy whiskey — on the map.

In fact, many of the products Bulleit has produced — including its flagship rye — have been due to demand from bartenders. Bulleit reps have said that its initial flagship rye whiskey was created for bartenders interested in replicating cocktail culture from before Prohibition. Since high-rye bourbons are still different from rye whiskeys, the former maintaining a touch of corn sweetness, the industry's need for high-end rye whiskies have driven Bulleit to purse things like the 12-year American straight

In celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2017, Bulleit opened a new distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Its facility was designed with natural habitat protection and water conservation in mind. The facility boasts Shelbyville's first industrial solar array, with Bulleit doubling down on a commitment to be fully fueled by renewable energy by 2030. There's even an on-site organic garnish garden, built to be pollinator forward. 

In 2021, Bulleit's owner, Diageo, opened a carbon-neutral whiskey distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky. Bulleit was the first brand produced at the site, which supplemented its existing production at the Shelbyville location.

Bulleit has also made a pledge to raise awareness and help restore ecosystems in partnership with American Forests. As part of the initiative, Bulleit supported a program that plants trees in New York City and Houston. The brand surpassed its goal of planning one million trees across the U.S. — a whopping three years ahead of schedule. It preceded Bulleit's kick off of the first phase of the Don't Trash Glass program in Kentucky. The program, in collaboration with the Glass Packaging Institute and GlassKing Recovery and Recycling, entices bars, restaurants, and local businesses to participate in a glass-recycling program to collect used glass bottles and increase recycling. 

In a way, Bulleit has always been known for its rye. Even before the distillery launched its flagship Bulleit 95 Rye in 2011, its namesake bourbon had been garnering attention because of its high rye content. In fact, Bulleit Bourbon gets its bold flavor from a whole lot of rye. In all, 28% of the mash bill is rye (the remainder is 68% corn and 4% malted barley), which is the reason for its blend of spicy and sweet flavors. This recipe harkens back to Augustus Bulleit, the great-great-grandfather of the man who started the current iteration of Bulleit. Augustus started making bourbon in the 1830s.

As legend goes, Augustus used a high rye percentage to differentiate his product from others in the market. Business was going well through 1860, when he disappeared without a trace while transporting barrels of whiskey to New Orleans. Tom E. Bulleit Jr. then resurrected the family business in 1987. Despite the rye-forward character of the bourbon, it wasn't until nearly a quarter century later when the distillery started producing its own rye.