HARRISBURG – The Senate today passed legislation sponsored by Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) with bipartisan support to designate rye whiskey as the official spirit of the commonwealth.
Senate Bill 1248 recognizes Pennsylvania’s historic role in shaping America’s whiskey tradition while celebrating the commonwealth’s thriving craft distilling industry and agricultural heritage.
“I am thankful for my friends Jim and Ellen Hough of Liberty Pole Spirits in Washington County, along with a coalition of Pennsylvania rye whiskey distillers, who originally brought this initiative to my attention,” Bartolotta said.
“It felt like we were on to something that was a no-brainer, but it’s great to see Harrisburg agree with us that something like this is important,” Jim Hough told Mike Jones of the Observer-Reporter. “This recognizes the role of agriculture and history. It’s such a unique opportunity we have to recognize that.”
From the late 18th century through the 1840s, Pennsylvania led the nation in whiskey production. Federal records and the 1810 Census of Manufactures confirm that Pennsylvania produced more whiskey than any other state. Rye was the primary grain, making it the style most closely linked to American whiskey in the nation’s early years.
The 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, the first major tax protest after the U.S. Constitution was adopted, occurred in the 46th Senatorial District and nearby areas. This uprising against the federal excise tax on distilled spirits was an early and significant test of federal authority, establishing western Pennsylvania’s lasting role in both whiskey history and the development of the American republic.
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.