Blending whiskey from different distilleries is old hat in Scotland, where independent bottlers have spent over a century buying up casks and mixing them under their own labels. But in American whiskey? It’s practically unheard of.
So when Vermont’s Lost Lantern says it took bourbon from all 50 states and folded it into a single blend, the reasonable reaction is to assume a marketing department cooked it up. But, it didn’t.
The Long Way Around
Co-founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski floated the 50-state idea back when Lost Lantern was barely an idea itself, around 2018. The catch: half the states didn’t yet have distilleries making bourbon old enough to legally bottle.
Over the years, however, that changed. Polonski spent five years crisscrossing the country, personally visiting and vetting every distillery that made the cut. Sometimes, he’d even taste several contenders per state before settling on one. North Dakota and Hawaii each came down to a single qualifying producer, so just a single “no” would have sunk the whole project.
Salt, Pepper, and 50 Barrels
Head blender Ganley-Roper took a methodical approach to the concoction. She started with the subtle, easygoing bourbons as a base. From there, she reached for the louder, more assertive pours. The goal was just enough to sharpen the whole without any single state hogging the glass.
The largest component, Iowa’s Cedar Ridge, accounts for just 14.4 percent of the blend. So no one distillery gets to define what “American bourbon” tastes like here. Coastal whiskeys aged in salty air sit beside Great Plains pours and grain-to-glass farm distillate.
Pick Your Patriotism
There are 3 different options to choose from. The flagship 100 Proof is the approachable one. It’s slow-proofed for warm vanilla and nutmeg up front, then dark chocolate, raspberry, and orange zest.
The Cask Strength runs the same blend at a punchier 122.9 proof. It leans harder into oak, black raspberry, and leather.
Then there’s the 1776 Edition, which considering the occasion, is the showpiece. Bottled at cask strength using only the original 13 colonies and capped at 1,776 numbered bottles, it’s the one that actually ties the release to the 250th.
Spec Sheet
Whiskey: Lost Lantern United States of Bourbon
Type: Blended Straight Bourbon (50-state blend)
Bottler: Lost Lantern, independent bottler (Vergennes, VT)
100 Proof: 50% ABV, 6,780 bottles, $79.99
Cask Strength: 61.45% ABV (122.9 proof), 3,300 bottles, $99.99
1776 Edition: 60.7% ABV (121.4 proof), 13-state blend, 1,776 bottles, $199.99
Age Statement: 2 years (50-state); 4 years (1776); components up to 10 years
Tasting Notes (100 Proof): Vanilla, nutmeg, clove; dark chocolate, raspberry, orange zest
Other: Non-chill filtered, no color added
Pricing & Availability
All three expressions are available now through LostLanternWhiskey.com and Seelbachs.com, plus select retailers in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. The 100 Proof runs $79.99, the Cask Strength $99.99, and the one-and-done 1776 Edition $199.99.
Recap
Lost Lantern United States of Bourbon
Lost Lantern blended straight bourbon from all 50 states into a single bottle, a first for American whiskey, timed to the country’s 250th birthday.
