Award-winning independent bottler Lost Lantern has announced the launch of the United States of Bourbon, which it calls the first-ever blend of bourbon from all 50 states and the widest-ranging American whiskey ever created. The inaugural release, debuting on June 15, includes three expressions: a 100 Proof bottling, a Cask Strength bottling, and a limited 1776 Edition created for America’s 250th anniversary.
The project has been in development for more than five years. Co-founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski traveled extensively across the country, visiting distilleries and tasting whiskey to identify a bourbon worthy of representing each state.
Every cask in the blend was hand-selected from distilleries personally visited and vetted by the founders.
What Will Whisky Look Like in 2027? Voices from Whisky Live Paris
READ THE STORYThe United States of Bourbon 100 Proof carries a suggested retail price of $79.99. The Cask Strength expression is priced at $99.99. The limited 1776 Edition, a one-time-only 13-state blend, is priced at $199.99.
In keeping with Lost Lantern’s commitment to full transparency, every component distillery is listed on each label.
“The United States of Bourbon has truly been years in the making and has been part of the vision for Lost Lantern since before we launched the company,” said Adam Polonski, co-founder and head of whiskey sourcing at Lost Lantern. “From the earliest stages of dreaming up Lost Lantern, we envisioned crafting a fifty-state blend to showcase the diversity and breadth of bourbon. Shortly after, in 2021, we began sourcing barrels specifically for this whiskey, work that continued through 2025. I have visited and vetted every distillery in this blend in person.”
Trending Content
The 100 Proof expression is bottled at 50% ABV, with 6,780 bottles produced. Components range from two to 10 years old. The Cask Strength version is bottled at 122.9 proof, with 3,300 bottles produced from the same age range.
The 1776 Edition is limited to just 1,776 hand-numbered bottles. It is bottled at 121.4 proof, with components ranging from four to eight years old. All three expressions are non-chill filtered with no color added, and all are blended in Vermont.
“This is certainly the most ambitious whiskey Lost Lantern has ever made,” said Nora Ganley-Roper, co-founder and head blender at Lost Lantern. “But it has also always had true clarity of vision. I blended this to give a bird’s-eye view of bourbon from across the country. This whiskey provides a snapshot of the complexity and current landscape of bourbon.”
The blend includes bourbons aged in coastal climates influenced by salty sea air, estate whiskey from family-run grain-to-glass distilleries, bourbon from states with generations of moonshining traditions, and whiskey from some of the country’s newest producers.
Official tasting notes from the brand describe the 100 Proof expression as offering warm vanilla and wood spice on the nose, with hints of nutmeg and clove, followed by chocolate, raspberry, and orange zest on the palate. The Cask Strength expression is described as showing rich wood spice and vanilla on the nose, with oak, black raspberry, dark chocolate, and leather on the palate. The 1776 Edition is described as warm, complex, and spicy, with orange zest, dark chocolate, and walnut on the nose, and fruit, spice, fresh-baked bread, and leather on the palate, leading to a long, spicy finish.
Lost Lantern, based in Vergennes, Vermont, has built its reputation as an independent bottler focused on sourcing and blending American whiskey from craft distilleries nationwide. The company’s model of visiting and vetting every distillery it works with has positioned it as a curator of the broader American whiskey landscape.
The 100 Proof and Cask Strength expressions are intended as recurring releases. The 1776 Edition will not be repeated.
