Old Commonwealth

Old Commonwealth occupies one of the strangest and most storied addresses in Kentucky whiskey: a distillery site on Glensboro Road in Lawrenceburg that has been silent, revived, silent again, and revived once more across nearly a century and a half. What stands there today is not yet a working distillery. It is a brand under new ownership, sourcing exceptional barrels while it rebuilds the physical plant around it, and its 2024 relaunch has already drawn national attention for how directly it leans into that lineage rather than hiding it.

History & Heritage

The site dates to 1889, when S.O. Hackley founded the original Hoffman Distillery. By 1893 it had become the Hoffman and Hackley Distillery, and a year later, Hoffman Distilling Company. Prohibition-era economics caught up with it: the distillery shut down in 1912 following bankruptcy and sat dormant for decades.

The building's second act is the one whiskey people actually know. In 1983, Julian Van Winkle III, of the family behind the Pappy Van Winkle name, purchased the dormant Hoffman site and renamed it Commonwealth Distillery. Over the following two decades he bottled and launched numerous brands from the property, including the original Old Commonwealth 10 Year, first released in 1997. That early bottling was a 107-proof wheated bourbon widely believed to have been sourced from the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery, the same source associated with the Van Winkle family's most sought-after whiskeys. Production continued until 2002, when Van Winkle shut down Commonwealth Distillery after entering a partnership with Buffalo Trace.

The property then passed to Lou DeFino, a local sign maker, who held it until 2019, when it was purchased by a new group of investors: Zachary Joseph, Andrew English, and Troy LeBlanc. The new owners tweaked the name to Old Commonwealth, deliberately preserving the connection to the Van Winkle-era brand while signaling a fresh chapter. As of July 2026, Old Commonwealth is owned by Zachary Joseph, Andrew English, and Troy LeBlanc, who have spent the years since acquisition renovating the historic distillery building itself, with new rickhouses envisioned along the Salt River as part of the long-term plan to bring distilling back to the site.

The Whiskey

Old Commonwealth currently operates as a non-distilling producer, meaning it sources finished barrels rather than distilling its own liquid, a transitional status while the Lawrenceburg facility is restored. The first release under the revived brand, Old Commonwealth 10 Year Old Bourbon, arrived in late 2024 and made an immediate impression. That Kentucky straight bourbon carries a mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye, and 10% malted barley, bottled at a formidable 131.8 proof, and was sourced from Barton's. A subsequent Batch 3 release of the 10 Year expression was bottled at a more approachable 107 proof.

The brand also revived Kentucky Nectar, a double-barreled, cask-strength, wheated Kentucky straight bourbon finished in honey casks. Its mash bill runs 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley, and the base wheated bourbon is sourced from Wilderness Trail, a distillery well regarded among those who appreciate good whiskey for its wheated mash bills. The Spring 2026 release of Kentucky Nectar continues that line.

Rounding out the current portfolio is Old Commonwealth Red Top Rye, a 7-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey built from a 100% rye mash bill and bottled at 105 proof. The name comes from its position at the top of the rickhouse, where extended contact with extreme temperature swings and wood drives a more intense, spice-forward character. The company has also begun reviving older vintage labels tied to the site's history, including D.H. Cromwell 15 Year Bourbon and Colonel Randolph 16 Year.

Why It Matters

Old Commonwealth is a rare case of a brand explicitly reclaiming its own history rather than inventing one. The Van Winkle connection is real, documented, and central to why whiskey writers and collectors have paid close attention to the 2024 relaunch. Sourcing barrels from respected producers like Barton's and Wilderness Trail while restoring the original Lawrenceburg building gives the brand a credible bridge between its past and its stated ambition to distill on-site again. For The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library, Old Commonwealth represents both a piece of Kentucky distilling history and a genuinely well-sourced, high-proof modern lineup worth pouring for guests who want context along with their glass.

Visiting the Distillery

Old Commonwealth Distillery is currently undergoing renovations at its Lawrenceburg site, with a grand opening for exclusive tours and tastings expected in early to summer 2026. Planned visitor experiences include tastings of rare pours and cocktails on a patio overlooking the Salt River, along with a walk through vintage bottles and the site's bourbon history.