Lost Lantern tells BourbonBlog.com they are releasing three different United States of Bourbon whiskeys, each a separate straight bourbon blend built from whiskey sourced from one distillery in every state — from Kentucky and Indiana to Alaska and Hawai‘i. The three releases are described below.
Yes, that really means 50 different bourbons in one bottle, with one whiskey representing each state.
The 100 Proof and Cask Strength releases share the same all-50-states blend, while the separate 1776 Edition draws bourbon only from distilleries in the 13 original states; we have included the full distillery lists for each at the bottom of this story.
The Vermont whiskey company says the collection is meant to show just how far American bourbon has traveled beyond its traditional home turf.
Lost Lantern calls United States of Bourbon the first bourbon project to source whiskey from all 50 states. But the story is not simply the number 50. It is that distilleries across the country now have mature bourbon, distinct regional character, and enough confidence in their whiskey to stand alongside some of America’s better-known producers.
Lost Lantern says the project took more than five years of travel, tasting, and barrel selection. Co-founders Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski personally visited and vetted the distilleries involved before Ganley-Roper created the final blends in Vermont.
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Lost Lantern’s Three Versions of United States of this Bourbon
United States of Bourbon 100 Proof: Suggested retail price is $79.99.
The 100-proof expression features the full 50-state blend, slow-proofed for a more approachable pour.
Lost Lantern describes notes of vanilla, wood spice, nutmeg, clove, dark chocolate, raspberry, and orange zest.
United States of Bourbon Cask Strength: Suggested retail price is $99.99.
The cask-strength version uses the same 50-state blend, bottled at its natural proof of 122.9. Lost Lantern notes a more concentrated profile of oak, spice, black raspberry, dark chocolate, and leather.
United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition: Suggested retail price of $199.99.
Created for America’s 250th anniversary, the limited 1776 Edition is built from bourbon sourced from the original 13 states. Bottled at 121.4 proof, it is limited to 1,776 hand-numbered bottles.
The standard 100-proof and cask-strength releases carry a two-year age statement, with components ranging from two to 10 years old. The 1776 Edition carries a four-year age statement, with whiskey ranging from four to eight years old.
Lost Lantern has made its name by putting a spotlight on independent American distillers. With United States of Bourbon, it is taking that mission from one state at a time to all 50 in a single blend.
Who Is Lost Lantern?
Lost Lantern is a Vermont-based independent bottler, not a distillery. Founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife team Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam “Apolon” Polonski, the company searches for standout American whiskey, selects barrels and builds blends, then bottles them under the Lost Lantern name while clearly identifying the distilleries behind the liquid.
Ganley-Roper, Lost Lantern’s General Manager and Head Blender, came from Astor Wines & Spirits in New York before moving into startup operations. Polonski, the company’s “Whiskey Cask Hunter,” previously served as a Senior Whisky Specialist at Whisky Advocate and now leads distillery relationships and barrel sourcing.
Before Lost Lantern’s first bottles arrived in 2020, the pair spent eight months traveling the country and visiting more than 100 distilleries. That road-trip mentality still defines the company: Lost Lantern says it only works with distilleries that Nora or Adam have visited in person.
Its previous releases have included whiskeys from New York Distilling Co., Ironroot Republic, Cedar Ridge, Santa Fe Spirits, New Riff, Starlight Distillery, Balcones, Frey Ranch and many others. Those bottlings have ranged from New York rye and Texas bourbon to Iowa bourbon, New Mexico single malt, single-cask releases and the recurring Far-Flung Bourbon blend series.
Lost Lantern also operates a tasting room at 11 Main Street in Vergennes, Vermont, where visitors can taste rotating flights, current releases and many older library bottles that have long since sold out elsewhere.
That background matters here. United States of Bourbon is not Lost Lantern’s first bourbon; it is its boldest blend yet, taking the company’s long-running mission of spotlighting independent American distillers and extending it across all 50 states.
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The 50-State Blend: United States of Bourbon 100 Proof and Cask Strength
Lost Lantern’s United States of Bourbon 100 Proof and Cask Strength releases are two different proofs of the same 50-state blend, not two separate distillery lineups. Both bring together one bourbon from one distillery in every state; the 100 Proof edition is slow-proofed to 100 proof, while Cask Strength is bottled at 122.9 proof.
Rather than repeat the same roster twice, this list applies to both releases:
- Alabama — Dread River Distilling Co. — Birmingham
- Alaska — Denali Spirits — Talkeetna
- Arizona — SanTan Distilling — Chandler
- Arkansas — Rock Town Distillery — Little Rock
- California — Corbin Cash Distillery — Atwater
- Colorado — Boulder Spirits — Boulder
- Connecticut — Litchfield Distillery — Litchfield
- Delaware — Painted Stave Distilling — Smyrna
- Florida — St. Augustine Distillery — St. Augustine
- Georgia — ASW Fiddler Distillery — Atlanta
- Hawai‘i — Ko‘olau Distillery — Kailua
- Idaho — Day’s Defile — Shelley
- Illinois — Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. — DeKalb
- Indiana — Starlight Distillery — Borden
- Iowa — Cedar Ridge Distillery — Swisher
- Kansas — Union Horse Distilling Co. — Lenexa
- Kentucky — New Riff Distilling — Newport
- Louisiana — Distillerie Acadian — New Iberia
- Maine — Hardshore Distilling Co. — Portland
- Maryland — Baltimore Spirits Co. — Baltimore
- Massachusetts — Triple Eight Distillery — Nantucket
- Michigan — New Holland Distilling Co. — Holland
- Minnesota — Far North Spirits — Hallock
- Mississippi — Rich Grain Distilling — Canton
- Missouri — J. Rieger & Co. — Kansas City
- Montana — Montgomery Distillery — Missoula
- Nebraska — Brickway Distillery — Omaha
- Nevada — Frey Ranch Distillery — Fallon
- New Hampshire — Cathedral Ledge Distillery — North Conway
- New Jersey — Sourland Mountain Spirits — Hopewell
- New Mexico — Safe House Distilling — Albuquerque
- New York — Kings County Distillery — Brooklyn
- North Carolina — Broad Branch Distillery — Winston-Salem
- North Dakota — Proof Artisan Distillers — Fargo
- Ohio — Tom’s Foolery Distillery — Burton
- Oklahoma — Hochatown Distilling — Hochatown / Broken Bow
- Oregon — Oregon Spirit Distillers — Bend
- Pennsylvania — Liberty Pole Spirits — Washington
- Rhode Island — South County Distillers — Westerly
- South Carolina — High Wire Distilling Co. — Charleston
- South Dakota — BlackFork Farms — Brandt
- Tennessee — Leiper’s Fork Distillery — Franklin
- Texas — Balcones Distilling — Waco
- Utah — High West Distillery — Wanship
- Vermont — Stonecutter Spirits — Middlebury
- Virginia — Reservoir Distillery — Richmond
- Washington — Woodinville Whiskey Co. — Woodinville
- West Virginia — Smooth Ambler Spirits — Maxwelton
- Wisconsin — Wollersheim Distillery — Prairie du Sac
- Wyoming — Backwards Distilling Co. — Mills
The 13-State Blend: United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition
United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition is a different whiskey altogether. Instead of using the full 50-state blend, it draws bourbon only from distilleries in the 13 original states. The one-time release is bottled at 121.4 proof and limited to 1,776 bottles.
- Connecticut — Litchfield Distillery — Litchfield
- Delaware — Painted Stave Distilling — Smyrna
- Georgia — ASW Fiddler Distillery — Atlanta
- Maryland — Baltimore Spirits Co. — Baltimore
- Massachusetts — Triple Eight Distillery — Nantucket
- New Hampshire — Cathedral Ledge Distillery — North Conway
- New Jersey — Sourland Mountain Spirits — Hopewell
- New York — Kings County Distillery — Brooklyn
- North Carolina — Broad Branch Distillery — Winston-Salem
- Pennsylvania — Liberty Pole Spirits — Washington
- Rhode Island — South County Distillers — Westerly
- South Carolina — High Wire Distilling Co. — Charleston
- Virginia — Reservoir Distillery — Richmond
Location note: Cities identify the source-distillery or production location associated with the whiskey. Rich Grain is listed as Canton because that is where the included bourbon originated, although the Mississippi distillery closed in 2020.
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