When Herman Mihalich founded Dad’s Hat in 2011, he wasn’t just starting a distillery—he was reviving America’s original whiskey tradition. After two decades in the chemical and fragrance industries, Mihalich returned to his roots in Pennsylvania with a vision: to restore the legacy of Pennsylvania rye whiskey, a style that once defined American spirits.
Though Kentucky is often associated with bourbon, Pennsylvania was where whiskey in America began. In the 1600s, settlers from central Europe brought their rye grain knowledge to the northeastern colonies. For centuries, Pennsylvania rye dominated taverns and cocktail menus, with names like Old Overholt and Michter’s becoming household staples—brands that originated in Pennsylvania but eventually left the state during the a shift in tastes and trends in the 20th century.
“Before bourbon, there was rye,” Mihalich says. “And before Kentucky, there was Pennsylvania.”
“My Grandpap enjoyed a dram of rye before dinner every day”
For Mihalich, the story isn’t just historical—it’s personal. His grandfather, Matt Mihalich, lived just miles from the once-massive Gibsonton Mills Distillery and ran a family-owned speakeasy during Prohibition. Rye whiskey was always part of the family tradition. “I remember being the one to bring him his ‘medicine’,” Mihalich recalls, smiling. “He lived to be 95.”
As the whiskey industry consolidated and Prohibition ended, Pennsylvania rye faded from shelves. By the 1990s, no distilleries in the state were producing it. But when Mihalich read a New York Times article forecasting a rye resurgence, something clicked. He teamed up with longtime friend John Cooper to reimagine what a revival might look like.
With a background in chemical engineering and a reverence for history, Mihalich reverse-engineered the classic Pennsylvania rye flavor. Together, he and Cooper secured funding from old friends, built the distillery from scratch, and launched Dad’s Hat.
“We make the kind of whiskey my Grandpap drank”
True to its roots, Dad’s Hat uses only rye grain and malted barley—no corn, unlike bourbon. This creates a dry, spicy character reminiscent of 19th-century whiskey. “We weren’t interested in chasing trends,” Mihalich explains. “We wanted to make the kind of whiskey my Grandpap drank.”
Their commitment paid off. Just six years after launching, Dad’s Hat earned Whisky Advocate’s Craft Whiskey of the Year in 2017. Since then, it has racked up further accolades and gone toe-to-toe with heritage brands in blind tastings. The success is no accident, says Cooper: “It’s the result of a lot of patience—and a lot of whiskey tasting.”
Today, Dad’s Hat is more than a craft brand. It’s a symbol of a reborn category. Its success has even influenced industry giants. Suntory Global Spirits recently relaunched a traditional rye-based version of Old Overholt, returning to the classic no-corn recipe. “We’re thrilled to see the style come back,” says Mihalich. “It validates what we’ve been working toward for over a decade.”
“New global markets are just the beginning”
With rising global interest, Dad’s Hat is expanding beyond the U.S. Mihalich and Cooper recently partnered with LaLa Wine to distribute in Vietnam and Singapore—two markets where appreciation for premium whiskey is accelerating fast.
“People everywhere are looking for craftsmanship and heritage,” Cooper says. “It’s exciting to share this piece of American history with a new generation of whiskey lovers.”
For Dad’s Hat, the mission has never changed: preserve authenticity, celebrate tradition, and pour a whiskey that tells a story. In doing so, they’ve reignited a legacy that nearly vanished—and reminded the world where American whiskey truly began.
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