Chicken Cock Whiskey Celebrates 170th Anniversary with Limited Edition Rooster Decanter & Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Releases

BARDSTOWN, Ky., Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Cock Whiskey, one of America's oldest whiskey brands established in 1856, celebrates their 170th Anniversary with a 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter and 170th Anniversary Edition Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Both releases will debut at Kentucky Bourbon Festival from September 10 - 13, 2026.

The 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter (SRP $199.99) celebrates the iconic rooster that has stood proudly at the heart of Chicken Cock Whiskey since its earliest days. This limited-edition ceramic decanter is filled with 8-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey at 115 proof. For 170 years, the rooster has been Chicken Cock Whiskey's unmistakable mark, a symbol rooted in founder James A. Miller's life as a Bourbon County farmer and carried through generations of advertising, labels, and lore.

From the simple rooster icons of the 1850s to the richly painted label art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the bird became more than branding. It stood for defiance, pride, craftsmanship, and whiskey made with conviction. Now, for the first time in Chicken Cock history, the rooster takes form as a collectible ceramic decanter. Filled with a hand-selected blend of our award-winning Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this limited edition release is untamed, and built to stand proud.

The 170th Anniversary Edition Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon (SRP: $99.99) marks the return of a name absent from the bottle for more than 100 years. James A. Miller, the Bourbon County farmer and distiller who founded Chicken Cock Whiskey in Paris, Kentucky in 1856. This bottle celebrates a legacy started by this innovative farmer from Bourbon County that endures nearly two centuries later.

Miller's distilling roots reach back at least 187 years. After his passing in 1860, G.G. White kept his name alive across Chicken Cock bottles and advertising. That name disappeared during the Prohibition era, until now. This release raises a glass to the founder, the original old brand, and 170 years of whiskey history still worth crowing about.

"170 years is a milestone few whiskey brands ever reach, and we're celebrating it in true Chicken Cock fashion. At Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2026, we'll debut two limited releases that honor where we came from while raising a glass to where we're headed," says Chicken Cock Whiskey's Manager of Brand Engagement, Will Woodington.

"The Legacy Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon brings founder James A. Miller's name back on a Chicken Cock bottle for the first time in over a century, paired with authentic pre-Prohibition advertising imagery, bottled inside our timeless Prohibition-era medicinal-style packaging. Inside is a select blend of our bourbon, aged at least 6 years, and bottled at 115 proof; a fitting tribute to our past and the farmer who started it all.

The second, our first-ever Ceramic Rooster Decanter, brings the iconic symbol of Chicken Cock's 170-year history to life; and this rooster is not all crow and no claw. Inside this highly limited release is a blend of some of the earliest bourbon we laid down in Bardstown over 8 years ago, bottled at 115 proof. Two unforgettable releases. One extraordinary milestone. We hope to see you at Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2026, where we will be unveiling these and more!"

The Chicken Cock 170th Anniversary Limited Edition Rooster Decanter and 170th Anniversary Edition Legacy Kentucky Straight Bourbon are available at fine retailers nationwide and via the Chicken Cock Whiskey online shop. For more information, please visit ChickenCockWhiskey.com.

About Chicken Cock Whiskey

Founded in 1856 by James A. Miller in Paris, Kentucky, Chicken Cock Whiskey has a legacy rooted in one of the earliest commercial bourbon operations in the Commonwealth. What began with Miller's first venture—J.A. Miller's Old Bourbon in the late 1830s—grew into a nationally recognized whiskey that became the first from Bourbon County to ship internationally. Over the decades, Chicken Cock Whiskey gained prominence in Old West saloons, Gilded Age social clubs, and Harlem's famed Cotton Club during Prohibition.

In 2012, Matti Anttila, CEO of Grain & Barrel Spirits, revived the historic brand, restoring its reputation for quality and authenticity. Today, Chicken Cock Whiskey has re-established its authority in American Whiskey, celebrated for its award-winning Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Kentucky Straight Rye, as well as a roster of highly sought-after limited releases.

In 2024, Chicken Cock Whiskey opened its first brand home, Circa 1856 Bardstown, an immersive visitor experience housed in one of the oldest residences in the "Bourbon Capital of the World." Building on that momentum, the brand has expanded its presence in 2025 with the opening of Circa 1856 Louisville—a tasting room and speakeasy in Louisville's NuLu neighborhood—further deepening its connection to Kentucky's whiskey heritage and offering fans a second destination to explore the world of Chicken Cock Whiskey.

For more information, visit chickencockwhiskey.com. 

About Next Century Spirits

Next Century Spirits (NCS), headquartered in Zebulon, North Carolina, is a full-service distilled spirits and marketing company specializing in the development of spirits for its owned brands, private-label clients, and bulk supply. The NCS portfolio includes Nue Vodka, Blue Chair Bay Rum, Pocho Fino Tequila, Bear Fight Whiskey, Numbskull—a cool mint and chocolate-flavored whiskey—Creek Water American Whiskey, Caddy Cocktails, Calamity Gin, and Henderson Whiskey. NCS-owned brands have earned more than 35 gold medals in industry competitions, and the company has been named North Carolina Distillery of the Year for three consecutive years by the New York International Spirits Competition.

For more information, visit nextcenturyspirits.com.

Media Contact:
Collin Smith
Colangelo & Partners
[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Cock Whiskey