20 years. Red Wax. Distilled 1974. A.H. Hirsch Reserve 20 Year Old the oldest age-statement expression in the legendary Pennsylvania pot still rye program, aged five years longer than the celebrated 15 Year Gold Wax.

The A.H. Hirsch Reserve program drew from barrels commissioned by Adolph Hirsch at the Michter’s Pot Still Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania in 1974. While the 15 Year was bottled in 1990 as the primary expression, a portion of the barrels was held for additional aging to produce the 20 Year five more years of pot still rye maturation in the Pennsylvania climate producing the deepest expression of the Hirsch program.

At 20 years, this Pennsylvania pot still rye has achieved a level of maturity that no other American rye whiskey from a genuine pre-Prohibition-era copper pot still tradition has ever reached commercially. The red wax distinguishes this extended-age expression from the 15 Year’s gold and other color variants in the Hirsch lineup.

Specs

• Distillery: Michter’s Pot Still Distillery, Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania (closed 1989)
• Style: Pennsylvania Pot Still Rye Whiskey
• Distilled: 1974
• Age: 20 years
• Seal: Red Wax
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What distinguishes the 20 Year Red Wax from the 15 Year Gold Wax? Five additional years of pot still rye maturation the deepest aging expression in the Hirsch Reserve program. The red wax color identifies this extended-age variant. The 15 Year was the primary commercial release; the 20 Year represents the most patient barrels from the same 1974 distillation run.
• Why is Pennsylvania pot still rye historically distinct? Pennsylvania rye whiskey produced from high-rye mashes in copper pot stills was the dominant American whiskey tradition before Prohibition. The Michter’s Schaefferstown site traces distilling roots to before the American Revolution. The A.H. Hirsch Reserve is the last commercially bottled expression of this tradition.

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