Chicken Cock 20 Year Old Cotton Club Rye Whiskey
Chicken Cock 20 Year Old Cotton Club Rye Whiskey is a 100-proof (50% ABV) Canadian-distilled rye aged 20 years in used bourbon barrels — an exceptionally rare age statement for rye, released December 2021 by Grain & Barrel Spirits as a tribute to the legendary Cotton Club of Harlem, where Chicken Cock was the featured house whiskey during Duke Ellington's formative residency. The 90% rye / 10% malted barley mash bill arrives in a Prohibition-era replica apothecary-style bottle inside a commemorative collectible tin modeled on the original tin cans used to smuggle whiskey across the border. Strictly limited: 1,595 six-pack cases (about 9,570 bottles worldwide). It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 50% (100 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 20 years, used bourbon barrels
- Origin: distilled in Canada (90% rye / 10% malted barley); brand founded Paris, Kentucky, 1856
- Production: Grain & Barrel Spirits; released December 2021; 1,595 six-pack cases; replica apothecary bottle in smuggler-tin packaging
The Whiskey in a Tin Can, Twenty Years Later
During Prohibition, Chicken Cock moved production to Canada and the rye was smuggled back into the United States hidden in tin cans — "the whiskey in a tin can." A century later, the brand's revival leans all the way into that legend: the Cotton Club tribute edition pairs a genuinely ancient 20-year Canadian rye — rich aromas of toasted oak, dark caramel, aged leather, and baking spice with hints of dried fruit; bold yet refined flavors of vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and dark chocolate balanced by rye spice; an exceptionally long finish of warming spice, sweet oak, tobacco, and molasses — with packaging that re-creates the smuggler's tin. Compare it with the rest of the Chicken Cock range and our rye whiskey collection.
Tasting Notes
Aroma: toasted oak, dark caramel, aged leather, baking spice, hints of dried fruit. Palate: bold yet refined — vanilla, clove, cinnamon, dark chocolate balanced by rye spice. Finish: exceptionally long, with warming spice, sweet oak, tobacco, and molasses.
How to Enjoy
Neat — twenty years in wood is the whole point. A collector's Manhattan is the only cocktail that does it justice; the tin belongs on the shelf afterward. For more Prohibition-era bottles, browse our whisky collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chicken Cock 20 Year distilled?
In Canada — consistent with the brand's Prohibition-era Canadian heritage; the brand itself was founded in Paris, Kentucky in 1856.
What is the Cotton Club connection?
Chicken Cock was the featured house whiskey at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club (142nd & Lenox) during Duke Ellington's residency; this release is a tribute to that era.
How many bottles were made?
1,595 six-pack cases — about 9,570 bottles worldwide.
Twenty years old, in a smuggler's tin — order Chicken Cock Cotton Club Rye online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.