Rosen Rye

Rosen rye, a variety of winter rye, was first developed by Joseph A. Rosen in mid-1910 right here in the United States. This distinctly American rye variation became a favorite of American distillers. However, the grain was soon “lost to time” and “forgotten” due to cross-contamination by more common varieties.

The team at Stoll & Wolfe distillery were determined to help revive this once highly regarded rye variation and bring it back to the Lancaster region. In 2015, Laura Fields of the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation and Greg Roth of Penn State’s Agricultural Extension began the project be planting 5 ounces of seed sourced from the USDA.

Four years of replanting each year’s harvest produced over 6,000 pounds of seed with enough Rosen Rye remaining to distill one barrel of whiskey. This led to the incredible opportunity for Stoll & Wolfe to revive the art of distilling Rosen Rye.

In 2019, Master Distiller Dick Stoll became the first person to distill Rosen Rye Whiskey in nearly 50 years. The reunion was fitting as Dick Stoll was also the last distiller to run Rosen during his time at the Historic Pennsylvania Michter’s Distillery.

On September 7, 2019, Dick Stoll and Erike Wolfe ran what became the first batch of Keyston Rosen Rye whiskey to be made in the United States in almost 50 years. The final product would not finish aging until 2 years later.

In 2020, the expansion of planting efforts was rapidly progressed by the partnership of our cousins Wes, Eric, and Craig Kline of Kline Family Farm, located 2 miles from our distillery. Our shared 7x Great Grandfather William Kline started the farm in 1741 and the land continues to be farmed by the family to this day. Rosen Rye is grown on a dedicated section of the property as part of the roughly 50 acres of Rosen Rye Planted in Pennsylvania as of 2021.

Unfortunately, Dick Stoll passed away prior to the final product being released. The craft and dedication to reviving this whiskey is in solemn rembrerance of Stoll and his contributions to both Stoll & Wolfe and the art of distilling.

Proceeds from the original sale of Keystone Rosen Rye went to both the non-profit who began the original revival efforts, SeedSpark Project, and farming partner, Kline Family Farm. Stoll & Wolfe plan to make Keystone Rosen Rye a core product offered by the distillery.