In 2000, a liquor retailer named Gordon Jackson won a barrel of 15-year-old bourbon from Julian Van Winkle (yes, that Van Winkle family) and decided to bottle and sell it under the name “Dirty Helen” Cromwell Bourbon. It was such a hit that it’s being rereleased twenty-five years later by Old Commonwealth Distillery.
D.H. Cromwell Bourbon
For those unaware, Helen Cromwell was born in 1886. She was a sex worker, madam, and owner of the infamous Sunflower Inn located in Milwaukee in the 20s and 40s, a bar that only served whiskey and nothing else. She was also known for her colorful, crude language, earning her the nickname “Dirty Helen”.
The first release of D.H. Cromwell consisted of only seventy-two bottles. The original 15-year-old wheated bourbon was priced at only $60 at the time but sells for over $18,000 today.
The newest release of D.H. Cromwell Bourbon was made with a 15-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon sourced from a heritage distiller. While the original whiskey was a wheated bourbon, the new release has a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.
The result is a 106-proof whiskey that, according to the brand, begins with a nose of vanilla beans, buttercream, candied orange zest, clove, allspice, licorice, stone fruit, cherry Fruit Roll-Up, dark chocolate, and leather. The palate is a mix of flavors, including vanilla cream, cherry pie, graham cracker crust, ginger snap cookies, and orange zest. The finish is lingering, warm, and ends with dark chocolate and cherries.
“We’re harkening back to earlier iterations of our facility, when all the attention was on blending and finishing elements,” Zachary Joseph, president of operations for Old Commonwealth, says.
“The process for D.H. Cromwell was to re-barrel the bourbon in new, charred oak barrels from Kelvin Cooperage for six months,” says Joseph, “giving it that fruity, red candy note we associate with vintage whiskey.”
Where can I buy it?
Old Commonwealth’s 2025 D.H. Cromwell 15 Year Bourbon will be available on its website beginning May 22 for the suggested retail price of $299.
