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A brand experience for Overholt Rye, built on the site of the brand's actual birthplace, highlighting its role in the history of both American whiskey and America itself.

Very few brands can boast the rich history of Overholt Rye Whiskey. The oldest continuously maintained American whiskey brand, Overholt, was founded in 1810 by Abraham Overholt in West Overton, Pennsylvania. In 1881, A weaver by trade, Abraham took over the management of the still-house where they made small batches of whiskey with grain grown on the Overholt farm. Abraham's grandson, the famous American industrialist Henry Clay Frick, took over the family business and used the proceeds to help fund his part in the revolution that transformed America from a union of disparate states into an industrialized nation.

Overholt isn't just an old whiskey—it's an integral part of American history, and it's time that history was recognized. In partnership with the West Overton Village and Museum and owner of the Overholt brand, Suntory, Tavern brought Overholt back to its birthplace and built the brand a new spiritual home where visitors can experience and enjoy its rich heritage.

A multi-use space, the Overholt stateroom was designed and built by Tavern within the West Overton Village Museum, which is housed in a historic building that was once an Overholt distillery. The Overholt stateroom was created to be a destination where whiskey enthusiasts and spirits industry professionals alike can experience the past, present, and future of the Overholt brand.

The room will be open to the public as part of the museum and will also be used by Suntory to host press events, Overholt product launches, special guests, and more. It features a custom, working bar for tastings of the brand's classic rye whiskey and future innovations, along with a welcoming lounge that invites guests to stay a while and immerse themselves in the brand.

Every inch of the space is meticulously decorated with reminders of the brand's rich heritage. The room is filled with vintage Overholt and West Overton ephemera, all sourced by Tavern from antique stores around Pennsylvania to lend storied authenticity to the experience. Custom blankets, designed by Tavern, replicate coverlets made by the Overholt family and complement the 1800s period-appropriate furniture that brings the space together, creating a sense of time and place.

Elements of Overholt branding tie the experience back to the brand's present. A mural of Abe's face adorns an exposed brick wall. The brand's colors, cream, black, and rye red, are subtly woven into the decor. The custom signage painted on the door was designed to echo the type in the Old Overholt wordmark and was entirely bespoke.

Visitors will also find a custom-built bar that mirrors similar models for the pre-Prohibition era and features tiny, hidden details like keystones to represent its Pennsylvania roots. Meanwhile, Vintage Overholt crates, decanters, company records, and other memorabilia tie the room together with authentically sourced vintage advertisements and a gorgeous glass case containing vintage Overholt bottles throughout the brand's history.

As Overholt looks to the future by returning to its roots, the Overholt Stateroom invites visitors of the West Overton Village and Museum to contemplate the brand's role in both American rye whiskey history and its future.