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When I spoke with J. Rieger & Co. co-founder Ryan Maybee for Episode 166 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast back in 2024, one of the major foci was just how much history is wrapped up in the modern distillery. The original J. Rieger & Co. was founded in Kansas City in 1887 and grew into one of the largest mail-order whiskey businesses in the country before Prohibition brought everything to a halt. Before 1919, Kansas City was one of - if not the - wettest cities in America, with people literally crossing the street from Kansas into Missouri to take advantage of the latter’s continued alcohol sales after Kansas’ early state Prohibition enactment.
Nearly a century later, Ryan and Andy Rieger, a direct descendant of founder Jacob Rieger, resurrected the brand in 2014. Their goal wasn't simply to put an old name on a new bottle, but to revive a distinctly Kansas City whiskey tradition, including the once-common practice of adding a small amount of sherry to American whiskey.
It’s not an official TTB category, and to my knowledge, nobody else is making it (certainly nobody at scale), leaving J. Rieger & Co. as both spear and lightning rod - if people like it, there’s a sole source provider, and if one doesn’t like it, there’s no one else to try in case it’s a producer-by-producer preference.
Anyway…the sherry-adding practice became central to Rieger's flagship Kansas City Whiskey, a blend of bourbon, rye, and light corn whiskey with a small addition of 15-year-old Oloroso sherry from Williams & Humbert in Jerez, Spain. As Ryan explained during our conversation, what began as a relatively straightforward relationship with the historic sherry producer eventually grew into something ambitious. Rieger became the first American distillery granted permission by the Spanish government to import sherry in bulk, and its relationship with Williams & Humbert ultimately led to the acquisition of ten remarkable Oloroso sherry botas, massive 500-liter casks ranging from 50 to 100 years old. Those casks became the foundation for Monogram's solera system, a one-of-a-kind setup integrating sherry and American whiskey.
For the 2026 edition, the fourth consecutive Monogram release built around this solera system, the components have been finishing in those historic sherry botas for between five and eleven years. The result is bottled at 100 proof, with an MSRP of $130, and represents another opportunity to see how Rieger's unusual experiment continues to evolve. When I reviewed the 2024 Monogram, I found the Oloroso influence particularly assertive, at times overwhelming the underlying whiskey. Two years later, I'm curious to see how the balance has developed, especially as more mature whiskey continues moving through the solera and the blending team gains another year's experience with these casks.
The 2026 J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey is currently listed for pre-order at $130 through J. Rieger & Co.'s official online shop, with direct shipping available where permitted by law. It's a limited annual release, and one of the more unusual expressions of American whiskey currently being produced. For those interested in revisiting the distillery's history and hearing Ryan explain the thinking behind its revival, my original 2024 interview and reviews are available here.
I see a clear development in this edition from the one I tried two years ago. While $130 might be steep, I feel it is counterbalanced by the uniqueness factor enough to be worth a flyer at least, and a trajectory that looks like it is only getting better.
Thank you to J. Rieger & Co. for the opportunity to taste this product. All opinions are my own.
J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey 2026
J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey 2026: Specs
Classification: Kansas City Style Whiskey
Producer: J. Rieger & Co. Distillery
Mash Bill: Undisclosed; 45% Kansas City Whiskey, 20% Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 30% Straight Rye Whiskey, 5% Light Corn Whiskey
Proof: 100º (50% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey 2026 Price: $130
J. Rieger & Co. Monogram Whiskey 2026: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark maple syrup. Medium syrupy rims and legs, large teardrops.
Nose: Strong oloroso, fruits red and redolent, toasted almonds, dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. Marzipan, gentle baking spices. No noticeable proof or oak. Cranberry sauce with orange zest.
Palate: Dark chocolate bourbon, a chocolate derby pie. Mild proof burn opens, as does roasted corn, buttery pie crust, drier red fruits and candied orange. Expired cinnamon sticks. Mouthfeel grows in piquancy on the tip and down the center of my tongue. Oily, moderately viscous, tart orange-cranberry reemerges. Dark chocolate turns semisweet.
Finish: Mint in the background, a sprig on a red wine sauce. Unctuous, while the underlying bourbon and light whiskey fully emerges. Light numbing and astringency carries dried fruit and semisweet chocolate to the end.
Overall: It took a few minutes for the underlying whiskey to emerge, a “complaint” I had when I first tried the Kansas City-style whiskey from J. Rieger. It’s delicious, but I struggled at first to find the whiskey rather than an overproof oloroso. That being said, once it did open up, the sherry ended up being much more balanced and rounded. The first sip will be super sherry-forward - allow it some time to open up and it will reward you.
Final Rating: 7.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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