The Rye That Changed Our Minds | Dad’s Hat Whiskey Review & Honest Reaction

Behind the Pour

Herman Mihalich is the founder of Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey, a Pennsylvania rye brand that launched during the pandemic and built its identity on something specific: the rye whiskey tradition that Pennsylvania owned for centuries before bourbon became the dominant American story. The 'Dad's Hat' name comes from the Homburg hat that men in Philadelphia used to wear, connecting the brand to a regional cultural history as clearly as it connects to a regional spirits history. Crystal and Roger were skeptics before this episode. By the end, they were not.

What You'll Discover

• Pennsylvania rye is different from other American ryes: The Monongahela rye tradition that produced American whiskey before bourbon took over used high-rye mash bills and production methods tied to specific western Pennsylvania growing conditions. Dad's Hat is a deliberate expression of that tradition.
• Herman Mihalich's pandemic founding story: Dad's Hat was built during a period when many businesses were closing. Herman's commitment to launching during the pandemic reflects both the resilience of craft spirits founders and the specific economics of a spirit category that ages in barrel — you start now, because the product will not be ready for years.
• What makes PA rye different in the glass: Crystal and Roger's honest reaction is the episode's most valuable segment. They came in with assumptions about rye and the episode changes them — the flavor profile, the spice integration, and the grain character distinguish Dad's Hat from mass-produced rye expressions they had tried before.
• A 50-minute conversation about rye whiskey: The full-length format gives Crystal and Roger space to ask the questions that shorter episodes cannot — founder motivations, production decisions, category education, and the role of a regional spirit in a national market.
• The TLC tasting experience: Herman joins Crystal and Roger for the pour, which means the tasting is a three-person conversation. The founder's own descriptions of the spirit provide context that a solo tasting cannot.

A Moment of Pourspective

Rye whiskey was the original American spirit. Pennsylvania owned it before Kentucky owned bourbon. If you have only tried rye as a cocktail ingredient, find a good bottle of PA rye and ask it what it actually is.

Explore the Conversation

The Dad's Hat episode is one of TLC's longer format conversations — 50 minutes with a founder who has a lot to say about a category that most American whiskey drinkers have not fully explored. Herman Mihalich's knowledge of Pennsylvania rye history gives the episode an educational weight that goes beyond tasting notes. Crystal and Roger's admission that they were changed by the episode — the 'rye that changed our minds' framing is not just a marketing title — gives it an authenticity that scripted episodes cannot replicate. They came with one set of expectations and left with another. The brand's pandemic origin adds a specific kind of credibility. Founders who launched during COVID, during supply chain disruptions, during the most uncertain period for hospitality and spirits in decades, made a different kind of commitment than founders who launched in bull market conditions. That story is worth telling.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Dad's Hat Rye? Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey is a craft rye whiskey produced in Bristol, Pennsylvania by Herman Mihalich and John Cooper. The brand launched in 2011 (pre-pandemic) and expanded during the craft rye revival.
• What is Pennsylvania Monongahela Rye? Monongahela rye is a historical American whiskey style produced in western Pennsylvania from high-rye mash bills. It predates bourbon as the dominant American whiskey style. Dad's Hat is one of the distilleries working to preserve and revive that tradition.
• Does Dad's Hat work in cocktails? Crystal and Roger discuss this — a good Pennsylvania rye works in cocktails and neat. The Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, and the Whiskey Sour all show different dimensions of rye character.
• Where can I find Dad's Hat? dadshatrye.com and spirits retailers in Pennsylvania and states with expanding distribution.

Episode at a Glance

• Guest: Herman Mihalich (founder, Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey)
• Hosts: Crystal and Roger
• Runtime: 50 minutes, 24 seconds
• Category: Whiskey
• Notable: Pennsylvania Monongahela rye tradition, pandemic-era brand, honest verdict from former rye skeptics