Witches’ Tree [High N’ Wicked]

Witches’ Tree honors the rebirth of rye—a spirit that found its zenith in the cocktail boom prior to Prohibition and then emerged a diminished shadow of itself as the whiskey industry consolidated post-Repeal. Now rye is again front and center on the American bar, a recovery driven in large part by the curiosity of American bartenders. Distinguished by a unique mash bill and a price point crafted with cocktails in mind, Witches’ Tree contributes to rye’s resilient story while penning a Kentucky legend all its own.

Launched in 2025, Witches’ Tree was developed by Altamar Brands, the savvy team behind High N’ Wicked whiskies. Consummate brand builders, Altamar created Witches’ Tree Kentucky Straight Rye with cocktailing at the heart of their mission. Through methodical blind-tasting of varying distillates at different proofs—both neat and in cocktails—the team and a panel of professionals composed of distillers, blenders, bartenders, sommeliers, and independent retailers, homed in on a rye tailor-made for intuitive yet sophisticated mixing. The final distillate is made at award-winning New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky, with a distinct mash bill that unabashedly declares its rye character (while creating further depth with a barley component of nice percent) and is bottled at a balanced ninety-six proof. The finishing touch? A name that recalls a Kentucky tale of rebirth allied to that of American rye.

According to legend, the Witches’ Tree in Old Louisville (Sixth Street and Park) was originally the meeting place for a coven of witches. This tree, a tall maple, apparently also caught the eye of the town council, if not for its reputation, then for its straightness. In the Spring of 1890, the council ordered the tree cut down and made into a maypole for an upcoming celebration.

Feeling they had been wronged, with their sacred gathering place reduced to a stump, the witches levelled a curse at the town of Louisville. Perhaps not coincidentally, eleven months to the day after the tree was cut down, a powerful storm tore through the city, causing widespread destruction and fatalities. As the storm swept away, a last lightning bolt struck the stump of the original tree. Not long afterwards, from these charred remains, a “new” Witches’ Tree miraculously began to grow.

Now old and gnarled, the second Witches’ Tree is a stop on local ghost tours, has its own Facebook page, and is decorated with trinkets from well-wishers and fellow travelers. Witches’ Tree Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey honors the old story, foregrounding rebirth as a crucial motif in the modern story of American rye whiskey.