Distillery
Rebel
Rebel's wheated bourbon recipe traces back to 1849. That's when William Larue Weller began using wheat instead of rye in Kentucky mash bills for a softer style. That approach helped build Stitzel-Weller in Kentucky. In the 1930s a batch of it became Rebel Yell, sold only in the American South for decades. Today Rebel is distilled and aged at Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky, which opened in 2018. Wheat replaces rye in the mash, trading spice for the honey and butter sweetness the brand is known for. It is the same structural choice used by Maker's Mark and Pappy Van Winkle, though the exact ratios differ. One story sticks with fans. Musician Billy Idol has said his 1983 hit 'Rebel Yell' took its title from the bourbon. He first tasted it at a party with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and Ron Wood. He liked the name enough to ask if they minded him borrowing it for a song title.
