Ross & Squibb Distillery

Ross & Squibb Distillery sits on the banks of Tanner's Creek in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, built into the levy off the Ohio River. This is the source of some of American whiskey's most consequential rye, drawing on limestone-filtered water from the Great Miami Aquifer that naturally runs low in sulfur and iron, a quiet advantage that shows up directly in the glass.

History & Heritage

The distilling ground beneath Ross & Squibb dates to 1809, when Isaac Dunn and Stephen Ludlow first established a distillery on the site. What is considered the beginning of the continuous operation that became today's distillery came in 1847, when George Ross built the Rossville Distillery. W.P. Squibb & Co. opened nearby in 1869, near the old Dunn & Ludlow ground, giving the site its second namesake.

The distillery's twentieth century reads like a history of American whiskey itself. In 1921, in the thick of Prohibition, George Remus purchased the W.P. Squibb & Co. Distillery, operating under a medicinal-whiskey permit while running one of the era's largest bootlegging operations, the exploits that later earned him the nickname "King of the Bootleggers" and inspired the George Remus bourbon line still made here. Seagrams purchased the Rossville Distillery in 1933 as Prohibition ended, and the site later became the property of Pernod Ricard. In 2007, Pernod Ricard sold the distillery to CL Financial, which renamed it Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI). MGP Ingredients purchased the distillery in 2011.

The Ross & Squibb name itself is recent. MGP Ingredients completed its acquisition of Luxco in April 2021, and that September the branded spirits side of the Lawrenceburg operation was renamed Ross & Squibb Distillery, reaching back to the 1847 and 1869 roots for its identity. The bulk spirits side of the same physical plant continues to operate separately as MGPI of Indiana, LLC. As of July 2026, Ross & Squibb Distillery is owned by MGP Ingredients, Inc.

The Whiskey

Ross & Squibb is best known in the trade for rye, and its 95% rye mash bill has become a foundational recipe used not just for the distillery's own brands but licensed out to many other whiskey labels across the industry. Since expanding its mash bill lineup in April 2013, the distillery now runs seven distinct recipes across rye, malt, wheat, and bourbon whiskey.

The house brands draw on that range deliberately. George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and the annual Remus Repeal Reserve series use bourbon-forward mash bills, including a 21% rye recipe and a 36% rye bourbon recipe; the Remus Highest Rye expression runs 51% corn, 39% rye, and 10% malted barley. Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey, the distillery's flagship rye, and its Barrel Proof expression draw on two mash bills: the house 95% rye, 5% malted barley recipe, and a lower-proof 45% corn, 51% rye, 4% malted barley blend. Every whiskey ages in new charred American white oak barrels, and select releases, including Remus Repeal Reserve Series IX, are bottled non-chill filtered to preserve body and natural oils. Ian Stirsman serves as Master Distiller across all Ross & Squibb brands.

Why It Matters

Few working distilleries have shaped American rye whiskey as broadly as this one. The 95% rye recipe distilled here underpins a large share of the craft and independent rye labels on shelves nationally, making Ross & Squibb one of the most influential, if least visible, names in the category. Its own brands have earned recognition to match: George Remus Repeal Reserve Bourbon Series IX scored 94 points from Whiskey Advocate, and Rossville Union's straight rye and Barrel Proof rye each scored 90 points from a tasting panel. The George Remus name also carries genuine historical weight, tracing directly back to the Prohibition-era bootlegger whose exploits at this site are now part of American whiskey lore.

The Sentinel Room carries expressions from Ross & Squibb Distillery, including George Remus Repeal Reserve Bourbon Series IX and Remus Gatsby Reserve Limited Edition, for those who appreciate good whiskey and want to taste both sides of the distillery's range, its Prohibition-rooted bourbon and its industry-defining rye.