Templeton Rye refers to rye whiskey originally made in Templeton, Iowa during the prohibition era as a way for farmers in the Carroll County area to supplement their income. Amber in color, it was considered to be of particularly high quality and was popular in Chicago, Omaha, and Kansas City speakeasies. It was said to be the mobster Al Capone’s drink of choice. More recently “Templeton Rye” has been introduced as a brand of whiskey that its producer claims is based on a prohibition-era recipe. Distribution outside of Iowa began in August 2007.

In fact, Templeton Rye brand whiskey is distilled and aged in Lawrenceburg Indiana by MGP of Indiana utilizing a recipe shared with other brands. It is combined with an “alcohol flavoring agent” from Clarendon Flavor Engineers, and finally bottled at an Iowa facility. Pursuant to a class action settlement announced in 2015, Templeton will add the words “distilled in Indiana” to the label and remove claims of “Prohibition Era Recipe” and “small batch.” The settlement also affords refunds to customers who bought Templeton Rye since 2006.