A $49.99 Whiskey That Pays for School
Middle West Spirits, the Columbus, Ohio distillery that owns Old Elk, has announced a nationwide launch of Old Elk Folds of Honor Blended American Whiskey. The bottle supports Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to the spouses and children of service members and first responders who have been killed or disabled. It carries a suggested retail price of $49.99, is 94 proof according to press coverage, and is open for preorder.
The announcement came on October 20, 2026, and it follows the first releases Middle West Spirits put out after buying the Old Elk brand in May 2025.
What's in the Bottle
The whiskey is a blend of American whiskey, Old Elk High Malt Bourbon and Old Elk Rye. The release does not give the proportions or ages of the components, so how much comes from each remains unknown. Reported tasting notes describe toasted oak, subtle leather and a hint of vanilla on the nose. The palate shows sweet and tart cherry, warm baking spices and a touch of cherry vanilla.
Where to Buy
The release says the whiskey will be sold at the Middle West Spirits distillery bottle store in Columbus and online through the Old Elk bottle shop. The headline describes a nationwide launch, but the release does not list specific retailers or a shipping date beyond the preorder.
About Folds of Honor
Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of U.S. military service members and first responders who have died or been disabled in service. The scholarships can cover K-12 private school tuition or tutoring, college, technical or trade school, and graduate study. According to the press release, the organization has awarded more than 62,000 scholarships totaling about $290 million since its founding in 2007, across all 50 states. It says 45% of students served are minorities and that 91% of every dollar raised goes directly to scholarships.
Its mission statement is "honor their sacrifice; educate their legacy." The founder is Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, a former F-16 fighter pilot with three combat tours in Iraq and a PGA Professional. Luke Sherman, the organization's senior vice president of corporate development, said: "Being able to provide hope and support to these families is truly the ultimate reward for us as a team."
How the Partnership Works
The press release says the bottle supports the organization's mission, but it does not state how much of the purchase price goes to Folds of Honor. Buyers who care about the size of the donation should check with Old Elk before purchasing. Charity-linked spirits vary widely, from fixed per-bottle donations to a percentage of profits.
Middle West Spirits and Old Elk
Middle West Spirits is an independently owned Columbus, Ohio distillery that has operated since 2008, according to the release. It controls production in-house, from seed selection through grain processing, distilling, aging, blending and bottling, and it uses Ohio grains. Its brands include Middle West Bourbon, Rye and Wheat Whiskey, Bourbon Cream, Old Elk Bourbon Whiskey, OYO Vodka, Vim & Petal Gin and Lux & Umbra. It has won more than 200 awards, and visitors can go to the Courtland Avenue distillery, the Service Bar restaurant and the bottle shop.
Luis Gonzalez, the company's chief commercial officer, said: "Folds of Honor is an organization that is close to our hearts," and the company sees supporting American heroes as "a privilege and duty."
The Old Elk Acquisition
Middle West Spirits bought Old Elk in May 2025. Old Elk is a Fort Collins, Colorado brand, and Whiskeypulse reported on its earlier changes, including a rebrand of its flagship whiskey as Old Elk Slow Cut in 2025. Its first major releases after the acquisition were a collection of three 10-year age-stated whiskeys priced at $69.99 each, which Whiskeypulse covered in August 2026. The Folds of Honor bottle is a different kind of product: a blended whiskey at a lower price, built around a cause.
The Story of Old Elk
Old Elk has an unusual backstory for a bourbon brand. Most sources say the distillery was founded in 2013 in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Curt Richardson, the entrepreneur behind OtterBox, though one venue listing dates the start to 2014. In 2016, Greg Metze joined as master distiller, bringing 40 years of experience in the whiskey industry. Before that he had worked at MGP, the Indiana producer, and left in 2016 to move into bourbon consulting.
Changing Hands
In May 2025, Middle West Spirits acquired Old Elk Distillery and its assets. The Spirits Business reported the deal at the time, and Forbes later wrote about new owners, new facilities and a new chapter for the brand. The arrangement pairs Old Elk's blended and high-malt bourbons with the production capacity of a Columbus, Ohio distillery that controls its operation from grain to bottle.
The earlier launch under the new owners was a collection of three 10-year age-stated whiskeys at $69.99 each. The Folds of Honor release sits at a lower price and a different position. It uses Old Elk's own bourbon and rye in a blend that is meant to be bought for the cause as much as for the whiskey.
Where the Blend Fits in Old Elk's Lineup
The three components named in the release show the range Old Elk works in. Old Elk High Malt Bourbon is built on a higher proportion of malted barley than many bourbons, which gives the whiskey a distinct grain character. Old Elk Rye is the brand's rye expression. Adding "American whiskey" as a third component suggests that some of the blend comes from sources beyond those two named bottlings, though the announcement does not say how much or from where. The 94-proof strength reported in coverage places the whiskey above the 80-proof minimum and in the range of many everyday bourbons.
Charity whiskeys often face a question about quality, because the label does much of the selling. Here, the flavor notes in the release, with toasted oak, leather, vanilla, cherry and baking spice, describe a conventional bourbon profile, and the use of the distillery's own bourbon and rye gives the blend a base of identifiable ingredients.
A Pattern in Whiskey and Military Support
Whiskey brands have a long history of tying products to military and first-responder causes, and the format is familiar. Such bottles usually trade on the story as much as the liquid. What is different here is that the producer is making a blend using its own bourbon and rye, which means buyers get a product with a connection to a specific distillery, not a sourced whiskey with a patriotic label.
Is It Worth Buying?
At $49.99, the whiskey sits in the mid-range for a blended American whiskey, and above the price of many mainstream bourbons. The justifications are the use of the distillery's own high malt bourbon and rye and the charitable connection. The notes point to a fruit-forward, lightly spiced whiskey that would suit neat sipping or a cherry-forward cocktail. As with any charity bottle, the decision depends on whether you value the cause and the story alongside the flavor.
For readers who want to compare, the 10-year whiskeys offer a more age-forward take on the distillery's work, at a higher price. For people who simply want to support the scholarship program, a direct donation to Folds of Honor sends the whole amount. The bottle is for those who like the idea of doing both.
