Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company was organized in 2013, by Diageo, the world’s largest spirits company. Its purpose was to provide a means for commercializing a large stock of several thousand barrels of ultra-aged American whiskeys that had been maturing at the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Shively, Kentucky.
Although Orphan Barrel, as a company, is relatively young, its whiskeys have deep roots in the storied and convoluted history of American whiskey.
In announcing the new company, Diageo described it as “an endeavor to rescue long forgotten barrels of rare and delicious whiskey and share them with others…we like to think the project is founded in dark, quiet corners of rick houses around the world where artisanal whiskeys were forgotten, just waiting to be discovered.” Read more here, from Forbes.com