July 21, 2026

State Taps Bull Moose Marketing to Turn Pennsylvania’s 200+ Craft Distilleries into a Tourism Engine

New SpiritsofPA.com hub and nationwide brand campaign spotlights the distilling industry and Pennsylvania Rye — America’s original whiskey — as the Commonwealth’s next big visitor draw

Bull Moose Marketing, a Meadville-based destination marketing and tourism consulting firm, has been selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to lead Spirits of PA, a statewide brand and marketing initiative designed to position Pennsylvania as the distilled spirits capital of the East Coast. The agreement was signed in May 2026 and is funded under Act 57 of 2024, administered through the Pennsylvania Distilled Spirits Industry Promotion Board within the Department of Agriculture.

Since the contract was signed, the program has moved from planning into public launch. A new consumer-facing website, SpiritsofPA.com, along with accompanying social media channels, is now live — giving travelers, distillers, and tourism partners a single hub to explore Pennsylvania’s craft spirits industry.

“Pennsylvania Rye is America’s original whiskey — it was being distilled and sold before Kentucky was even a state, and most people outside the industry have never heard that story. This program gives all Pennsylvania’s distillers a stage they’ve never had, and gives Pennsylvania tourism a new signature experience it hasn’t had a name for until now,”said Bull Moose Marketing owner, Ron Mattocks, who noted that while rye is the differentiator, the Spirits of PA promotes all distillers sourcing grain and materials from within the Commonwealth.

The SpiritsofPA.com hub is built around an interactive statewide map that lets visitors browse distillers across Pennsylvania’s 11 official tourism regions, an interactive “virtual bartender” tool featuring cocktail recipes made with Pennsylvania spiritsand dedicated resource sections where destination marketing organizations and distillers will have access co-brandable marketing materials at no cost. Additional features and content are planned in the months ahead as the program builds out consumer education and experience-based marketing around the state’s distilling heritage.

Working through Pennsylvania’s existing tourism network is central to the program’s strategy. Rather than building a new promotional channel from scratch, Spirits of PA is designed to support and amplify the Commonwealth’s established tourism infrastructure — VisitPA, the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association (PRLA), heritage areas, and the state’s regional and county-level DMOs — by supplying ready-to-use content, professional media assets, and itinerary-ready materials at no cost. The program is also engaging distiller partners, growers, suppliers, distributors, bartenders, and hospitality businesses directly, and supports Pennsylvania’s existing network of 35+ regional pour tours and beverage trails rather than duplicating them.

“Pennsylvania’s hospitality industry thrives when we give visitors more reasons to explore the Commonwealth,” said Joe Massaro, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association. “Our craft distilleries are important attractions that complement our restaurants, hotels, and local tourism assets, helping visitors turn a single stop into a weekend getaway. Spirits of PA creates a unified platform to tell that story, strengthening Pennsylvania’s tourism brand while generating new opportunities for hospitality businesses and communities across the state. PRLA is proud to support this collaborative effort.”

Pennsylvania is home to 200+ craft distilleries across all 11 tourism regions and ranks fourth nationally in the number of craft distilleries. The distilled spirits sector generated an estimated $386 million in economic activity in 2024, with roughly 40% of that tied to tourism-related activity.

Central to the program’s storytelling is Pennsylvania’s claim to being the birthplace of American whiskey. Long before Kentucky bourbon existed, Scots-Irish and German settlers in southwestern Pennsylvania were distilling a spicy, corn-free rye whiskey — the Monongahela tradition — that helped define the young nation’s frontier economy, and the center of the Whiskey Rebellion. Because rye was seen as the country’s preferred spirit, Pennsylvania’s distillers thrived until Prohibition’s abrupt industry shut down.  Spirits of PA will draw on that history, along with the ongoing revival of heritage grain among today’s distillers, to position Pennsylvania Rye as “America’s True Spirit.” The program also supports legislative advocacy for an official Pennsylvania Rye whiskey designation as the Commonwealth’s official spirit given the direct and indirect economic upside across the full grass-to-glass supply chain.

“Pennsylvania Rye is a living connection between the Commonwealth’s farmers, distillers, and communities — and a story that deserves to be experienced where it began,” said Alex Moser, Chief Operating Officer of Wigle Whiskey located in Pittsburgh. “Spirits of PA gives our industry a shared platform to invite visitors into that story, from the grain in the field to the glass at the distillery.”

To help tell that story, Bull Moose Marketing is partnering with Harrisburg-based GK Visual for professional photography and video assets as the media production agencyis also producing a related project, the documentary “Pennsylvania’s Pioneering Spirit,” which tells the full history of Pennsylvania rye whiskey. 

Spirits of PA invites distillers, growers, DMOs, Heritage Areas, and hospitality and tourism partners across the Commonwealth to get involved. Media and stakeholders can visit SpiritsofPA.com(bit.ly/SpiritsofPA)to explore the interactive map, sign up for the program newsletter, and follow Spirits of PA on Facebook and Instagram. Distillers, DMOs, and tourism partners interested in participating can contact Ron Mattocks directly.

About Spirits of PA

Spirits of PA is a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture initiative funded under Act 57 of 2024 and administered through the Pennsylvania Distilled Spirits Industry Promotion Board. The program positions Pennsylvania as the distilled spirits capital of the East Coast and reestablishes Pennsylvania Rye as America’s True Spirit, working through the Commonwealth’s existing DMO and tourism network to support Pennsylvania’s 200+ craft distilleries at no cost to participating businesses or organizations. Learn more at SpiritsofPA.com.

About Bull Moose Marketing

Bull Moose Marketing is a Meadville, Pennsylvania-based consulting and marketing firm that helps rural destinations connect tourism, economic development, and planning into a single, coherent brand. The firm’s client work spans destination branding, marketing campaigns, AI solutions, and website design for tourism bureaus, counties, and Heritage Areas, including Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the PA Wilds Center, and Visit Jefferson. Learn more at BullMooseMarketing.com.

Media Contact

Ron Mattocks

Project Lead, Spirits of PA · Owner, Bull Moose Marketing
rmattocks@bullmoosemarketing.com · 814-813-1312
231 Chestnut Street, Suite 503, Meadville, PA 16335