Templeton Rye whiskey fans have more to celebrate this week than just the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. After seven years of legal production, the one millionth bottle of the Prohibition-era spirit will be released. Templeton Rye is now available in more than 40 states, but founders Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff want to give back to the fans at home where it all started and will release the bottle in Iowa to say thanks.

Gov. Branstad putting the label on the millionth bottle at the Templeton Rye distillery in Templeton, Iowa, Wednesday morning.

“We are very grateful for all of our devoted fans for the success of Templeton Rye throughout the country, but it wouldn’t have been possible without our fans in Iowa,” said Scott Bush, president and co-founder of Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC. “We thought about keeping the millionth bottle for our own collection, but instead, we decided it would be most rewarding to share it with those who helped us achieve this remarkable milestone.”

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on Dec. 5, the millionth bottle, with a special nine-digit numeric code printed on it, will be shipped to the state warehouse and enter the Iowa distribution system, along with other bottles featuring nine-digit codes. At an event in Templeton celebrating the milestone, the first number of the special millionth bottle code was announced: 5.

Each week, another digit of the numeric code will be released on the Templeton Rye website, Facebook and Twitter pages and through emails to the Templeton Rye Bootleggers Society. The full unique numeric sequence will be revealed on Jan. 17, 2014, what would have been Al Capone’s 115th birthday.

The lucky fan who discovers the millionth bottle will not only receive a piece of history, but will be invited to the Templeton Rye distillery for a tour and tasting with Keith Kerkhoff, master distiller and co-founder of Templeton Rye. The fan who finds the millionth bottle is encouraged to send an email to millionthbottle@templetonrye.com.