I entered the industry Jan of 2005 doing events and promotions in the state of Kentucky for Jim Beam. 18 months later I was recruited by the brand team in charge of the Small Batch Collection as one of the first non-Beam family members to act as Ambassador for the Small Batch Bourbons, since Fred Noe’s picture was added to the Jim Beam label, and he was going on a world-wide promotional tour, and they wanted Knob Creek and the other small batch bourbons to be promoted alongside.

I was then hired away to Heaven Hill Distillery in September of 2012 and have been the Whiskey Ambassador here since then representing Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Larceny, and all the other whiskeys Heaven Hill Distillery produces.

First of all, and arguably most important, is that Heaven Hill Distillery is 100% family owned and family operated by the Shapira family who started the distillery in 1935.

After that, I believe that it is Heaven Hill’s House Style that sets us a part.  Since Heaven Hill owns more barrels of whiskeys six years and older, across our portfolio, Heaven Hill whiskeys are typically aged longer, and bottled at a higher ABV than our competitors.

Since our whiskeys are highly regulated by the U.S. government standards, that can be hard to pin point, but I believe that the secrets we have is just the knowledge that our past distillers like Earl Beam and Parker Beam handed down, and worked with our sensory panel to create some of the most award winning small batch and single barrel whiskeys in the world.

Bourbon and American Whiskey was over looked for so long due to several events and consumer preferences, but the quality was always there, even during whiskeys decline.

When different Whiskey tastings like Whiskey Fest, Whiskey Live!, Whiskeys Of the World, and others sprung up, folks were so interested in Scotch Malts, and over time, those same folks started to include American whiskeys as one of their regular drams.

Then with the rise of Social Media, more and more Whiskey and Bourbon Society’s sprung up, and that along with many more building blocks has led to this success, but the quality was always there.

I believe that what surprises me the most is that in an industry that is SO tightly regulated, just how much creativity and innovation takes place each and every year.

Bourbon Tourism
International Market expansion
Home Delivery
Internet Commerce

One of the most important things when a distillery opens is what makes it different. We wanted to make whiskey, but not the whiskey everyone else was making. We weren’t going to make Bourbon, because that has already been done. The Scots make traditional product, the Irish make traditional product, the Japanese make traditional product and that is all great. We, however, wanted to make something different, so we started off making a high-quality beer and distill that into a really different whiskey.

Two big decisions that we made were to not make a brewery, but to partner with good breweries and have them make the mash. We make our beer at three different breweries and use brewer’s yeast, not distillery yeast. Secondly, we rejected the idea of buying a single artisan still that is more versatile, but not specifically designed for each product. Instead, We had our four stills made at Forsythe.

One other thing we try to do here is to be mentors to other prospective distillers trying to make their way into the business. We will take someone who is really serious about distilling and have them work with us at the distillery for a week to learn the ins & outs and the mechanics of what it takes to run a company like this and to make spirits.

Here at Copperworks, we try to be as transparent as possible. We publish every recipe for every batch on our website. We feel that if folks want to copy us, they best do it right.

It is a temporary phenomenon, so there will be a dip again. It has 30-40 year cycles. Bourbon is being over-produced so that in 5 or 6 years, it will be difficult to give it away.

American whiskey will have its moment in the sun, but that too will die, and then it just may be Brandy that becomes the next big thing. Bourbon is pricing itself out to most consumers, but brandy is very affordable. It has a deep, sexy romantic past that consumers will be attracted to. That said, we have no intention to produce brandy, Just to drink it!

Here is one of the biggest surprises for me personally, I was very surprised how creative ownership could be. I was also surprised how the industry was blindsided over the years making legislation that actually left things wide open for new distillers to create so many new categories or so many new spirits, that it is a new renaissance in distilling.

We have so many new opportunities in front of us.

In Japan, the trend is to drink it in Highballs as opposed to neat like is frequently done here in America. I see the trend going away from using small barrels (thankfully) and towards using a variety of barrels for finishing.

The other factors that contribute to flavour, and that we are actively pursuing are local malts, and using different yeast strains.

The rapid maturation processes are interesting, but I would caution against putting anything out on the market before it is ready. We’re not interested in trying any rapid maturation processes.

Mike: We grew up as not only brothers but best friends.  As we grew older and moved to different places, we still stayed very close.  Our career paths were very different – Matt owned a nuclear pharmacy in Chicago, selling radioactive medicine to hospitals, while I worked overseas & in Washington DC for the NSA (The National Security Agency). It was during this time that I began to discover Scotch whisky and it became near & dear to me. I started to really get into it, Matt followed suit and we began to share our love of the spirit and became nerdy on the subject.

Matt: It all started when Mike got home-leave and we met in Florida with our families where we split and finished a bottle of subpar craft whiskey. Before taking the family to Animal Kingdom, we announced to our wives that we were going start our own distillery. This was April 2012; 4 months later Matt was looking at property in the beautiful Galena territory!

Mike: The distillery is built inside a former Mormon Church, but what really makes the distillery unique is that we do not rely on any marketing story. We are coming from a place of two brothers who really enjoy working with each other and love making whiskey.

Plus, we enjoy the independence & honesty of doing things our way with no one else calling the shots. We are actually at the distillery all the time, and people get a kick out that.

Oh yeah, we still use a Flux Capacitor!

Matt: No bullshit. It is an art & a science that is constantly being tweaked, but we are quite transparent with everything.

Mike: American heritage, classic Americana – at least how Bourbon & American whiskeys go. It has made a resurgence, but it is as American as baseball.

It is also a younger generation who really care about the ingredients and authenticity of what they buy now, and that has overflowed into spirits.

Mike: One would be the cohesiveness of the craft industry and willingness of industry people to work together. Many share the data & recipes. The community is amazing & unique. We have made a lot of good friends in this industry over the past 8 years or so.

Matt: It appears that people have gotten away from the stigma of sourced whiskey as long as there is honesty behind it. Also, we are big fans of the American single malt movement, because it is relevant to what single malt means globally. 

Not sure where the future will take it, but I hope it comes to fruition.

I’m David Woods – Owner/Founder/Lead Distiller of Wiggly Bridge Distillery. My son and I founded and started Wiggly Bridge Distillery in 2013.

It all started during a family dinner with a joking statement of “lets make our own whisky.” With a shared love for good whisky and fascination to see how things are made, we decided to explore the idea. Although the distillery is where I spend my days, it is not my only focus.

My kids, their spouses, and long time employees help me run businesses ranging from carwashes, salon and spa, oil and propane company and a campground.

Wiggly Bridge Distillery started in the heart of York Beach, Maine — a charming and historic seaside village settled in the early 1600’s, among the first in Maine. The ocean air and rocky coast of our own hometown is our inspiration, so it’s no wonder that we chose to start our distillery here.

My son David and I researched and studied (and some say obsessed) over how to build a still and process alcohol. Being fortunate enough to travel to the Caribbean we decided to build and operate a small hand made copper still on the island of Montserrat to put our research to the test. Turns out they were quite good at it and grew even more intrigued by the craft of small batch distilling.

What we made rivaled some of our favorite brands, with a bit of a twist. Now, winning awards, we are beginning to understand that we have created something very special.

We hand make our stills. My son taught himself how to weld on YouTube. We have saved a considerable about of money doing a lot of things ourselves —It’s a lot less bottles we need to sell to cover the extra cost

There’s a history behind whiskey and making whiskey across all countries. It’s a spirit that’s associated with special occasions and because of the time associated with not only making but aging makes it more desirable.

Prohibition in the US really started it’s trajectory towards success because people want what they can’t have. Currently the internet and bartenders across the globe are creating craft cocktails with whisky that appeal not just to men, but to women as well.

The low volume of sales the majority (most) of craft distilleries have and their ability to hang on.

The increased consumption of alcoholic beverages always helps. The “craft” movement where people are wanting to use fresh ingredients and also wanting to use “craft” spirits to make those cocktails complete.

I think you will also see the rise and fall of many distilleries as current economic issues engulf our country.

My wife & I were visiting friends back in 2001 in Bend Oregon, when it was suggested that we stop off at the Bend Distillery tasting room for a drink. I was blown away by the quality!  Here was American made product – vodka, gin, whiskey!  It took me 3 years before I got things going, but were up & rolling in 2006, with a licence to distil in 2007. Before that I was a pharmaceutical rep, with a degree in biology & chemistry, plus worked my grandfather’s farm. He was named George Rabish, so we called our vodka Ole George. We are also of Polish descent so we love our vodka.  We love supporting the local farmers growing American grain.

#1 We are one of the very few that is grain to bottle. Everything is in-house!

#2 We are the oldest craft distillery in Michigan.

#3 We are a father & son operation, which is rare these days.

You have vodka as a category, and there is varying quality, but there are more similarities than differences.  But when it comes to whiskey, the differences are numerous!  What kind & size of barrels are you using?  What time of year are you making it?  So many different mashbill combinations. There really is something for everyone! There are just so many different flavors of whiskey, thus more for palates to pickup.

The creative aspect of the different mashbills that you see worldwide.  How distillers are smoking their grain, or seeing smaller batches that are experiments. We ourselves produced a peated malted barley/rye and are continuously experimenting. Folks really are producing great stuff all over the world these days.

I spent a lot of years as a young man working in the restaurant and bar industry. Studied Philosophy in college at UC Santa Barbara and couldn’t find a job. So I started to publish a small newsletter called Wine & Dine covering the wine scene there. This began a wine collection that really developed my palate. I was also a freelance journalist for boxing for a while, and used to get the best seats at big prize-fights.

Later I developed an appreciation for whiskey, specifically Irish whiskey and Bourbon, and wanted to get into the whiskey business.  All of these experiences led me to create a brand of Irish whiskey called John L Sullivan.  I am also a huge history buff and later discovered an iconic and forgotten old bourbon brand called, James E. Pepper; and I acquired the rights to the brand in 2008.

We are in the actual historic Pepper distillery that was initially built in 1880 – DSP-KY-5. We have a museum at the distillery that goes over the history of the brand from 1780 til today, and tells the story of uncovering the brand through a decade of historic research, plus the rebuilding of the distillery after it was abandoned for over 50 years.

We have had a great response from our visitors, becoming the #1 rated attraction on Trip Advisor in Lexington. There is so much history that we reincorporated into the distillery, such as using the original limestone well and producing the original Pepper mash bill that was last produced in 1967 when the plant shut down. We also have a beautiful custom copper still built by Vendome which was inspired by the system they built at our distillery in 1934, the year Prohibition was repealed in Kentucky.

I’ve got a good one and for all the tradition we follow, this one is anti-tradition:  we use a sweet mash process in our production, as opposed to sour mash.

Sour mash was famously associated with the Peppers, but with the scope of our operation today and the tools at our disposal, from a quality point of view we choose to go with a sweet mash operation.

Whiskey is the overnight success that took over 1000 years to take flight. And at the end of the day it is such a complex and flavorful spirit, with a very deep level of artistry and nuance across regions, that it simply stands apart from many other spirits objectively on its own.

That is a no brainer: Coronavirus! This is just devastating, especially to the people who own and work at restaurants & bars.  My heart really goes out to them. No one saw this coming.

A shift in consumption from the on-premise to drinking at home. Consumers may also be a bit less willing to experiment on new brands – they want tried & true quality at a reasonable price.

It is also an interesting time to see the next stages of the “craft” whiskey market, as you are starting to see some nice, well-aged products coming out from smaller, independent producers.

FEW is a small distillery, and the fact that is located in Evanston, the home of Temperance Movement of the 1800s in the Midwest, and that I was very instrumental in having those laws overturned, provides our distillery with a unique character. We are also a grain to bottle distillery, and put no restrictions on the creativity in our mash bills, ingredients or distilling techniques.

The rise of the handcrafted whiskey distilleries and the response of the big guys, mainly copying the little guys.