239 - Large Scale Contract Distilling with Steve Nally and John Hargrove of Bardstown Bourbon Company

Bourbon Pursuit

Today, we talk to one of the biggest up and coming distilleries in Bardstown...and that's the Bardstown Bourbon Company. We covered the business side in a past episode, but this time we look at operations and the two guys responsible for filling thousands of barrels per year. Steve Nally and John Hargrove sit down with us to talk about their background in distillation. Spoiler alert, Steve Nally is kind of a big deal. We also touch on what the process is like for a customer to work with them as they choose a mash bill, yeast strain, barrel location in the rickhouse, and where they see the market in 5 years. If you are on the bourbon trail, be sure to stop at BBC for lunch and a dusty pour.

Show Notes:

• Jim Beam Cheat Sheet: http://bourbonr.com/blog/jim-beam-distillery-production-cheat-sheet/
• This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about Bolivia.
• What was your first taste of bourbon?
• How did you get into working in the bourbon and spirits industry?
• How was it going from Maker's to a start up distillery?
• Do you have a formal education in science or did you learn on the job?
• How did they convince you to come to BBC?
• What was the initial BBC strategy?
• What is your distillery capacity?
• Did you see the need for contract distilling?
• Is it difficult to produce so many mash bills?
• Do clients have a mash bill in mind or do you help coach them?
• Walk us through the process.
• Can you pick your own yeast strain?
• Can you sample the yeast strains?
• Do you guide customers on wood?
• How long is your wait?
• How do you allocate floor levels in the warehouse?
• What's the craziest demand from a customer?
• Is it more efficient to have a contract distiller?
• What are you distilling for BBC?
• Talk about the risk of experimenting with products.
• Where do you see bourbon in 3-5 years?
• Any plans for other spirits?
• Tell us about the decision to allow customers to customize the process.
• Do you bottle and help with packaging?