It’s a tradition that has remained in the hands of the family for generations. Willett Distillery is one of the most recognized brands for bourbon enthusiasts and has accumulated a cult status. Even Kulsveen has seen the struggles and highs of his industry but had foresight to buy aged whiskey stocks when they were plentiful which put the spotlight on this brands. With Britt Kulsveen at the helm as their new President, this family is making bigger waves than before. Listen to their story as Fred Minnick moderates this Kentucky Derby Museum Legend Series.

Show Notes:

• This event is being moderated by Fred Minnick.
• This years theme is all about family
• Even, where did you grow up?
• Did you do a lot of ice fishing growing up? Did you ever fall through the ice?
• Talk about your time in the Merchant Marines
• What were your events in college sports?
• So we found out before we started that you’re not an American citizen
• Britt, can you give us a story about your father’s kindness?
• Even, was there a moment where you saw Britt in action and said she’s got skills?
• Britt, is there a story behind you always wearing boots?
• Even, did you train Drew?
• What are you looking for in the barrels when you are creating your small batch composition? What is something that doesn’t taste right?
• What was something you learned from Thompson Willett?
• Did he ever show you his secret spots in the warehouses?
• Talk about the Frosted Yeast Rolls. This is the High Corn Mashbill. Barrel entry at
• Even, How did you meet your wife?
• All the big brands were bailing out on bourbon, what was that time like?
• When did you come out with your small batch series?
• Did you ever travel to Russia in the 90s? Did you ever have trust issues with distributors there?
• Britt, what was it like as a kid watching your dad living around whiskey?
• Let’s drink the wheated bourbon now. Entry Proof at 115
• When Drew brings you something, do you ever turn it away and tell him its bad?
• You were also bottling stuff for a lot of other people back in the day. Can you talk about that?
• You had to acquire bourbon from other distilleries, what sort of other whiskey were you looking for?
• Was there is an age limit of something you wouldn’t buy?
• Would your early batches include barrels from lots of different distilleries?
• What’s your sweet spot for an aged bourbon?
• Lets taste the 6 year old Rye now, 51% Rye, 34% Corn, 15% barley, Barrel entry proof is 125, but now goes in at 110.
• Dipping back into the great barrels coming out during the early 2000s, how does this new stuff rank?
• We talked about the 80s and 90s, but Willett becomes really popular in the late 2000s. There are a lot of fans. Have you ever been a part of the fandom?
• How many times have you been asked to get bought out?
• Bill Thomas from Jack Rose has been a big supporter of Willett.
• Talk about the Willett 80th anniversary. It’s the original Willett mashbill, 72% Corn, 13% Rye, 15% Barley and this one is bottled in bond
• There aren’t many bad things to be said about your whiskey. Do you think it’s harder to stay on top?
• Are there any other mashbills or barrel finishes you are working on?

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• Let’s do what we all always do and start from the beginning. Do you remember your introduction into whiskey?
• Can you talk about your education and what led you into distillation?
• So lets look at your history at MGP Ingredients. What was your career path and trajectory there?
• The internals of MGPi aren’t discussed very much. How big is the operation there?
• What was the idea to distill all that rye before it became popular?
• Are there more spirits that were produced than others?
• What was the break out in bourbon vs rye being produced?
• Do you pride yourself in knowing that 90% of the Ryes and probably a good percentage of bourbon on the shelves of liquor stores is all from your work?
• How popular was contract distilling 10 years ago?
• Do you feel a bit angered or left out knowing there are tons of NDPs out there who are making a fortune telling a story about a rye that you created?
• Talk us through the process of selling to an NDP. Are they coming to MGP asking for juice? Is MGP coming to them first trying to sell them?
• Are there contracts that say you can or can’t market a MGP bourbon or rye?
• Are there boundaries on how they market MGP juice?
• I’d like to know if they have ever had to turn someone away with either just buying sourced barrels or contract distilling? If so what is the pecking order or criteria?
• What are NDPs doing to make their product different or if it’s all the same stuff?
• Are NDPs taking barrel from the same warehouses or how do they pick and choose?
• Did the whiskey boom hurt MGP getting rid of aged stocks?
• Lets talk about Old Elk in Colorado

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Is Jack Daniel’s a bourbon? It’s a question that has been asked thousands of times over and there never really seems to be a good answer. It’s about time you hear it from the man himself, the one who helps make every drop of that charcoal mellowed goodness, Jeff Arnett, the Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s Distillery. We talk about the Lincoln County Process and if that changes the terminology from “Bourbon” to “Tennessee Whiskey” or if it can even be replicated in other parts of the country. If you’ve ever snuffed your nose at Jack thinking it’s not bourbon, perhaps you should listen to this episode and you might end up buying a bottle at the end.

Show Notes:

• Talk about your background
• Did Pringles really start because they couldn’t get rid of the tennis ball cans?
• When did you start there?
• We are pretty unfamiliar with Jack Daniel’s history. Was there an actual man named Jack Daniels?
• Jack Daniels like to categorize itself as a Tennessee Whiskey and not a bourbon so we are going to look at all the information in front of us and put it to rest
• So lets talk about the mash bill being the first checkbox… Does it use at least 51% of corn?
• What is it about your yeast and water that make Jack so unique?
• So lets talk about the distillation process of Jack Daniels because it’s in the United States which hits a check box. It follows pretty much every other bourbon law if i’m not mistaken, meaning that you aren’t adding flavoring agents, distilling at no more than 160 proof and entering the barrel at no more than 125 proof
• Give me an idea of what the Lincoln County process is?
• So you’re really just trying to one up Kentucky Bourbon then?
• You use new charred oak barrels, yes?
• In 2014, legislation was introduced in the Tennessee legislature that would modify the 2013 law to allow the reuse of oak barrels in the Tennessee whiskey aging process. But you opposed the legislation, why? is it because you secretly love bourbon?
• And it’s bottled at 80 proof which is also another checkbox.
• So by in large it follows the all the laws of being a bourbon… but it doesn’t want to be.
• Do you believe this is a major influence on the flavor or “charcoal mellowing” of Jack Daniels?
• Why do you think the general public cares if it’s a bourbon or tennessee whiskey? Is it because we have too much time on our hands?
• Do you start hearing of people from Kentucky who tell stories about disowning their sons when they bring a bottle of Jack to christmas because “it’s not bourbon”?
• Does it go the other way that Tennesseans don’t want to be associated to Kentucky bourbon?
• But it’s funny because Jack Daniels is a part of Brown-Forman, the same family as Woodford Reserve and Old Forester but it’s a substantial portion of the portfolio.
• Fred Minnick goes as far as saying that the federal government needs to define Tennessee Whiskey so this will be ended once and for all.
• So I think we’ve hit on a lot but I want to give our snobby listeners out there a taste of what’s beyond the signature black label. If someone out there wants to get into the other expressions where do they start?

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Are you looking for an in-depth story on the Beam family history and how Fred and Freddie Noe are cementing their place in it? Look no further than the 2018 Kentucky Derby Museum’s Legend Series. This episode will cover some of the fun times that were had by Booker, Fred, and Freddie and how the new release of Little Book is coming to be a yearly distribution. Fred Minnick is the host of the show as he covers many of the aspects of the family business, how they came up in the ranks, and tries to get them to divulge information time and time again.

Show Notes:

• I didn’t take any notes while I was listening. So you’ll have to listen to this one for yourself and find out how awesome it is.

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Dave Pickerell is well known in the bourbon world, he was former master distiller at Maker’s Mark and owns a consulting business, Oak View Spirits, where he has designed equipment, systems and processes for about 100 distilleries worldwide including WhistlePig, Hillrock, Corsair, and many others. This episode dives into to the distilleries themselves, the pricing behind Boss Hog,  and questions we would want to know from a master distiller like grain sourcing.

Show Notes:

• As usual, lets start from the beginning. Do you remember your introduction into whiskey or bourbon?
• Did you think chemical engineering would lead to spirits?
• First off, do you get tired of talking about your past at Makers?
• Do you think Maker’s put you on the map?
• Do people still ask you to sign Maker’s stuff?
• It seems that consulting is becoming a pretty big business because there’s the likes of you, Jim Rutledge, Nancy Fraley, Greg Metze, and the list goes on. Is there that much demand?
• Are you training new distillers?
• Do they get off track?
• Master distillers today are seen is high regards as a big marketing tool and the face of the brand relies on that one person. However, you’re wearing the badge of many distilleries at one time. Are you asked to go to places to talk about a specific brand? Do you play favorites?
• You’re still heavily involved with WhistlePig still, correct?
• Talk about the brand a bit because it’s one we typically don’t talk about on the show.
• It’s just sourced MGPi, right? So what are you doing that’s adding a bit of pizzazz to it?
• Tell me, what’s up with the pricing on Boss Hog? What sort of magic are you doing that makes a $500 bottle of whiskey?
• You are working with craft distilleries every day, what’s the biggest challenge you see facing them?
• Are you trying to produce the same product at all these places? Because when I think about it you could just have the Dave Pickerall SKUs where you say here’s your 3 options, choose one and we will put everything in that bucket
• Whats your theory on sourcing grains?
• Are chewing on them? Or after distillation?
• Discuss year to year variation of crops affect on flavors.
• Discuss how sourcing grains from different parts of the world makes a difference in the finished product.

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Blending is an art. We’ve discussed it many times before and our guest today would be considered the Queen. She provides Nosing Services, meaning she is a blood hound in human form. Listen about Nancy Fraley‘s past and how she has carved a path as one of the world’s best blenders for whiskey, rum, armagnac, and many different spirits. In the second segment of the show, we talk about her current role at Joseph A. Magnus & Co and how she mirrored the current distribution to one that was found in a family closet from pre-prohibition as well as her exploration in the Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend!

Show Notes:

• This is the second Master Blender we’ve had on the show. Back on Episode 103 we featured Drew Mayville. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to it, you really should. It’s an impossible decision to wonder if the master distiller or the master blender is the real star of the show.
• Our guest today is renowned in the industry and gets the ever so attractive nickname “the nose”.
• Lets talk about you for a bit. Do you remember your first experience with whiskey or bourbon?
• Talk about your education and how you got your nick name
• When did you realize you could start a business with this?
• What do you do when you get a head cold?
• So you currently freelance for many big names in the industry as well as craft distilleries out there. What services are you offering for many of these places?
• What are some of the most common mistakes distillers make?
• Talk me through nosing new make or white dog and how you can criticize or tweak it because in my opinion it’s damn near impossible. are there certain aromas?
• Any examples of when you can sense something is wrong and how to fix it?
• What’s the worst case you came across and had to salvage something. We can keep the names innocent, but what went wrong?
• What else besides whiskey do you consult in?
• I read somewhere you’re a big fan of armagnac.
• Do you use the same method for judging different spirits or is there a playbook for each one?
• Lots of craft distilleries are looking at you to help perfect their products.
• How does you determine the amount of each different whiskey that goes into a blend? Does that always translate when your mixing small amounts in a lab then try to use the same percentages on a batch from barrels?
• Lots of people do home blending with after market products. Perhaps it’s something as simple as an infinity bottle where you take the last ounce or two from every bottle and put it in a decanter, and others that buy these small 1 gallon barrels. Is there any recipe or formula you use to know what should go into a blend?
• Do you find it odd or interesting that distilleries don’t do limited edition blendings with barrels from each respective distiller to form a collaboration?
• Talk about Jos A Magnus and what you are doing there
• I’ve got access to the single barrels as well as some of the infamous Cigar blend finishes. I want you to talk me through your involvement with single barrels, the standard Magnus release, Murray Hill, and we’ll finish it off with Cigar Blend
• Do you see barrel finishes as the future of the industry?

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What happens when you get Bill Samuels, Mike Veach, Reid Mitenbuler, and Susan Reigler in front of an economics class? You talk about the growth of bourbon, the economic impact of it, and how to get jumpstarted into a career. Thanks to the John H. Schnatter Center for Free Enterprise at the College of Business, University of Louisville for hosting and allowing us to record. This event is just one of a series of events on the bourbon industry in the college this semester . The bourbon theme included an economics reading group which read and met to discuss Reid’s book. They also took field trips to Buffalo Trace and Peerless distilling. In addition, the economics senior capstone class is focused on the economic history and importance of the industry. Students in the class are writing a variety of research papers on the bourbon industry for their senior projects.

Show Notes:

• We will first attempt to wrap our heads around the size of the boom
• What consumer and federal or state-level regulatory trends might be facilitating the recent resurgence.
• We will be considering the economic impact on KY, including investment, job creation, tourism, and exports. I’ll have the panelists dwell on the recent investment announcements by BBC, Lux Row, Stoli, and Heaven Hill plus the revival of whiskey row (Old Forester, Michter’s, and, by extension, Peerless, Angel’s Envy, Rabbit Hole, and so on).
• What about the marketing strategy of old brands and distilleries being brought back from the dead (Peerless, Kentucky Owl, and Old Taylor/Castle & Key).
• Given it is fall release season, discuss the surging popularity of the boutique brands from the big distillers and the associated retail price increases, shortages, production timelines, and the “ethics” of the secondary market.
• What is your opinion on the future? Can the boom last and what opportunities are out there for UofL students interested in the industry?

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You may remember of Dr. Pat Heist of Ferm-Solutions back on episode 121 talking about the science of yeast. This episode feature his counterpart Shane Baker, Master Distiller of Wilderness Trail Distillery, as he answers all the questions you ever wanted to know from a Master Distiller. These guys are very well known in the bourbon world amongst distillers who know what they are doing. We take a deeper dive into grains and how this distillery has been aging product for almost 4 years and still hasn’t released a bourbon yet.

Show Notes:

• Tell us a bit about Wilderness Trail?
• Where are you located?
• Do you use the same yeast strain in all your different mash bills?
• Adam Kessell I’d like the hear about all crop yield, and the agricultural footprint of bourbon/whiskey and what safe guards we take for the long term success of the product.
• Can you continue to keep it local?
• How often do you turn away grains?
• What do you think about the bourbon boom from a craft standpoint. what needs to be done to maintain this momentum?
• Aged stock vs making money. where’s that balance?
• What advice to give to other craft distillers?
• What in your opinion is the biggest factor in distilling/aging? Mash?,distillation temperature?, entry proof?, barrel type or aging location?
• Chris Scott I want to hear more about sourcing grains. We already heard Jimmy Russell say he must source rye from Europe. That blew my mind.
• Dustin Charles Herr Discuss year to year variation of crops affect on flavors.
• Steven Granger Discuss how sourcing grains from different parts of the world makes a difference in the finished product.

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It’s a controversial topic amongst bourbon purists. Can you replicate all the effects Mother Nature and Father Time add to the bourbon that rests inside a barrel? Jacob Call, Master Distiller at O.Z. Tyler, comes from a long family lineage of distillers and decided to do take on an industry with Terressentia using TerrePURE technology. Learn about the growth of this startup and small bit about the technology in this episode.

Show Notes:

• How did you get involved with bourbon and got you here today?
• Do you have any good stories with being around Booker and Fred?
• Tell us a bit about the property here in Owensboro
• How bad of shape was this Old Medley Distillery when you got here?
• I was surprised at the size, it seems like you’re pumping out a bunch of product
• What is creating all this expansion especially when you are so new?
• Explain the TerrePURE process because you’re expediting the aging
• So it’s not just marketing BS?
• Do you worry about bourbon purists not enjoying this when you talk about age statements and the like?
• If it works so well, why wouldn’t the big boys want to license this?
• Talk a bit about the O.Z. Tyler Brand
• Will there be other brands to come out?
• So it has to be barreled for at least a year to be labeled Kentucky bourbon
• I was blown away by the taste. It actually tastes like a 4 year old bourbon.
• Where is Terressentia focused for the future?

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Denny Potter, Master Distiller and VP of Operations at Heaven Hill, talks about his past handling dangerous chemicals, answers if bourbon production is green, touches on age statement removals and the market for higher age statements.

Show Notes:

• Thanks to Linden Ferguson for being the guest co-host
• The man behind many of the famous brands we talk about on the show like Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, Larceny and much more. Former Master Distiller and now VP of Operations at Heaven Hill, Denny Potter
• Talk about your history and how you came to Heaven Hill
• Talk about your old jobs dealing with dangerous chemicals.
• Talk about the environmental impact of bourbon production.
• So you have a history of rum. What do you think about this newborn uptick in Rum interest?
• How many barrels is Heaven Hill producing per day?
• What once was impossible to get rid of and now HH has been known for their high aged premium products by whiskey geeks. From Martin Mills 24 to EC18 and 23 and WHH 14 and 15 years, do you anticipate the future whiskey drinkers 10 years from now to still be wanting higher aged products?
• There’s a little known gem here in KY and that’s the 6 year BIB white label. When you travel do people ask you about how they can get their hands on some?
• What are some of those labels people are always wanting to know more about or how they can get their hands on?

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