John Little
(1989 – present)
Smooth Ambler
Growing up in North Carolina, John Little’s hobbies were hunting and fishing, and fried fish is still one of his favorite foods. However, as he grew up and moved to West Virgina, he and his father-in-law Tinsley Azariah “TAG” Galyean developed a goal of creating a world-class product that makes West Virginian’s proud. Ultimately, John Little become the Co-Founder, Former Head Distiller and CEO of Smooth Ambler Spirits Co – from start-up to $30M - with years of operational management experience in the beverage alcohol industry and products available for purchase in many states in the U.S. and in international markets?
John Little grew up in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina with his mother and sister. He attended college at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte studying geography and earned his Bachelor of Science there. He also met his wife at UNC-Charlotte, and with his wife moved to West Virginia in 2002. He currently lives in Lewisburg, WV with his family.
Little has a history of working in the restaurant business. Galyean, a successful businessman, architect and designer, and Little had been working on a project for high-end hotels when the market crashed in 2008. After the market crash, Little and father-in-law decided they wanted to create “a world class” product made in West Virginia that represented the best of West Virginia and would make West Virginian’s proud.
After reading an article in Time magazine about micro/craft distilling, Galyean wrote a comment to Little on the article, telling him that they “could do this in [Little’s] garage.” So, in 2009, they founded Smooth Ambler, as a grain-to-glass distillery, to make affordable craft gin, vodka, and whiskey. Thereafter, they went to an American Distilling Institute (ADI) conference in Kentucky. While in Kentucky, they visited several distilleries and Vendome. Little says that his visit to Vendome set his intention to be in the distilling business. Little and his father-in-law also attended Artisan Distilling Program workshops offered by Michigan State University. They researched the industry, and garnered knowledge from others in the industry willing to share information. They also had the opportunity to get hands-on experience at a distillery in Washington state.
In 2010, they traveled to Kentucky to buy another still. It was during this trip that they met Richard Wolf, who was a broker selling barrels. Little and Galyean sampled whiskeys from several different distilleries, and while waiting for their own whiskey to mature, settled on a high-rye mash bill from Midwest Grain Products of Indiana (MGP). Committed to honesty and transparency, Little and Galyean decided on the name “Old Scout" to reflect that they “scouted" out their [sourced] whiskey. They released Old Scout, a 5-year-old whiskey sourced from MGP in the Fall of 2011.
In 2016, Smooth Ambler was running out of sourced whiskey and connected with Pernod Ricard North America with hopes Pernod had mature whiskey available to sell. Pernod did not; however, after discussions, Smooth Ambler agreed to sell a majority stake in its company to Pernod. The acquisition was completed in 2017.
Smooth Ambler’s product line reflects these three principles: “Make”, “Merchant”, and “Marry”. Their Big Level Bourbon label, introduced in 2018, which is distilled and aged in West Virginia, reflects their “Make” principle. Their Old Scout label reflects their “Merchant” principle and is 100% sourced. Their Contradiction label, introduced in 2015, reflects their “Marry” principle, which blends their Big Level Bourbon (Made) and Old Scout (Merchant) whiskeys.
Smooth Ambler does not filter any of their whiskeys as they aim to deliver a product that is very much the original distilled spirit. Also, they stopped selling vodka in 2016 and stopped selling gin in 2017.
Little and Galyean created a world-class product that makes West Virginian’s proud. Their sales exceed $30 million, and their product is available for purchase in many states in the U.S. and in international markets.
In addition to being a founder and Chief Executive Officer of Smooth Ambler, Little also served as the Head Distiller from its founding in 2009 until January 2022. As per Little’s LinkedIn profile, he continues to serve as a “Whiskey Maker” for Smooth Ambler. In January of 2023, he founded “Engauged Consulting” and is a distilled spirits consultant and industry advisor; and, in January of 2024, he joined Moonshine University as a part-time instructor.
Contributed by: Gwen Hoover, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
References:
https://wvexecutive.com/going-smooth/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7HfuQ5d9Yo
https://www.thespiritseducator.com/smooth-ambler
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-little-b003698/
https://www.bourbonbanter.com/smooth-ambers-best-is-yet-to-come/
https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/five-minutes-with-john-little-from-smooth-ambler.aspx/