Whiskey Row
(Suburban Louisville) Founders
Includes craft brands within Greater Louisville
but outside the immediate downtown area.
(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
1
Joe Beatrice
Barrell Craft Spirits
In 2013, Joe Beatrice founded Barrell Craft Spirits in Louisville, Kentucky with a plan to source high-quality whiskey from established distilleries across the country. From the outset, Barrell’s approach was radically different: cask strength releases only, no chill filtration, and full transparency.
2
Edwin S. Foote
Stitzel-Weller
Ed Foote never sought to be famous, or acknowledged, or respected, or even recognized for his work. “Back then, there was no master distiller,” explains Foote. Today, every master distiller is a rock star. But when I was working, the distiller stayed there and watched me. If you had the right crew, they were interested in the productand proud of it. It was a piece of cake”
3
Dr. Pat Heist
Wilderness Trail
Dr. Heist is now an Adjunct Professor at James B. Beam Institute in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky and has given a TEDTalk on the process of making bourbon, starting with the aging process, types of grain required to produce a bourbon, and what happens inside the barrel warehouses before it is bottled. In addition, Dr. Heist has published or contributed to numerous research articles.
4
Joyce Nethery
Jeptha Creed
Joyce Nethery is the co-founder, co-owner, and master distiller of Jeptha Creed Distillery, which is located in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Joyce has a background in chemical engineering, holding a Master’s Degree from the University of Louisville. For many years after graduating, she worked in industrial distillation until she wanted a more family-friendly schedule, and at that point, she began teaching High School chemistry and physics.
5
Denny Potter
Potter Jane
By 2016, Denny Potter had become Vice President of Operations as well as Master Distiller at Heaven Hill—the first non-Beam family member to fill that post. “I absolutely loved working there, my job, and especially being so close with the Shapira family,” recalls Potter. Nevertheless, after a little over 5 years at Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark came calling again, and in 2018, Potter returned to his former employer, this time as Master Distiller.
6
Frederick Stitzel
Stitzel-Weller
In 1879, Frederick Stitzel gained a patent for a tiered storage system that would allow air circulation around the barrel; this soon became the standard for most rickhouses in the United States. Before this, barrels were stacked directly on top of each other, which was very risky, inviting the possibility of many problems occurring.
7
Julian Van Winkle, Jr.
Stitzel-Weller
Julian Jr. became president of Stitzel-Weller in 1947, and under his leadership, the sales of products thrived. Junior ran the company until 1972, when he was forced by family co-owners to sell to Norton-Simon Company, who promptly renamed the operation ‘The Old Fitzgerald Distillery’. The company was then sold again to Distillers Corporation Limited, then again to Guinness, Ltd.
8
Julian Van Winkle III
Stitzel-Weller
In 1981, III decided to continue to operate the business on his own at the age of 32. He purchased a run-down building in an area of Louisville prone to flooding and continued to bottle Old Rip Van Winkle by hand. Unfortunately, In those days, bourbon sold well only if it came in a gimmicky decanter shaped like a dog or a football.
9
Julian Van Winkle, Sr (Pappy)
Stitzel-Weller
Pappy Van Winkle was a true distiller who lived by the motto “We make fine bourbon at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon." Pappy had an affinity for his family and the legacy of his family name. He brought into the company his son Julian Proctor Jr., his son-in-law, King McClure, and eventually (once he grew into a young man) his grandson, Julian Proctor Van Winkle III.
10
Lisa Wicker
Whiskey Thief
When Lisa Wicker stepped into whiskey, she proved to possess an instinct for flavor and production constraints, and soon helped put the young Limestone Branch Distillery on the map with her locally famous “MoonPie Moonshine,” a hit that kept the lights on while her barreled whiskey aged.