Our Process
From grain to glass, every step honors five generations of distilling tradition.
Ingredient Selection
Great whiskey starts with great ingredients. We source non-GMO corn, rye, and malted barley from local Kentucky farms we've partnered with for generations.
Our water comes from a natural limestone spring on our property, naturally filtered to remove iron and impart the mineral character essential to Kentucky bourbon.
Mashing & Fermentation
Our proprietary mash bill has remained unchanged since 1892. The grains are cooked in our traditional copper cookers, then transferred to cypress wood fermenters.
We use a sour mash process with our original yeast strain, allowing natural fermentation over 72-96 hours to develop complex flavors.
Double Distillation
We double distill in handcrafted copper pot stills, a slower process that allows for greater control and flavor development.
Our master distiller personally oversees every run, making the crucial cuts that capture only the "heart" of the distillate while leaving behind harsh heads and tails.
Barrel Maturation
New white American oak barrels are charred to our specifications, creating the char layer that filters impurities and imparts vanilla, caramel, and spice notes.
Our century-old rickhouses experience dramatic temperature swings, causing the whiskey to expand into and contract from the wood, accelerating flavor extraction naturally.
Bottling & Quality
When our master distiller determines a barrel has reached its peak, it's carefully selected for bottling. Many expressions are bottled without chill filtration to preserve maximum flavor.
Every bottle is hand-inspected before receiving our signature wax seal and label, ensuring the quality our family has delivered for over 130 years.