The continuous column still transformed the industry from the cottage craft level to massive indus- trial production. Distillery production went from 15 barrels a month to several hundred barrels a day (The Old Crow Distillery produced 400 barrels a day).” “The product would have changed many times between 1835 and 1878, in terms of composition and recipe.
Our motto is ‘We’re kind of rough at the edges, but our spirits are smooth.” Glenns Creek Distill- ery began selling product in early 2016.
“When you go from pot still, which is an old school technology that had been around about 2000 years, and switch to continu- ous stills, the quality and nature of the alcohol changes.”
“With the exception of a few modern conveniences (stainless steel, electricity, propane, etc), we use methods that have been used for over 2,000 years. We understand the science behind what we do, but use simple, basic methods to create the products. We are not fancy,” said Meier.
It’s a different device. With a pot still, the sep- aration of the various chemicals based on their boiling temperature is a little more straightfor- ward. A column still doesn’t work that way,” explained Meier. In January of 2014, Meier officially purchased the property and began a permitting process that took more than a year. Distillation began in May of 2015 and the door opened for visitors later in the year. “We spent that first year building equipment and cleaning the building. The place was abandoned for 30 years so it was a wreck. It took 30 minutes with a chainsaw just to get through the overgrown brush to unlock the front door. It took a week just to peel the vines off the building.” Cleaning the facility took weeks of work. “It would have been a lot easier just to start from scratch and build new specifically for distillation – with drains and electricity and steam and all the
things you need. This building wasn’t insulated and was without water, but we did have electric- ity.” “We had to pressure wash every square inch inside. It was covered in whiskey mold which is something that happens around whiskey aging warehouses. The building was black.” “But this is the iconic place and I knew that would be the draw and would attract visitors. We couldn’t be in a better location, midway between Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace Distilleries. Each draw more than 200,000 visitors a year. This property has historic significance.” The restoration work continues. “We haven’t even completely restored the building we’re operating in and we’ve restored maybe 10% of the entire property. We intended to have a small craft dis- tillery experience. My vision was always like a Scottish distillery, a quaint old school experience.
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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