Stitzel-Weller to Reopen

[cowdery]

Yes, the title is a tease. It's not going to reopen as a distillery, at least not now, but it is going to be open to the public, under the auspices of "The Bulleit Experience." Apparently it's finished but not yet open. I may get a look when I'm in Kentucky for the Bourbon Festival.

This has been in the works for a long time and many people, myself included, have encouraged it. Diageo has been using SW as a maturation facility for Bulleit and its other bourbons, so it's not a complete stretch to make SW Bulleit's "home place." It will be somewhat operational too. Tom Bulleit will have his office there and there will no doubt be a tasting room, gift shop, etc.

But the real treat will be a chance to see SW up close and personal. It's a very nice, showcase facility. I hope Pappy's office is on the tour, rather than Tom getting it, because it's quite nice. When John Allison was the plant manager (in the final days of SW as a distillery), he used to joke that his office was more plush than the office of the president of Guinness (this was pre-Diageo).

Anyway, although it's only half a loaf (better if they were firing up the stills), it's a good thing.

[OscarV]

Diageo has been using SW as a maturation facility for Bulleit and its other bourbons, so it's not a complete stretch to make SW Bulleit's "home place."

Jim Rutledge said that not only does Four Roses make the bourbon for Bulleit but they also age it for them in their (4R's) rickhouses at Cox Creek.

4R likes the relationship because it keeps the stills cooking and the rickhouses full.

But when the day comes that 4R needs the rickhouse space than Bulleit is out on the streets, which hasn't occurred yet.

[sku]

I'm surprised they haven't started advertising Bulleit as "aged at Stitzel-Weller." Maybe that's a premium bottling to come.

[ThomasH]

I think this will eventually lead to the distillery reopening to full scale production!

Thomas

[Bourbon Boiler]

Assuming Bulleit starts distilling even a small amount, do you think Michters and Bulleit will make an attempt to be part of the KY Bourbon Trial? I know BT didn't think it was worthwhile, and Barton's isn't moving in that direction, but I would think even if they can draw a few people for a few years it might re-kindle some interest in the labels.

[cowdery]

The relationship between Four Roses and Diageo is contractual. The production contract was part of the sale. The amount of whiskey Four Roses 'owes' Diageo under the contract goes down each year. Likewise each year the ratio of aged to new make goes down, so less of what they get is aged and more is new make. This sort of contract is very common when a brand or distillery is sold. It was intended to give Diageo time to make other arrangement, not as a permanent production agreement.

At this point, everything is new make.

This is why it has taken so long for 4R to roll out nationally, because as the amount they have to send to Diageo goes down, that frees up more whiskey for them to use for their own products.

Sources at 4R and Kirin also tell me, but only off the record, that the volume Bulleit sells is much greater than the volume Four Roses sells to them, so they're definitely putting non-4R whiskey in Bulleit. I also know, from good sources, that Diageo is buying about 3 million proof gallons a year of new make from other distilleries, besides 4R. That's not just for I. W. Harper.

Diageo, for its part, insists that every drop of Bulleit Bourbon is distilled at 4R.

Unfortunately, Thomas, this probably will not lead to the distillery reopening to full scale production.

[cowdery]

Assuming Bulleit starts distilling even a small amount, do you think Michters and Bulleit will make an attempt to be part of the KY Bourbon Trial? I know BT didn't think it was worthwhile, and Barton's isn't moving in that direction, but I would think even if they can draw a few people for a few years it might re-kindle some interest in the labels.

Yes, I believe both Bulleit/SW and Michter's will become part of the official bourbon trail. Diageo is a KDA member in good standing and I believe Michter's/Chatham either has joined or intends to.

[Bourbon Boiler]

Yes, I believe both Bulleit/SW and Michter's will become part of the official bourbon trail. Diageo is a KDA member in good standing and I believe Michter's/Chatham either has joined or intends to.

My annual trip will be a little different every year. I'd like to see S-W.

[cowdery]

I have no idea what they've done. It might totally suck. The word "Experience" in the name seems like a bad sign. But it could be really cool too.

[callmeox]

To be authentic, the Bulleit experience is just a PC connected to a webcam showing the still at Four Roses.

[Bourbon Boiler]

To be authentic, the Bulleit experience is just a PC connected to a webcam showing the still at Four Roses.

[cowdery]

I should have said before that I hope I'm wrong about them distilling there. I don't see it happening, but I could be wrong. I can also imagine them doing a Woodford, putting in a distillery that seems commercial scale but which they will always mix with something else.

I also should have said that 4R's intention at the end of the current production contract is not to renew it, not that it was ever imagined that that would, so they can devote their production entirely to their own brands. You have to figure the "contract" price is also not as profitable as their own brand's sales.

I suspect, though I do not have any evidence for this, it's pure speculation, that Brown-Forman is making Bulliet white dog for them, i.e., using the high rye mash bill. As for the yeast, Seagram's always talked about its yeasts being proprietary and Kirin is obviously using those yeasts, but Diageo in the sale may have retained the right to use them too. If not, you could probably come very close with an off-the-shelf yeast. Remember too that LDI, also formerly Seagram's, is using that yeast. Proprietary doesn't mean exclusive.

Anyway, I know that a couple of years ago, Diageo was buying about a million gallons a year each from BF, Beam and Barton. I have to believe they're still buying at least that much, probably more, maybe from those three, maybe not, but any of them have the where-with-all to make the Bulleit recipe. Brown-Forman is the most desirable simply because they have a lot of excess capacity and they're so close they could practically run a hose between the two plants.

But I'm happy about this because if they're using SW as a brand-supporting tourism asset, they're going to keep the roof patched and the grass mowed, and they will be preserving and making available to the public an authentic and important landmark in whiskey history, even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with Bulleit.

[ThomasH]

Whatever they end up doing with S-W, I would much rather have the option to be on the inside of the fence and check the place out than be on the outside wondering what the place is like!

Thomas

[T Comp]

Whatever they end up doing with S-W, I would much rather have the option to be on the inside of the fence and check the place out than be on the outside wondering what the place is like!

Thomas

Amen to that!!!! (well maybe not quite 4 exclamation points excited but I need 16 characters :grin: )

[dgonano]

When I toured Cox's Creek last August, there were three sample bottles for quality tasting. One was a sweet mash used for start-up. Another was Bulleit. The third was Diageo whiskey. So the Bulleit and Diageo are different whiskies.

I was also told just recently that the warehouses are about 90% or so full. This is the max as they always need some room for current production.

[cowdery]

When I toured Cox's Creek last August, there were three sample bottles for quality tasting. One was a sweet mash used for start-up. Another was Bulleit. The third was Diageo whiskey. So the Bulleit and Diageo are different whiskies.

I was also told just recently that the warehouses are about 90% or so full. This is the max as they always need some room for current production.

What is "Diageo whiskey" and what does the statement "Bulleit and Diageo are different whiskies" mean? Diageo is a corporation, not a brand. Bulleit is a brand owned by Diageo. Please try again, Dave.

[dgonano]

There was a sample bottle labeled Diageo. I assume they make some blending whiskey for Diageo under contract. And also there was a bottle labeled Bulleit. So they must be different. These were unaged whiskies coming in by tanker.

[cowdery]

Diageo's Bulleit is a particular combination of Four Roses Bourbons, using the high rye mash bill. It's impossible to speculate what the bottle labeled "Diageo" contained. Not sure what you're trying to convey otherwise.

I would assume new make arrives at Cox's Creek in tankers since there is no distillery there.

[MacinJosh]

Wow, very exciting Chuck! I would love a chance to tour the old distillery.

Josh

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bourbonv]

Some time ago, I helped the design crew pick items from the archive to use in the displays for their "educational displays" in the main office building. I feel they did a nice job on the displays, Tom's office and tasting room. That does not mean that there aren't a few "marketing" facts (wrong information presented to make the brand story)" in the display, but many fewer than I expected. On the whole they got it right and it is a very appealing tour. They were talking about carrying the project further and do something with the old cooper's shop, but I have not heard that they have done that yet. I hope they do because the cooper's shop is awesome.

Mike Veach

[Bourbon Boiler]

It owuld be nice to see the cooperage - even if it's not operating as one. I've considered touring IS or BF, but never found time to do it. Seeing SW and a cooperage at the same time would be a no-brainer.

[bourbonv]

The cooperage shop was for repairing leaky barrels, not making new ones. It is still a nice little building and there are some neat cooperage tools. They made chisels out of old bolts and the cooper's tools are probably 100 years old or more. I suspect they came from the Old Stitzel Distillery on Main Street.

Mike

[cowdery]

The last thing on the Independent Stave tour in Lebanon is a cooper demonstrating how they repair barrels, which I had never seen before and which is very interesting.

How barrels are repaired before they are filled and how they are repaired with whiskey in them are two different things. We're talking about the former. These days, barrel quality is so high leakers are pretty much a thing of the past, so post-fill repairs are rarely needed.

[tmckenzie]

I had a nice leak spring today on a 53 right out of the blue. Got it stopped though.

[cowdery]

I had a nice leak spring today on a 53 right out of the blue. Got it stopped though.

How? Enlighten us.