wadewood Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I know the other thread got out of control and was closed, but this is Chip's 1st official interview since court, so thought worth posting - http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/10/19/balcones-founder-chip-tate-speaks-freely/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Yes, that was worth posting, thanks Wade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I hope things work out for Chip and Balcones. Glad he is finally getting to tell his side of the story. I bet the owners of Willet are looking to this as a great justification of their policy to not take on debt (or outside investors, as far as I know) to grow their brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey Manthey Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Let's wait until Capn Jimbo comments on this, lest we too hastily agree that there are two sides to every story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Let's wait until Capn Jimbo comments on this, lest we too hastily agree that there are two sides to every story.Blanton's out my nose. Got to learn NOT to sip while reading SB. It's your fault, Trey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Let's wait until Capn Jimbo comments on this, lest we too hastily agree that there are two sides to every story.Really? Do we have to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Pollito Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) ...and there it is. Edited October 21, 2014 by p_elliott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Shhhhhh....Don't tell anyone else about this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmeox Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Thread is again open for business. Please be respectful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravensfire Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) Glad to see Chip is able to make his case in public now. The part about entering mediation was nice to see. I doubt anyone will leave happy, it gives a chance for peaceful resolution.EDIT: Ouch - just saw Jimbo's comment in the WhiskyAdvocate article. Edited October 21, 2014 by Ravensfire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I too am glad Chip now has a voice, whether limited or not. I also like a good legal battle because there most definitely are two sides to every story, especially when lawyers are involved. We'll just have to wait and see how things unfold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danz Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Chuck is right: some things are best left ignored. Chip's comments are interesting. I still don't know what is really going on, though. My guess is: neither entirely one side's or the other's account is entirely on the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 My guess is the path to enlightenment is marked with dollar signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) I also admire Fred's blogging efforts in this mess - getting stuff from all sides (surely, there are more than two) and reporting as objectively as one can.edit - Fred Minnick, of course. Edited October 21, 2014 by Harry in WashDC clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Yes, the third side of the story generally ends up being the closest to the truth. Good point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Reading some of the WA reader comments makes me feel bad for the non-investment types that work at Balcones. These folk are likely very passionate about their product and internet posters are all "burn this mother down" without regard to them. Plus it devalues their hard work and contributions to the product. Chip leaving would make me hesitant to buy more Balcones, but it's because I don't like how the investors handled this situation, not because I think the folks distilling and blending will fail to create great products. Anyway, sad situation all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Based solely on the way they have bungled this whole train wreck, you can add my name to the 'will never buy another one of their products list'. Cap'n Jimbo sealed the deal for me... I hope they lose their asshats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Methinks this doesn't end well for all concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjbeggs Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 As others have said, the truth usually lies somewhere between "He said" and "she said".I'm saddened to see Chip likely lose what he worked hard to build, especially with so many subpar craft "distillers" making a buck.This seems like a case of too much success, too soon, ruining something great. I would have loved to see what Balcones, under Chip's leadership (at least as the master distiller) could have done over the next several years.I'll be keeping one bottle of Texas Single malt unopened for a while at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcones Winston Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Reading some of the WA reader comments makes me feel bad for the non-investment types that work at Balcones. These folk are likely very passionate about their product and internet posters are all "burn this mother down" without regard to them. Plus it devalues their hard work and contributions to the product. Chip leaving would make me hesitant to buy more Balcones, but it's because I don't like how the investors handled this situation, not because I think the folks distilling and blending will fail to create great products. Anyway, sad situation all around.Thanks for this. It can be disheartening sometimes when people ignore the fact that there are 14 other people at this distillery who are not only a part of the product, but unwillingly flung into this situation. Thankfully, things at the distillery are running smooth and morale is good. Take that for what you will.Cheers, y'all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunnelTiger Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Good luck to you Winston and your team members Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvd99 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Winston - I feel for you and the other distillery workers. You all probably have no dog in the fight but have to deal with all of the fallout every day which is a crappy situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Thanks for this. It can be disheartening sometimes when people ignore the fact that there are 14 other people at this distillery who are not only a part of the product, but unwillingly flung into this situation. Thankfully, things at the distillery are running smooth and morale is good. Take that for what you will.Cheers, y'allNo problem. Best peanut gallery advice I can give is to keep your heads down and keep on doing what you're doing. There's nothing you can do to keep yourselves from being politicized, so you might as well concentrate on making great whiskey. Every media story has a shelf life, and this too shall pass. I don't work at Balcones, so I don't know who the "culprit" is, if there even is one. I do know that Once this is over with, great whiskey will continue to speak for itself. In light of that, I think I speak for every rational whiskey anorak when I say that we all wish you the best and want you 14 to succeed, even if we are frustrated to see what's going on at the top levels of Balcones, regardless of who may actually be at fault.Cheers,Eric Edited October 22, 2014 by garbanzobean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCWoody Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Keep your head up, and take it one day at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebo Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) My grandfather always said: "there are 3 sides to every story and truth lies somewhere in the third. And you're lucky if you get to hear 2 of them." Edited October 23, 2014 by ebo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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