415 - The Story Behind Wyoming Whiskey with David DeFazio

If you're looking for a bourbon that has been crafted by arguably the best distiller of wheated bourbon and blended by the most respected nose in the industry, then you're looking for Wyoming Whiskey. The story of how Wyoming Whiskey got started is fascinating and that's why I invited David DeFazio, one of the original Co-Founders, to come on the show and share how an idea of starting a winery turned into a distillery that failed on their first release, crawled its way back to greatness. David shares the story of buying a Vendome still but not having a distiller and took Steve Nally, the man responsible for decades of wheated bourbon production at Maker's Mark and now serving as the Master Distiller at Bardstown bourbon Company, out of retirement to be the person who would set them up for amazing whiskey for years to come. But, that's not all, David and his team also got Nancy Fraley to come in and be the person who would take their releases to the next level. Plus, stick around to the end to hear about some rye distillation fun.

Show Notes:

• Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about stonefruit
• What got you into whiskey and how did you carve your path in this industry?
• What did you want to come away with when you visited the Kentucky Bourbon Festival trying to start this business?
• What did you think Wyoming could offer to the whiskey landscape?
• How did you get connected to Steve Nally?
• When you started did you feel there was going to be a demand for bourbon?
• Did you tell Steve Nally what kind of bourbon to create?
• What's the climate like for aging?
• Where did the relationship with Nancy Fraley start?
• What was your sales plan?
• How did you win people back when you failed in your first release?
• Did Edrington try to make things super luxury after the acquisition?
• Was there a reason that the backstory and founders haven't been on the forefront of the brand story?
• @wyomingwhiskey
• Support this podcast on Patreon

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