Bourbon Pursuit 333 - Chasing the Butterfly of Blue Run with Mike Montgomery and Tim Sparapani
Now I have to admit, I remember the first time I heard of Blue Run Spirits and I had my reservations. Who were these guys with some 13 year old sourced product, a Nike shoe designer creating the packaging, the likes of Jim Rutledge putting his name to it, and they are charging over $150 a bottle!? A lot of those reservations began to disappear after I tasted their bourbon. It was really good. And then, the awards started piling up. Blue Run Spirits has been on a sprint more-so than run after launching in 2020. I'm joined by Mike Montgomery and Tim Sparapani, both co-founders of Blue Run, to talk about this journey and how they hit a turning point when people couldn't stop talking about their products. We talk about working with Jim Rutledge, moving from high aged to younger whiskeys, and how they are meeting a new demand in the market.
Show Partners:
- Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com.
- Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more.
- Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com.
- You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now.
- Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com.
- Total Wine and More is wonderland for wine, spirits, and beer lovers! Explore more in store or online at TotalWine.com.
- Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com.
Show Notes:
- This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the secondary market.
- How did your whiskey journey begin?
- Where did your two worlds collide?
- Why bourbon?
- Tell us how you went about sourcing your product.
- How many barrels were your buying in the beginning?
- Tell us about your packaging. How did you land on the butterfly?
- How was it working with Jim Rutledge?
- What was the turning point?
- Are you concerned about selling younger aged products?
- Talk about your pricing strategy.
- What are you working on at Bardstown Bourbon Company?
- @bluerunspirits
- Support this podcast on Patreon
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