362 - 25 Years of Jefferson’s Bourbon with Trey Zoeller

If you saw a market that was a sinking ship, would you jump on board? That was bourbon 25 years ago when clear spirits were winning. Trey Zoeller joins the show once again to reflect on the past 25 years. We dive into what it was like trying to break into a community that didn't want newcomers and the hurdles that came along with it. Not to mention, how he could get great barrels of bourbon for a steal because no one wanted them. Lastly, we talk about the lightbulb moment of Ocean that has truly become his signature on the industry and if we will ever see Jefferson's Space Aged. Show Notes: Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about looking for flavors on white dog You were 28 years old when you started Jefferson's in 1997, tell us about that time. How did you know that there was a bunch of aged whiskey sitting around to buy? What was is like trying to sell whiskey between 1997 and 2002? Did you ever think about closing up shop and quit selling whiskey? Were you welcome to whiskey festivals? Why did Brown Forman and Heaven Hill send you a cease and desist? What hurdles did you have with sourcing early on and how did you get ahead of it? How did you handle the call when it came to buying the 17yr Stitzel-Weller barrels? When did you realize you were running out of 17yr barrels and you had to do something different? Tell us the background on Ocean and the lightbulb moment At any given time, how many barrels do you have at sea or on river? How many voyages are you up to now? When can we expect Jefferson's Space Aged? @jeffersonsbourbon Support this podcast on Patreon