Barrel House craft distillers Jeff Wiseman (left), Pete Wright and Frank Marino. photo by: Robbie Clark.

One of the Bourbon business facts of life is that a bourbon distiller must be patient. While brewing small barrels of bourbon (5 gallons) can lead to a suitable product in as short a time as six months, the larger batches take years to become Kentucky Bourbon.

So what does a bourbon distiller do while waiting?

Make vodka.

Barrel House Distilling Company was launched in 2006. Their first product, a byproduct of making Bourbon, hit the shelves recently and is now  available across the state:  Pure Blue Vodka.

Barrel House meanwhile sits patiently for seven or eight years while their Barrel House Bourbon ages. A Barrel House “honey rum” (aged in Bourbon barrels) will be ready in about a year.

Barrel House Distilling Company, a member of Local First Lexington, has been in conversation with Kentucky farmers about the possibility of using Kentucky corn in the future; while it’s not feasible at the time, Wright said the ultimate goal is to “have everything local.” Right now, the entire process – from fermenting the mash with yeast to bottling and labeling the final product – is conducted by Wiseman, Marino and Wright in the Barrel House Distillery, whose name derives from its former use as the barrel house for the 18-acre James Pepper Distillery, which was at one time one of the largest and most well known distilleries in the country.

And their location — about 2,000 square feet of the Pepper Distillery’s old barrel house — could become part of a larger development and tourism draw. Barry McNees, who owns the distillery’s land, is seeking help from the government to secure financing to renovate the area and install a museum, shops, sidewalks, trolleys and lighting in the area he calls the Distillery District along Manchester Street.

Barrel House Distillers will be making appearances at as many local events as possible (including May’s A Taste of the Bluegrass). For more information, to schedule a tasting, or to inquire about having Barrel House represented at your event, call (859) 259-0159, email: barrelhousedistillery@yahoo.com

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