Master Distiller Jacob Call Breaks Ground on $30 Million Startup ‘Western Kentucky Distilling Co.’

Master Distiller Jacob Call is celebrating the groundbreaking of his startup Western Kentucky Distilling Co. in Beaver Dam, Ohio County, Kentucky. Jacob Call is an 8th Generation Master Distiller and Kentuckian. Distilling has been in Calls family lineage for centuries now. His family’s distilling history stretches back to the earliest days of bourbon when his ancestor Samuel Call distilled whiskey on his Kentucky farm in the late 1700s.

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Jacob learned his craft from his grandfather and father, both of whom spent many years working at Jim Beam (where his father was mentored by legendary Booker Noe) and his father went on to become Master Distiller at Florida Caribbean Distillers, where Jacob joined the team in 2007.

Jacob became part of Green River Distilling Co. (formerly O.Z. Tyler Distillery) in the fall of 2014 where he oversaw the renovations and restarting of the historic distillery. As master distiller he oversaw all aspects of whiskey production and warehousing for the facility. He also represented the distillery as a board member with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

Call announced he was leaving Green River in July of this year, just a month after the company was acquired by Bardstown Bourbon Company. At the time, he could not talk about where he was headed but now, we know.

Jacob Call to be Master Distiller at Startup Western Kentucky Distilling Co.

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Jacob Call and business partner JD Edwards are celebrating the groundbreaking of their new $30 million Western Kentucky Distilling Co. on November 8, 2022. Edwards is the former controller for Green River Distilling Co.

The Western Kentucky Distilling Co. will be a state-of-the-art distillery. The 100% Kentucky-owned distillery is scheduled to open mid-2023 as the first official legal distillery in Ohio County. It will bring jobs and quality bourbon and rye whiskey to Western Kentucky.

Jacob Call who will serve as COO (among other talents, he was a former banker) and Master Distiller alongside Kentucky native and president JD Edwards. Both Call and Edwards have many years of experience in the distilling industry and will deliver whiskey made with the best ingredients and quality craftsmanship using long-standing traditional distilling techniques.

Western Kentucky Distilling Co. is located at 1880 Old Liberty Church Road in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, in the Bluegrass Crossings Business Center, on land that used to be a farm. Beaver Dam is approximately 1.5 hours Southwest from Bardstown, Kentucky. The 25,000 square foot distillery is on 81 acres and will feature 15 palletized barrel warehouses adding an additional 300,000 square feet.

The distillery will have the capacity to distill 50,000 barrels of whiskey per year and store 250,000 barrels. Within the first two years, the distillery is expected to bring approximately 35 jobs to the region.

Initial Focus Will Be on Bulk Spirits with Brands to Follow

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The initial focus at the distillery will be on bulk spirits production and aging of barrels for other spirits brands. Call said that sales so far have been strong, and they have already sold the first year’s production capacity and then some. Not bad for a business whose initial pour of concrete is still green.

The Western Kentucky Distilling Co. team has deep roots in Kentucky, and is committed to bringing quality bourbon and rye whiskey to Western Kentucky, a region with deep bourbon history. At one point, the Owensboro area was second in whiskey production for the state after Louisville’s Jefferson County, Kentucky, home to brands like Brown-Forman and Heaven Hill.

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Production Includes a 36” Vendome Copper & Brass Works 38’ Tall Column Still

In addition to being 100% Kentucky owned, key team members have long-standing family history in the state. The team is proud to support the Kentucky economy by purchasing all cooking, fermenting, and distilling equipment in the state. The distillery will focus on sour mash bourbon and rye. The workhorse in the distillery will be a Vendome Copper & Brass Works 36” wide by 38’ tall all copper column still with 19 trays. Running in parallel to the column will be a 660-gallon copper doubler. Not only does Call have a long-standing relationship with Vendome but this father before him was a long-time Vendome customer as well.

The column will be fed by a collection of 15 15,000-gallon fermentation tanks built by Louisville Exchanger & Vessel.

The rickhouses that will store the bourbon and rye whiskey will be standard black metal clad buildings. Inside the barrels are expected to be palletized with six barrel per pallet and placed six pallets high. Call said they will be running exhaust fans throughout the day to make sure they get plenty of air circulation throughout the warehouses.

“From the best ingredients to an ideal climate for aging, Kentucky is known worldwide as the best place for making whiskey,” said Call. “As someone who’s family goes back eight generations in both Kentucky and distilling, I’m proud to be a partner and to help build the new Western Kentucky Distilling Co. At the distillery, we’re celebrating all things Kentucky from our ingredients and equipment to our 100% Kentucky ownership. We look forward to opening next year.”

The distillery will focus on contract distilling to start, with signature brands that will be announced at a later date as well as a visitor’s center down the road.

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The distillery plans to use all locally grown Kentucky corn and will be experimenting with some locally grown rye. Call said they are proud to support the local community and the state of Kentucky.

Western Kentucky Distilling Co. is scheduled to begin 24×7 distilling operations by mid-2023.

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