Building a new distillery and brand from the ground up is not for the faint of heart. It takes hard work, planning, time and money (lots and lots of money).
In September 2022, Denny Potter, the former General Manager and Master Distiller at Maker’s Mark Distillery and Jane Bowie, the former Head of Innovation & Blending at Maker’s announced that they would be leaving the now 70+ year old brand to start something new. What that ‘something’ was, was a well-kept secret for several months until they officially announced the launch of J & D Distilling Company in October of 2022. That name was pulled off a tab on an Excel spreadsheet but would suffice for a while. A few months later the duo announced they were going to have a groundbreaking where they would share renderings and a new name for their startup distillery in Springfield, Kentucky.
365 Days from Groundbreaking to Still Delivery and Installation Day
On September 13, 2023, Potter and Bowie held a Field Party to celebrate their groundbreaking and to introduce the world to Potter Jane Distilling Company. The new distillery is located in Springfield, about 18 miles from Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World. They are not the first distillers in Springfield. Their neighbors include expansion sites for two other well-known whiskey brands including Michter’s Distillery and Willett Distillery. The three distillers combined account for some 600 contiguous acres.
Potter and Bowie announced they were having a small gathering on September 13, 2024, to celebrate the arrival and installation of their new Vendome Copper & Brass Works 36” diameter x 39’ tall copper column still. And hiding under the shrink wrap is a doubler-custom 600 gallon copper pot with whiskey style tapered stack and goose neck elbow.
En route to the distillery it was a miserable day. It was chilly for a summer day, pouring rain and foggy. Oh joy! Would the installation actually happen? Well, by the time we arrived the rain had dissipated, and the weather forecast was improving. By the time the 18-wheeler carrying the still from Louisville to Springfield arrived the sky cleared up, the sun popped out and it was all systems go!
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You’ve Come a Long Way Baby
It’s amazing how far along this distillery has come in just one year. Selecting the right contractors makes a huge difference. During last year’s groundbreaking it was a gravel lot. This year it looked like a distillery filled with fermentation tanks, cookers, beer wells and now a newly delivered copper column still.
The new distillery is a linear design where grains come in on one end, get milled, fermented, distilled and then spent grains and white dog come out the other side. From the inside if you look up, you’ll see a row of windows in a raised roof area to make it feel like you are standing inside a whiskey rickhouse. It’s a simple yet very elegant design
“Our goal is to make really great bourbon that we want to drink.” Jane Bowie
When Will Distillation Begin at Potter Jane Distilling Company?
Potter and Bowie say that the distillery is expected to be completed in late December 2024 with distillation starting in January 2025. Add it all up and this distillery is expected to go from farmland to operational in about 15 months. Once operational the distillery will be producing about 160 barrels of bourbon, rye and American whiskey per day.
Related Stories
– Introducing ‘Potter Jane Distilling Company’ – A $50 Million Startup by Spirits Industry Veterans Denny Potter and Jane Bowie [Renderings] – September 2023
– Former Maker’s Mark Head of Blending Jane Bowie and Master Distiller Denny Potter Announce ‘J & D Distilling’ – October 2022
– Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Denny Potter and Head of Blending Jane Bowie are Leaving the Distillery for a New Venture – August 2022
– Watch Jane Bowie and Denny Potter Share the Inside Scoop of the New ‘Potter Jane Distilling Company’ [VIDEO]
Learn more about Potter Jane Distilling Company.
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