The late Peter T. Loftin of Miami, Florida, is a preeminent innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2014, Loftin founded the Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky and forever transformed the landscape of custom whiskey production in the United States. Production began a couple years later and in 2016 and he was among the first to take advantage of modernized Bourbon tourism laws in Kentucky, creating a world-class restaurant and bar that graciously features every distillery’s brand on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour as well as an enviable vintage spirits lounge.
Peter T. Loftin life was celebrated as he was inducted into the 2024 class of the Kentucky Hall of Fame. His two sons Jagger and Jett were on hand to accept the award on their father’s behalf.
Watch the video to hear all about how Peter Loftin got into the distilling business and changed it forever.
- Introduction by Kentucky Distillers’ Association President Eric Gregory
- Hear from Master Distiller and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally
- BBC President and CEO Mark Erwin talks about how Pete made a $2 million investment in MGP whiskey and turned that into a new way to make and sell whiskey.
- Pete’s two sons Jagger and Jett were on hand to accept this prestigious award on behalf of their father who passed away in 2019.
“Pete bought $2 million worth of whiskey as a commodity investment out of MGP in Indiana,” explained Bardstown Bourbon Co. President and CEO Mark Erwin. “It’s good whiskey, they do make good whiskey up there at MGP, many of us have used it before. That was strictly as an investment, he saw what a great investment it was, and he said why isn’t someone doing this in Kentucky?
“That’s when he hired Steve Nally, David Mandell as many of you know to come and get this amazing facility started. And then Steve said, the core piece was helping others bring their products to the market and doing custom distillation for others. It was truly a game changer in the industry. A few of these brands have actually grown up in our distillery, started in our distillery and then sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Master Distiller and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Member explained that Peter Loftin was all about transparency from day one. “When we do a tour at the distillery… you get a view of what’s going in the distillery. You get a taste of the product from the get-go. You go into the stillhouse you glass in the cooker, glass in the still, you see recipes up on the board to see who we are making [whiskey] for. You get a true transparent vision of what’s going on in the facility. You are transparent all the way through.”
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The 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Welcomes Peter T. Loftin – Bardstown Bourbon Company
The late Peter T. Loftin, 61, Miami. A preeminent innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Loftin founded the Bardstown Bourbon Company that transformed the landscape of custom whiskey production in 2014. He was among the first to take advantage of modernized Bourbon tourism laws in Kentucky, creating a world-class restaurant and bar that graciously features every distillery’s brand on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour as well as an enviable vintage spirits lounge. Along with the state-of-the-art distillery, this high-value Napa Valley-style experience greatly raised the bar for Bourbon tourism and collaborative distilling. He died peacefully at his home in 2019.
Peter Terrell Loftin was born in Denton, North Carolina and grew up in New Bern, North Carolina where he attended school and later attended North Carolina State University.
Pete was a big guy with an even bigger heart who was known for his giving spirit, contagious laughter and his energetic charisma. He was a forward-thinking, industry-leading businessman, a loving father, and a passionate philanthropist.
Loftin made his mark in the telecommunications industry after the Bell telephone monopoly break up. In 1983, he founded the Raleigh, N.C. based Business Telecom Inc. (BTI) leading it through a successful expansion to become one of the nation’s top telecom companies as well as the largest private employer in the city. Loftin is credited as the pioneer of flat-rate pricing for long-distance in the telecom industry.
Business North Carolina Magazine named Loftin “North Carolina Entrepreneur of the Year.” In addition, the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association awarded him the “Corporate Citizen of the Year Award” for generously providing free Internet services to people with disabilities in rural schools throughout North Carolina.
Pete Loftin was also widely known for his purchase of the Versace Mansion in 2000 and creating Casa Casuarina in Miami Beach, Florida. He used this opportunity to give back to the community by gifting the magical Casa Casuarina venue for more than 30 significant charities, as well as creating a unique, high-end Boutique Hotel and Club.
He was also a founder of GlobeSecNine (now known as Torch Hill Investment Partners), to provide growth capital to companies involved in the defense and intelligence industry. He also founded CM3 Group, a counter-terrorism contracting company.
His preeminent achievement was the founding of Bardstown Bourbon Company, a modern distillery that transformed the landscape of custom whiskey production in 2014. Bardstown Bourbon Company quickly grew to become one of the largest distilleries in the United States through its Collaborative Distilling Program. Loftin’s vision spawned a new-to-the-world way to develop brands and create a long-term supply of authentic Kentucky bourbon and rye. In addition, BBCo’s Napa Valley-style experience features a world-class restaurant, bar, and visitors center alongside their state-of-the-art distillery. All of this combined to forge the “Modern Bourbon Experience”, now being emulated by so many others.
Loftin was very generous with his philanthropy, which started with his own charity, “Coats for Kids,” that he launched while in his early 20’s. His giving and charity activities included the BTI Center for the Performing Arts, North Carolina Museum of Science, Oak Ranch Facility for Troubled Teens, Special Operations Fund (SOF), Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Airborne Special Operations Museum.
Peter Loftin, age 61, passed away peacefully at his home in North Miami Beach, Florida on November 16, 2019.
Learn more about Bardstown Bourbon Company.
View all Bardstown/Nelson County Distilleries.
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