THIS IS THE WAY WE MAKE WHISKEY IN KENTUCKY, FOR WHICH WE WILL NOT APOLOGIZE.

We were instructed in the arts of sour mash and swore to maintain this Kentucky whiskey making tradition. But we came to see it as more than simply a mashing technique. We view the entire process of making whiskey in the classical Kentucky method, every step of the way, as part of that regimen. Sour mashing—the reincorporation of a portion of a prior fermentation (after distillation)—is only the best known step. Other important precepts of Kentucky-style whiskey include open fermentation; the permitting of co-fermentation by a microflora distinct to each distillery (with the addition of distiller’s yeast); distillation on the grain in a column beer still; and the use of a continuous doubler for a second distillation. We came to learn this process as a holistic regimen—the Kentucky Regimen of whiskey making. From it became a conviction for us, that not only is this Kentucky’s unique whiskey tradition, but it’s also a fantastic way to make any whiskey, every bit as good as the processes of Scotland and elsewhere. The Kentucky Regimen is unique to our state, and we rigorously uphold it.