A New Distillery Foregoes a Master Distiller

A given distillery’s master distiller often has a difficult challenge before them: how best can you innovate while also respecting the organization’s history? Different master distillers have answered this question in different ways. But one new addition to Kentucky’s whiskey landscape is taking a different approach: opting out of having a master distiller altogether.

That distillery is Garrard County Distilling Co., an independent operation that arrived on the scene early last year. This week, Garrard County debuted its flagship whiskey: the All Nations Kentucky Straight Bourbon, which retails for $39.95 per bottle. According to the distillery’s website, there are also small batch and single barrel variations for bourbon fans seeking something a little more specialized.

Garrard County’s approach to selecting the whiskey included asking a panel of experts to weigh in. The distillery cited the panel’s “decades of experience” at places like “Jim Beam, Barton, MGP and Bluegrass” — and as All Nations begins to circulate, we’ll see if this approach resonates with drinkers.

According to the distillery’s announcement, the five- to seven-year-old whiskey blended in All Nations comes from “existing stocks from acclaimed distilleries across the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.” (Cue the speculation on Reddit’s whiskey forums any minute now.)

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As for this bourbon’s name, it’s intended as a jab at the hatchet-wielding temperance advocate Carrie Nation. Search through enough vintage bar signs and you’re likely to find one reading “All Nations Welcome — Except Carrie,” a phrase with a long history. Will All Nations Kentucky Straight Bourbon make its mark across the U.S.? We’ll see.