In another sign of the shifting winds in the sourced whiskey industry, The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today announced Elizabethtown’s Whiskey House of Kentucky (Whiskey House) as the newest member of the influential non-profit trade group.
Founded in 2021 by industry veterans David Mandell, John Hargrove and Daniel Linde, Whiskey House is a fully-automated distillery designed from the ground up to produce custom whiskey for its exclusive contract customers.
Since beginning operations on July 1, 2024, Whiskey House has produced more than 50,000 barrels, 20 different mashbills and more than 50 unique recipes at their 176-acre campus in the T.J. Patterson Elizabethtown – Hardin County Industrial Park.
“We could not be more excited to join the KDA and help further the Association’s important mission to promote America’s native spirit and advance our industry and the critical role it plays in our nation’s economy,” says co-founder and CEO David Mandell.
“We are pushing the bounds of innovation with the newest and most advanced distillery in the nation,” adds Mandell. “Because we’re closed to the public, will never have our own brands, and do not compete with our customers in the marketplace, we’re able to focus our complete attention on our customers.”
KDA President Eric Gregory proudly welcomed Whiskey House into the growing KDA family. He said that sophisticated new advanced manufacturing business models like Whiskey House are driving innovation and helping shape the industry.
“It’s amazing to see technological advancements like the ones at Whiskey House that are keeping Kentucky Bourbon at the forefront of spirits innovation,” he says. “Congratulations to David, John, and Daniel who are creating unique opportunities for the world to taste our great whiskey and pouring more revenue into the local Hardin County economy.”
This comes as other major sourcing houses have scaled back their contract distilling in favor of house brands, a move that may not have paid the dividends they imagined.
