🎙️ Ep. 140 - OLD 55 DISTILLERY: 100% Indiana Farm to Glass

GUEST: Jason Fruits (Old 55 Distillery CEO & Co-Founder)

Some distillers inherit tradition. Others build their own path from the ground up. In this episode, Drew Hannush sits down with Old 55 Distillery co-founder and distiller Jason Fruits to explore how a family grain business became one of America's most distinctive estate distilleries. From growing the grain to questioning nearly every accepted practice in whiskey making, Jason shares why he believes there are better ways to craft exceptional bourbon—and why being in the middle of Indiana corn country may be his greatest advantage.

In This Episode

• Why "farm-to-glass" changes everything
• The business behind an estate distillery
• Choosing a hybrid still over convention
• Distilling on grain instead of beer
• Why Jason takes such a narrow hearts cut
• Can cool aging outperform Kentucky heat?
• The surprising role of enzymes
• Building a 100% sweet corn bourbon
• Why he calls his whiskey "Ferraris, not Fords"
• How family legacy shaped Old 55

SHOW NOTES: whiskeylore.org/interviews

JOIN THE SPEAKEASY: patreon.com/whiskeylore