For Bourbon Heritage Month, I had the pleasure of chatting with the Founder & Chief Strategist of Jefferson’s Bourbon, Trey Zoeller, about the state of the bourbon industry and interesting projects he’s working on.
And he said some really interesting stuff…
In this summary, you’ll discover:
- Why Jefferson’s blends their bourbon (and the often overlooked pros of doing so)
- Trey’s theory on the ongoing rise of the bourbon industry – I think his answer is very interesting
- What’s next for Jefferson’s
Note: this write-up is a summary of our conversation–responses aren’t verbatim.
Bourbon Heritage Month Interview with Trey Zoeller of Jefferson’s Bourbon
1. The Story Behind Jefferson’s
Trey got into the industry, in large part, because of his Kentucky pride and family history. His grandmother was one of the first women in the whiskey industry and was actually arrested in 1799 for moonshining. Her innovative and fearless mindset inspired Trey.
He launched Jefferson’s in 1997 and was an early adopter of the idea of bourbon blending (sourcing your bourbon and blending it to create a new product). This, in itself, was a risky proposition at the time because people associated blending with Scotch and tend to shy away from blended whiskeys.
To make things even riskier, Trey initially couldn’t even give his whiskey away. He’d bring his product to parties and it would always be the last thing to go. The industry was completely different and bourbon was nowhere near as popular as it is today.
So, why did he pursue blending instead of producing his own product from scratch?
Because he wanted to push boundaries.
As Trey got into the industry, he started wondering why everyone did things the same way. Most companies at the time made similar products in similar ways–most didn’t do any blending.
The answer he always got from others in the industry was “because this was how my dad did it”.
But Trey wanted to see how he could improve the great products already on the market.
So, as he got started, he went around to eight different distilleries to buy whiskey from them.
He built a big inventory of really high-quality 6-8-year-old bourbons and began blending.
This allowed him to try tons of experiments with different blends, aging techniques (including aging at sea), and more.
This eventually led to the Jefferson’s expressions we’ve come to know and love.
2. The Case for Blending
Even today in the midst of the bourbon boom, many enthusiasts are still hesitant to purchase blended whiskeys.
But Trey made some great points about what blending allows you to do.
First and foremost, blending allows you to start with really high-quality products. Assuming you purchase great, well-aged bourbons, you get to work with stuff that’s already really good.
Then, as a blender, you get to try new ways to improve on what’s already there.
Another great point Trey made was the fact that blending allows you to create a consistent tasting experience–meaning you can get the same notes from the nose all the way through to the finish.
And lots of standard bourbons can have wildly inconsistent experiences.
So, all-in-all, blending can enable you to have more control over what your final product ends up tasting like.
3. Trey’s Theory on the Bourbon Boom
Bourbon has grown at ridiculous rates since about 2010. Before that, it was on a steady 30+ year decline.
Trey suspects this rise in popularity is due primarily to advances in technology. He thinks the rise of the smartphone and the accessibility of information has led to people researching and sharing bourbon with each other.
He also mentioned that there’s a “Don Draper” effect at play where people are dusting off old cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.
It has been the perfect storm for the bourbon industry.
Trey loves the enthusiasm. He’s been through periods of not being able to give bourbon away and now people all across America tell him that going to the bourbon trail is on their bucket list.
4. What’s Next for Jefferson’s
Trey mentioned two main things:
1. A tribute whiskey coming out in honor of his grandmother
2. A new release next year that is the culmination of what they’ve learned over 25 years of blending. Trey is super excited about this and thinks it will be a game-changer.
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.