Drew Black - Circle City Whiskey | Building an American Independent Bottler, Sourcing, Blending, Transparency & Why He Doesn't Want to Distill
Off Profile - A Highly Spirited ConversationShow Notes
Drew Black built Circle City Whiskey from the perspective of a whiskey enthusiast first. Before Circle City, Drew ran a large Indianapolis whiskey club focused on barrel selections. That eventually led to private-label releases, a launch that briefly outsold Tito's at one of Indiana's largest liquor chains, and ultimately the idea of bringing the Scotch independent bottler model to American whiskey. We talk about why sourcing became a dirty word in American whiskey, why Drew believes great whiskey at a fair price matters more than where the still is located, and how Circle City approaches transparency without inventing a heritage story. Drew also breaks down how he learned to blend, the months-long process behind the Robusto Blend, his 50/50 Club concept, why he loves working with MGP, how too much information can sometimes work against consumers, and the strange role mystery and lore play in whiskey. We finish with Drew's long-term vision for Circle City, including why he has zero intention of distilling and why he's building the company specifically for whiskey nerds rather than casual drinkers.
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