Whiskey House was founded in 2022 by David Mandell, John Hargrove, and Daniel Linde. Together, the trio built the Bardstown Bourbon Company, a distillery that broke new ground in its transparency around the sourced liquid used for its bottlings and which is now on the cusp of releasing the first whiskeys made with its own spirit.

According to its founders, Whiskey House will be the first distillery in the USA purpose built for large-scale flexible contract whiskey production, with no intention to produce its own brands.

“Whiskey House will reshape the contract whiskey market in the United States,” said co-founder and CEO Mandell. “As the bourbon market continues to grow, we see the need for additional distilling capacity and more customer-focused solutions. We will provide the highest-quality production, guaranteed capacity, and exceptional customer service for our brand partners.”

The development plan for Whiskey House includes 16 traditional rickhouses each, with capacity for 41,500 barrels, a 50,000 square-foot palletised warehouse, a spent-grain processing facility, and a bottling facility. Its distilling and processing equipment will be produced by Vendome Copper & Brass WOrks and will include 14 33,000-gallon closed-top fermenters and a 48-inch custom still.

The company plans to begin operations with an annual capacity of more than seven million proof gallons (112,000 barrels), with plans to double this in 2027. It will also implement the use of artificial intelligence to help improve production yields, provide real-time updates to customers, and support sustainability initiatives.

Hargrove, president and COO, said: “Whiskey House sets a high bar for advanced manufacturing in the whiskey industry. We’re making major investments in the technological capabilities of the distillery that will immediately make Whiskey House the most advanced contract whiskey production facility in the United States.”