Fighting Nazis, Making Whiskey, and Honoring The Men Who Invented Mountain Recreation I 10th Mountain I 41

In the heart of Vail Valley, Ryan Thompson and Sean McNeill run 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Co., a distillery paying tribute to the legendary 10th Mountain Division — soldiers who fought Nazis, came home, and laid the foundation for modern skiing and mountain recreation.

From bartending in small-town Colorado to building a nationally recognized whiskey brand, Ryan and Sean share the grit, hospitality, and entrepreneurial spirit that drive their work — and how honoring history can guide the future of business.

They Talk About:
🔴 Building a whiskey brand from the ground up while staying true to your roots.
🔴 The lessons of service, grit, and perseverance learned from the 10th Mountain Division.
🔴 Why running a business means working in service of something bigger than yourself.
🔴 How Main Street businesses preserve history, culture, and community.
🔴 The hardest lessons learned from failure — and why they pale in comparison to the challenges faced by those who came before them.

Real stories. Real ownership. Real lessons from the field.
This is American Operator.

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Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:08:13
Speaker 1
Hard work. Real talk. No shortcuts. I'm Joseph Cabrera. This is American operator.

00:00:08:13 - 00:00:18:16
Speaker 1
All right, team, we are here still in Colorado. We've been doing this Colorado series, and it just kind of worked out this way. Great American state with two great Americans here right now.

00:00:18:16 - 00:00:36:22
Speaker 1
Ryan and Shaun of 10th Mountain Whiskey. I'll tell you what, man. Kicking off this morning with being in the distillery, seeing how y'all do it, the way it smells. And for folks who don't get to see it very often, I mean, for folks maybe not even from this area. It reminds you of an old military team room, just the way y'all set up the whole thing.

00:00:36:22 - 00:00:39:03
Speaker 1
So, so good to have you both on the show today.

00:00:39:07 - 00:00:41:13
Speaker 3
Yeah, thanks for having us. Appreciate. It was a lot of fun, man.

00:00:41:14 - 00:00:59:09
Speaker 1
Well, I can't also think about something more American than just spirits. Bourbon. You know, making people feel good, and then y'all really. I mean, we're going to dig into how y'all built really a brand around it, especially in rolling around. You said earlier today, like, did the world need another spirits company? And I think because of the brand, I think that's probably what's, you know, carrying the way there.

00:00:59:09 - 00:01:11:19
Speaker 1
But I think before we kick off, I would love to just see like give me a little bit about where y'all are from and then how the heck did y'all get together, you know, with you, you know, founding owning and then being masters, like, how's all that how that all of relationships come together?

00:01:11:22 - 00:01:19:12
Speaker 3
Sure. I'm from Texas originally, so that kind of hit home, I think, for a couple of you, shots from California.

00:01:19:14 - 00:01:20:02
Speaker 2
What part?

00:01:20:02 - 00:01:21:13
Speaker 4
And Riverside.

00:01:21:15 - 00:01:23:04
Speaker 1
Okay. All right.

00:01:23:06 - 00:01:27:12
Speaker 2
The worst part of the arm. So we.

00:01:27:12 - 00:01:29:22
Speaker 3
Met here in Colorado a number of years ago. Shannon.

00:01:29:23 - 00:01:42:23
Speaker 4
Yeah. Yeah. Moved here from Riverside. My dad was in the Air Force, so. Okay. Moved around a ton. But I was in Riverside for about 15 years before. Before I moved here. So now this is home.

00:01:43:01 - 00:01:45:19
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. Came out for the scanner or. No.

00:01:45:20 - 00:01:55:15
Speaker 4
Actually, I had a friend who had moved out here. I was trying to get rid of all my school debt, and he had told me save five grand. And so I came out. His parents were still paying his bills, so.

00:01:55:17 - 00:01:56:22
Speaker 2
I didn't realize I.

00:01:57:02 - 00:02:10:18
Speaker 4
Still his insurance, his rent, his car payment. So that's how he's hungry. But, yeah, I paid off my debt sitter. I started bartending, and I paid off my debt, and I just stayed. I loved it, yeah. So much.

00:02:10:20 - 00:02:14:23
Speaker 1
It's kind of got that draw now. How did you both get together? What was the story there that connected you both together?

00:02:15:04 - 00:02:19:00
Speaker 3
Well, yeah, he was bartending and then I was bartending as well. And then I let him take it from there.

00:02:19:00 - 00:02:38:00
Speaker 4
Yeah, he was bartending at a really great restaurant, with a roommate of mine, and I was working at a sports bar, and they all used to come in there to watch games or after softball or whatever, and that's just how we met. And then throughout the years, we just see each other. And then he started going into business for himself, and I would still see him at the bars.

00:02:38:00 - 00:02:56:07
Speaker 4
I was working at, and he'd always be with these older gentlemen. And I was always like, what was he doing? You know? And I asked him one time and he said, I'm just picking all these guys brains, you know, trying to learn more and more. And then he came into one of the restaurants and he was with an older guy, but he ran over to the bar and he said, can I take you to breakfast tomorrow?

00:02:56:09 - 00:03:17:14
Speaker 4
And I was like, I'm not busy right now. You know what? You can talk to me right now. No, no, no, I need to I need to talk to you. And we met the next morning for breakfast, and he told me that that was his idea was to start a distillery and first he wanted me to run the tasting room because I'd been bartending in the Valley for so long, I knew so many people.

00:03:17:16 - 00:03:39:16
Speaker 4
I was trying to get out of bartending at that age. And, I was just like, God, you guys are going to kill it. I but no, I don't think so. And he was like, what about running the distillery? I said, I have no idea how to do the bullets or whatever, but I'll try. And he said he was going to Moonshine University in Louisville and, that he would send me and he did.

00:03:39:16 - 00:03:42:13
Speaker 4
And now he stuck with me.

00:03:42:15 - 00:03:49:00
Speaker 1
What did you see in him that made you go? I got I think this guy's got the stuff that's going to be the the fulcrum of my business.

00:03:49:00 - 00:04:13:19
Speaker 3
Yeah. I think just, being around town for years and years and just, just the grit that it would take to get something off the ground, and, I underestimated the amount of grit that it would take between he and I both, to get this thing off the ground, but, and just. And obviously he's got the hospitality and his bones as well, and, and willing to learn something new is a big key, factor.

00:04:13:20 - 00:04:31:16
Speaker 3
Being curious, obviously he knew the spirit side and pouring drinks and making cocktails and and that side of things, but, I was manufacturing, is a is a hell of a lot different business. And so, yeah, I think, I don't think either one of us knew exactly what we were getting into at the time, but here we are.

00:04:31:16 - 00:04:31:23
Speaker 3
So.

00:04:32:00 - 00:04:32:19
Speaker 1
Yeah, I mean,

00:04:32:19 - 00:04:53:08
Speaker 1
Hey, y'all. Quick break here at American operator. We believe that small business is the backbone of this country, but more and more Main Street getting swallowed up by big corporations, wall Street or some of them are just shutting down. If you've ever thought about building something of your own, or just being a part of saving the American Dream, head on over to American operator.com.

00:04:53:10 - 00:05:03:21
Speaker 1
It's your one stop shop for inspiration stories, and you'll get to join this really great community of patriots that believe our country still worth fighting for. All right. Back to the show.

00:05:03:21 - 00:05:19:20
Speaker 1
talk to me about how y'all just individually, like, maybe before we get into the, the, the making spirits part here and how 10th mountain in the day to day. What was life growing up like just for each individual Texas. Cali. You know, were y'all outdoors folks? Was this something that even, you know, grazed your spirits?

00:05:19:20 - 00:05:21:19
Speaker 1
Just curious. Like, what was that life like?

00:05:21:22 - 00:05:23:11
Speaker 3
I've been an entrepreneur since I was a kid.

00:05:23:11 - 00:05:24:04
Speaker 1
Okay?

00:05:24:06 - 00:05:31:18
Speaker 3
I had a lemonade stand on steroids. Like, not just lemonade, but, candy and fireworks and and,

00:05:31:22 - 00:05:33:09
Speaker 1
Nobody tell you to do it. You just were like.

00:05:33:09 - 00:05:55:12
Speaker 3
Hey, I just was in me. Yeah. My parents are both entrepreneurs as well. Okay. One aspect or another, and and so but they didn't push it on me at all. But, I just had, entrepreneurship in my bones. As teenage years or, get on a bike and five in the morning go, come the golf course ponds for for golf balls and clean them up and and sell them that same day to the golfers coming into play on Saturday mornings, that kind of thing.

00:05:55:12 - 00:06:04:09
Speaker 3
When I was, what, 11 1213 and I was just was, trying out different things, just different ways to make money doing doing all that. I was a candy man and junior high school.

00:06:04:11 - 00:06:05:04
Speaker 2
I make.

00:06:05:04 - 00:06:06:05
Speaker 1
Some chocolate bars and stuff.

00:06:06:06 - 00:06:08:18
Speaker 2
Yeah, my locker was full of.

00:06:08:20 - 00:06:11:08
Speaker 3
Full of candy and not books, is what it came down to.

00:06:11:12 - 00:06:13:10
Speaker 2
And so, candy was.

00:06:13:10 - 00:06:27:15
Speaker 3
Illegal in the old, junior high school. And so, I was the candy man with all the good candy that people kids would come to. And so I knew how to buy wholesale and sell retail at an early age. And, and so that's always, been been part of my life, certainly growing up.

00:06:27:16 - 00:06:30:23
Speaker 1
Yeah. And you, Sean, entrepreneurial or you had a different way. You ticked.

00:06:31:01 - 00:06:49:17
Speaker 4
Oh, yeah. All I did was play just little league and football and basketball all the time. It changed a little. I lived in Arkansas right before California, and that was just. I mean, you would literally leave the house in the morning. You can come home until the streetlights came on. Yeah, it was just playing the whole time.

00:06:49:19 - 00:07:06:17
Speaker 4
And it wasn't really like that in California. Everything was kind of organized and you had to pay pay to play. Kind of. But, yeah, when I came out here, I was just trying to figure things out. I was a history major in college. That's what I got my degree in. I didn't want to teach. Yeah. I was just like, okay, I'll come.

00:07:06:17 - 00:07:25:03
Speaker 4
I knew somebody who lived out here for a year, a guy I go to high school with and we knew it was fun and all that. And then I just started bartending and the money was so good, and I just kept doing it, doing it. And I kept looking for something else. You know, I looked at real estate, I looked at different things, but nothing seemed interesting to me.

00:07:25:05 - 00:07:38:10
Speaker 4
So this was kind of a lifeline, honestly. I mean, at the age I was at and when he came and talked to me about that, I was like, maybe this is it. And honestly, it's it's still fun to me every day. We've been doing this on.

00:07:38:12 - 00:07:39:00
Speaker 3
12 years.

00:07:39:00 - 00:08:02:15
Speaker 4
Now. Years now. Yeah. And I still there's always something different that comes up. There's always something different that you have to deal with, and that's fun to me. There is a repetitive repetitiveness to the job and that I mean, I can that can wear on you, but I don't know, there's like I said, there's always something different that we're dealing with that, to me still makes it fun to this day.

00:08:02:20 - 00:08:20:16
Speaker 1
Yeah. The art of it all, even even just seeing your hand label things and stuff like that. I know this is a small piece of probably what you're referencing, but I imagine that keeps it interesting day to day. Now, Sean. Ryan, you were in hospitality for this, right? Like this was not, and having a business here in town was not.

00:08:20:16 - 00:08:27:09
Speaker 1
This wasn't your first venture. Can you tell us a little bit about how that how that came to be? What you were doing before you kind of got into.

00:08:27:15 - 00:08:53:15
Speaker 3
Yeah, sure. Making bourbon side of things. Right. First moved down and started bartending around town and did that for four years at a couple different locations. And what, Sean alluded to earlier was, a restaurant called Sweet Basil where, was bartending with his roommate at the time. And then, had an opportunity to, take over a restaurant space in 2002, in West Vail and, so took that over, basically at the same time I was applying to grad school to, JD and MBA degrees.

00:08:53:15 - 00:09:09:16
Speaker 3
And so I was close to, to going back to, to, get another to get a degree and something, else. And then I had an opportunity to start the restaurant and was like, well, I'm just going to stay here and do that with two of my buddies. Not sure if it's going to work out or not, but, 23 years later with that, I guess it's working out.

00:09:09:16 - 00:09:11:02
Speaker 2
So, yeah.

00:09:11:04 - 00:09:12:00
Speaker 1
What kind of restaurant?

00:09:12:06 - 00:09:17:20
Speaker 3
It's a casual American comfort food. Breakfast, lunch? Dinner. Yeah. Really well known for our breakfast and Bloody Marys and whatnot.

00:09:17:20 - 00:09:21:15
Speaker 1
So that's awesome. What was it, a hit right off the bat or did it take.

00:09:21:20 - 00:09:40:05
Speaker 3
It took a couple of years to pick up some speed? We we had some meetings to work out early on as well. We all came from the restaurant background, and we all thought we kind of knew what we were doing. But it's a little different when you actually own it yourself, and, and you get presented with different, challenges and obstacles.

00:09:40:05 - 00:09:58:08
Speaker 3
And so it took a couple of years for us to, to, hit our stride. So. Yeah. And then with those two guys, we started, we bought and sold a couple of the restaurants. And then, was again watching what the craft movement was doing, and, was ready to, give it a shot and reached out to Sean and went out to moonshine.

00:09:58:08 - 00:10:02:10
Speaker 3
You, and then, and so, here we are now.

00:10:02:12 - 00:10:12:11
Speaker 1
So talk to me about y'all both into moonshine. You tell me. Okay, for folks who don't know what that is, what is that? And why was that? It seems like such an important beginning parts of this story.

00:10:12:11 - 00:10:14:07
Speaker 3
Why you want it?

00:10:14:13 - 00:10:38:09
Speaker 4
Definitely. He went and he came back and he told me there's so much information there. And like I said, I had no idea how to make anything talk to, different, distributors when you're managing bars and stuff. And they'll give you little hints here and there, you know, they're selling points or whatever about things. And, you're like, okay, all right.

00:10:38:11 - 00:11:00:03
Speaker 4
But then I went there and it was only a five day course. It was unbelievable how much information they have. So many people from the industry right there that come in, just from all these amazing distilleries that come in to give you their knowledge. But they start with how to get your funding, and they go through all the laws and there was just.

00:11:00:03 - 00:11:04:09
Speaker 1
So, oh, it's down to that. Isn't that just how do you go make it? No. How do you even be in class.

00:11:04:11 - 00:11:21:05
Speaker 4
Work in the morning and then in the afternoon we would do one aspect of wow and everything so overwhelming. And there was a couple guys there that already had really good information or, you know, knowledge, and they were asking questions way above our heads. It was just like what?

00:11:21:05 - 00:11:22:04
Speaker 3
They were just showing off.

00:11:22:04 - 00:11:43:10
Speaker 4
Yeah, totally. Yeah. I was like, what are these guys even talking about? And but it was there was so much. And you can go back to them any time. So they're a great resource for us, you know, going forward. But as soon as I got home, I just started reading everything and watching everything because they gave me a beginning point, you know?

00:11:43:12 - 00:11:47:10
Speaker 4
And like I said, I still talked to one of our instructors there.

00:11:47:12 - 00:11:48:00
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's.

00:11:48:00 - 00:11:52:23
Speaker 3
The some of the relationships that are built that, that, and that we got introduced to some of the people that probably the most valuable.

00:11:52:23 - 00:12:08:21
Speaker 1
Thing. Yeah. The networking piece of it. Exactly. Right. Yeah. For folks who maybe don't know, I want I want to get into into the weeds on it, but just to kind of, since you mention it. Well, for folks who don't understand kind of the industry from the outside looking in it, pot isn't, it strikes me is not an easy thing to get into.

00:12:08:21 - 00:12:17:20
Speaker 1
I want to go make your small batch at home. Sure. You know, share it with some friends, but you want to do it for a living. It seems like you got to know people as much as you got to know how to make good stuff, right?

00:12:17:22 - 00:12:34:05
Speaker 3
Yeah, that's part of it. And certainly doing above the table and all the paperwork that goes along with it, and, and just all the intricacies of it on a daily basis. People ask me if I'm on the still day. I'm like, no. And they're like, well, what do you do? I'm like, well, accounting and legal and marketing and everything else that goes along with it.

00:12:34:05 - 00:12:47:18
Speaker 3
Managing the two tasting rooms and but, Sean's on the still on a daily basis. So, I mean, there's without Sean, there's not me. And I think without me, there's not Sean either. So it certainly takes both of us and and the other dozen people or so that have full time jobs with us, too. So, yeah.

00:12:47:18 - 00:12:57:14
Speaker 1
You know, it's a quite an operation. So you go to your moonshine, you you get back and then you all are like, all right, what's the next step? Like, how do you get started with this thing?

00:12:57:16 - 00:13:11:17
Speaker 3
It's, I remember the day we're sitting around looking at catalogs are like, well, we're going to make x, y, z spirits. What kind of bottle? We gotta put them in a bottle. Like, how do you choose a bottle? So we just started flipping through bottle catalogs. I like that one. That one seems cool and flip with some more.

00:13:11:17 - 00:13:13:16
Speaker 3
I like that one. That was. Seems all right.

00:13:13:18 - 00:13:17:10
Speaker 2
Like, I guess this is how you do it. Who knows? Right? And same here.

00:13:17:10 - 00:13:30:12
Speaker 3
I guess we got to put some corks or some kind of closures on these things and, like. All right, well, I think that corks kind of cool. Let's try that one. So let's start again and get these samples in and hold it. And like, yeah this one school like. All right, well we got to put a brand on it and graphic design and whatnot.

00:13:30:12 - 00:13:50:11
Speaker 3
And so, at that time we were thinking about using a graphic design company that had done a lot of great work for different, companies within the business, where there was another local graphic design company that, was, started by a guy that grew up here in town and he knew the culture of the 10th mountain.

00:13:50:11 - 00:14:11:02
Speaker 3
And he's a big skier and mountaineer and and he gets the area and I'm like, well, let's give this guy a shot. And he's done some great work, with a number of different companies since as well. And so we used him 970 designs, a little shout out to them. And so as I say, we have I got this idea, we have the silhouette soldier, I got the mountain backgrounds.

00:14:11:02 - 00:14:28:04
Speaker 3
And so we just started working with a graphic design company with the different bottles that we chose. And it just all starts coming together. So you pick a, you pick a design and then go. We went to liquor stores and put them on the, on the back on the, liquor store shelf and stood back ten feet, like, does our bottle stand out well enough amongst the crowd.

00:14:28:06 - 00:14:30:14
Speaker 1
Saying, yeah. And getting down to that, that's fine too.

00:14:30:15 - 00:14:46:04
Speaker 3
Yes. Absolutely. Right. And in the same breath, behind on the back bars, if you're sitting down in a bar stool, the back bar is going to be eight, ten feet away, roughly something like that. Does our bottle stand out well enough? We're like, let's tweak something here, go back to the graph design company and tweak something here.

00:14:46:04 - 00:14:48:01
Speaker 3
And so, that's how it comes together.

00:14:48:06 - 00:14:49:08
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:14:49:09 - 00:15:20:00
Speaker 4
That was such a big deal because the first summer that we were hoping to for, government things kept us from being able to pause as, as early as we thought we would. And we were at the, Vail Farmers Market, which gets thousands of people every Sunday. People were buying our stuff like crazy because they did such a good job with, the logo with just everything that we did was selling every shirt that we did, every sticker we did.

00:15:20:02 - 00:15:25:19
Speaker 4
It just looked so clean and so cool. I mean, that was huge, huge fun.

00:15:25:19 - 00:15:27:23
Speaker 3
For a while, people didn't think we're coming out with. Yes. Right.

00:15:27:23 - 00:15:28:22
Speaker 4
Exactly.

00:15:29:00 - 00:15:31:09
Speaker 2
Was a year. Totally.

00:15:31:11 - 00:15:44:08
Speaker 4
I used to work that bill that Vail, farmers market. And guys would come up as distributors and give me their card. I'm like, you haven't even tasted it yet. They're like, you know what to do. Yeah. You guys know what you're doing. Wow, man. Just from the look of.

00:15:44:08 - 00:15:51:13
Speaker 1
Well, so as a guy who makes the stuff, you're also what I'm hearing you say. It's also equally as important as how you make people feel before they even taste this stuff, right?

00:15:51:13 - 00:15:52:10
Speaker 4
No doubt.

00:15:52:12 - 00:16:09:14
Speaker 1
That's funny, because you don't imagine there. I imagine there's a lot of folks who probably feel very strong one way or another and kind of go back to the statement I think you made earlier. And just like it takes both things to work well otherwise, because as soon as you get it doesn't matter how good that stuff tastes in there, you can't get someone to even buy the thing or ask for it.

00:16:09:14 - 00:16:10:08
Speaker 1
Good luck.

00:16:10:10 - 00:16:24:20
Speaker 3
Yeah. And it's something that we say is you drink with your eyes first, right? If the bottle doesn't look good, then you're not going to pick it off. Pick it up off the shelf, bring it home. But if it's a cool looking bar, you might, drink it once. And then if the flavor's good, you're going to buy it again.

00:16:24:20 - 00:16:27:17
Speaker 3
So, the brain cells, once the flavor cells at twice.

00:16:27:17 - 00:16:46:17
Speaker 1
Yeah. So what were the stuff in the early days just for folks who don't know? I mean, I think folks generally get an idea that is probably a fairly restrictive business. It's not like you can just start, you know, selling baked cookies, you know, the next day, what are the what are the hoops you have to jump through that even allow you to even start doing this?

00:16:46:17 - 00:17:00:01
Speaker 3
Yeah, it's it's good and bad. And both the, the barriers to entry into the distilling industry. One there's a ton of licensing. I'm fingerprinted from a federal level, state level, local level, two different tasting rooms.

00:17:00:01 - 00:17:01:17
Speaker 1
So you're not getting away with anything.

00:17:01:18 - 00:17:05:00
Speaker 2
And I'm not getting away with anything.

00:17:05:02 - 00:17:23:14
Speaker 3
And then the licensing here in Colorado, you can have a license to distill. You can also have a license to distribute. You can have a license for tasting rooms. And we have two tasting rooms. So there's four licenses. You have to have a license, to and the main license is the distilled spirits production license, DSP license.

00:17:23:16 - 00:17:40:09
Speaker 3
And that's the national one that allows you to actually make the spirits above the table. And, and then each state that you go in and have distribution and they have their own set of rules, and oftentimes you get a license in those states as well. And, you know, it's just all the fun continues.

00:17:40:11 - 00:17:41:02
Speaker 2
Depending on what.

00:17:41:02 - 00:17:42:07
Speaker 3
Market you're in. So when you say.

00:17:42:07 - 00:17:44:15
Speaker 1
Above the table, just for folks who don't know, what does that mean? Yeah.

00:17:44:15 - 00:18:06:18
Speaker 3
What the moonshiner that he called moonshine is that are out there. I, we have one of our spirits is an Iron Age whiskey. Whiskey, called Colorado Clear mountain moonshine. It's just a good alliteration. Rolls off the tongue. Well. But, moonshiners, is a slang term that basically describes an untaxed spirit. Okay, you guys in the backwoods, down by the creek, if you will, that are making their their spirits and they make it.

00:18:06:18 - 00:18:18:20
Speaker 3
And it's always unaged product because they don't want to age it and keep that product on them. Because there's risk involved when you're not being taxed. And so they would just want to make it and sell it as quick as possible. So it's technically an untaxed spirit. And that's under the table.

00:18:18:21 - 00:18:19:07
Speaker 1
Okay.

00:18:19:07 - 00:18:22:04
Speaker 3
So maybe someone has a cousin out there that knows what we're talking about.

00:18:22:04 - 00:18:26:07
Speaker 2
So it's never them by any means. Although.

00:18:26:07 - 00:18:37:01
Speaker 3
On occasion happens maybe once a year that, a local will come into the distillery and be like, hey, I got, I got a little something I, you know, I made at home. Can we share it with you guys when you guys want to try and tell me if it's any good or not?

00:18:37:02 - 00:18:40:11
Speaker 2
Like, hell yeah, we're going to it. So it's a lot of fun.

00:18:40:14 - 00:18:42:06
Speaker 1
I just haven't had 50 other barrels.

00:18:42:08 - 00:18:45:15
Speaker 2
Yeah. Exactly. Right. Yeah. What's going on there?

00:18:45:17 - 00:19:04:19
Speaker 3
And so, so the barriers to entry are large, obviously distilling equipment, you can get into it on a smaller level. The level that we're into it now is a 500 gallon batch system. And all that comes with the cost. We have 100%, copper, combination pot columns still from Vendome. That, cost a pretty penny.

00:19:04:21 - 00:19:12:06
Speaker 3
It looks pretty, and it's great. And it produces great spirits. Yeah. But certainly some of the cost to entry are, are can be high as well.

00:19:12:08 - 00:19:19:00
Speaker 1
What is the, what did you, that still that you have in there, that is is that a workhorse? It'll go the distance.

00:19:19:03 - 00:19:21:05
Speaker 3
It's going out live. Sean and I.

00:19:21:05 - 00:19:26:17
Speaker 1
And. Oh, is that right? Okay. A lot of maintenance. These things are not too bad, really. They just get.

00:19:26:19 - 00:19:27:22
Speaker 2
To know.

00:19:28:00 - 00:19:30:04
Speaker 3
What everything else is finicky and.

00:19:30:06 - 00:19:32:15
Speaker 2
Breaks down, but the still is fine. Yeah, yeah.

00:19:32:15 - 00:19:36:17
Speaker 4
Mill, the cooker, the all those different things. Yeah. Still. Yeah.

00:19:36:19 - 00:19:37:15
Speaker 1
It's going man.

00:19:37:15 - 00:19:38:10
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah.

00:19:38:12 - 00:19:47:17
Speaker 1
So talk to me about the is hard business high barrier to entry. Why even do this. It's pricey. Seems like a lot of other ways.

00:19:47:19 - 00:19:52:00
Speaker 2
You have good question Mark. Good question.

00:19:52:01 - 00:20:08:22
Speaker 3
There is a lot of fun to it. It is fun. It's important for Sean and I, we use it as a platform to support a number of different military non-profits. That's important for us. It, some of our friends these days, I couldn't imagine 12 years ago saying I'd be friends with x, y, z person.

00:20:09:00 - 00:20:25:09
Speaker 3
So there's there's certainly a lot of fun around it all as well. But, Sean and I talk on occasion about, no. Now, if we knew back then what we do now, would we do it again? And I think we would. But, you know, maybe I don't know. We did. We did. We put a lot of effort into it early on.

00:20:25:09 - 00:20:44:23
Speaker 3
Our business plan was solid. But, it's it's certainly a question in the back of our mind, but, it's it's still important to us. We believe, in what we're doing, the products good, the spirits good. What we stand for is something that we're proud and proud to stand for it. And so I think it's it's that's why we continue to do it on a daily basis.

00:20:45:01 - 00:20:58:07
Speaker 3
It's more than just making spirits and getting people drunk. It's it's, more important to use it as, to support the different military non-profits and that camaraderie and that brotherhood that we're speaking about earlier, is what it's all about. So.

00:20:58:07 - 00:21:11:08
Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. When you when you all think about, kind of the early days and start in the business, you know, you get that mission, you get this goal, where there are days there that you just kind of in the early days and you go like, what the heck? We just do, man.

00:21:11:08 - 00:21:12:14
Speaker 3
This about once a week.

00:21:12:16 - 00:21:17:04
Speaker 2
Okay? Early. Excruciating. Last. Give me something.

00:21:17:05 - 00:21:25:02
Speaker 1
Is like, give me what? I'm curious. You guys like, give me some of those. What were those moments of friction and maybe doubt? And then how the heck do you get through it? Like, why keep going?

00:21:25:02 - 00:21:42:11
Speaker 3
Well, the way I get through it and I've talked to Sean about this. It's been a while since I've mentioned it, but, I always tell our team that, you know, our hardest days with the job. Don't compare. Doesn't compare to the hardest days of what some of our men and women of the United States military have gone through.

00:21:42:13 - 00:21:59:01
Speaker 3
You know that more than anybody. And so it's it's, something that. All right, man, today sucks. Yeah. You know, we got kicked in the punch in the face. And, you know, we're black and blue from the day and that today suck. But think back to to a couple of our friends that are above the knee. Right.

00:21:59:03 - 00:22:17:22
Speaker 3
His day was worse than ours by a long shot. Right. And so that puts it in perspective. We can get up tomorrow and get at it again. We're going to be all right. If these guys can get through what they've. They've gone through. You damn right we're going to be able to ourself so that that keeps us going.

00:22:18:00 - 00:22:20:01
Speaker 1
They we can feel the same way.

00:22:20:03 - 00:22:20:19
Speaker 4
It was tough.

00:22:21:00 - 00:22:22:00
Speaker 2
The first.

00:22:22:02 - 00:22:25:14
Speaker 4
Year. We didn't have heat down at the distillery for winter. We didn't.

00:22:25:14 - 00:22:27:12
Speaker 2
Have those chili I mean.

00:22:27:14 - 00:22:57:18
Speaker 4
Because there was construction going on. So there was always so there were hard times. It was hard to keep hope, keep that focus on everything. But yeah, exactly what he said. Absolutely. I mean, our focus is all we're not completely on that, but we're doing something bigger than just making liquor. And the things that he does, the things that he spent so much time on with the military and with vets and everything makes this company different.

00:22:57:20 - 00:23:01:15
Speaker 4
And that's why I'm so happy to still be a part of it.

00:23:01:17 - 00:23:18:13
Speaker 1
Well, that's a good segue into like 10th Mountain. Wide Tans managed a lot of incredible units out there in the military. 10th mountain, obviously has something special, not only with this part of the world, but just kind of, you know, this part of the US, but also just in general of what they did. Can you give us just a history lesson?

00:23:18:13 - 00:23:26:17
Speaker 1
You know, you kind of gave me a I could spend three hours with you. I just talking about it back at the, at the distillery. But why 10th mountain. What's it mean to y'all out here?

00:23:26:17 - 00:23:51:13
Speaker 3
You know, the 10th is one of the most historic military divisions today. They originated and just a few miles south of Vail, in the 1940s, as a mountain warfare specific army division, in World War two, the government realized that there was a good chance that we were going to, be in and, conflict in the mountains and that we should have a specific unit trained for mountain warfare.

00:23:51:15 - 00:24:07:02
Speaker 3
And so they looked all over the country for different spots to, put a training base in. And they landed on Camp Hill for a number of different reasons. And it's a beautiful spot. It was it got a hell of a lot of snow back in the 40s. Still does. And for a number of different reasons, it was the ideal location.

00:24:07:02 - 00:24:29:16
Speaker 3
And so, they spent two and a half years, in camp at Camp Hill, training for mountain warfare, snowshoeing, skiing, rock climbing, cold weather, survival, all that stuff. They were, almost to a point in the war where they were not going to get deployed, and they thought that this was all just not going to happen.

00:24:29:18 - 00:24:34:01
Speaker 3
They ended up getting, shipped down to Camp Swift, Texas, of all things. In your backyard down there?

00:24:34:03 - 00:24:41:02
Speaker 2
Yeah, man. So a mountain, lots of mountains. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Right. You know, the area, a lot of.

00:24:41:04 - 00:25:02:07
Speaker 3
Guys are talking about. Why the hell are we going to Texas? We're supposed to be Mountain unit. Some guy started getting shipped off to different, units, and, finally they got the call to, be deployed, and they landed in, kind of Midwest Italy, and then hiked up north and, were given the challenge of, breaking through the Gothic Line.

00:25:02:09 - 00:25:35:17
Speaker 3
And the battle River Ridge is one of the most significant battles and a game changer in World War two. And when the Nazis surrendered, they requested, the specific group requested to surrender to the 10th mountain because they were their most formidable opponent. And they respected the 10th mountain so much. And so when the 10th came back from Italy, in fighting in World War two, they wanted to share the mountains and the outdoor lifestyle and the sport of skiing with all their friends and family, and in essence, started the modern day ski industry, as we know today and and the outdoor lifestyle industry and 60 plus or minus,

00:25:35:20 - 00:25:56:14
Speaker 3
different ski resorts were started by 10th Mountain Vets. And of course, Vail Mountain is one of those and so there's a lot of 10th mountain history in our backyard. And and without them, the sport of skiing and the outdoor lifestyle, we want to be doing what we love to do. Playing in the mountain, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, everything we love to do here without the 10th.

00:25:56:14 - 00:26:14:16
Speaker 3
Just bottom line, we want to be doing it. Some of the guys in 10th also went on to form other companies. Pretzel climbing gear is one of those, very well known climbing company. Oh, yeah. Nike, the shoe company was founded by a 10th Mountain vet. So Bill Bauman, and, was Phil Knight's track coach at University of Oregon.

00:26:14:16 - 00:26:33:11
Speaker 3
But before it, his coaching days at Oregon, he was in the 10th, the National Outdoor Leadership School. The NOLs experience started by 10th Mountain Vet, Outward Bound was brought over to the US by a 10th Mountain vet. So, and then just these guys are entrepreneurs and they they worked their tail off. But then at the end of the day, they love to sit back and have a glass of whiskey, too.

00:26:33:11 - 00:26:57:07
Speaker 3
And they were known known to, partake a little bit as well. So yeah. And so all those reasons, really. And and so they were deactivated, for a number of years in the reactivate in the mid 80s, in upstate New York at Fort Drum. And they've been the most active, most active military division over the last 30 years, and, and going all over the world.

00:26:57:07 - 00:27:02:10
Speaker 3
So, so for all those reasons is, is why we decided to name the company in honor of the 10th Mountain.

00:27:02:12 - 00:27:18:05
Speaker 1
Yeah. It, let me bring back memories at the, at the academy when you go pick your first job coming out, you know, there's, it's all by class rank, and you're going to go get patches all over the world. And by literally by class rank, you go up there and you pick where you're going to go, and it's a riot.

00:27:18:05 - 00:27:37:15
Speaker 1
It's just everybody is. You can hurt and all you can imagine, you know, 10th mountain is one of the last ones to get picked because people know how hard you have to be to go up. It is a hard place and a hard unit. Storied history, you know, but there's a level of pride with the kind of harsh, tough folks that come out of that unit, for sure.

00:27:37:17 - 00:27:56:02
Speaker 1
So cool to see. So in your mind, couldn't think of a better, better brand to build it around, than The 10th Mountain. It's interesting. Just my my kind of outside looking in opinion. I never thought about it this way until I saw it on your bottle, but it's a pretty. Especially as an army guy myself.

00:27:56:04 - 00:28:10:09
Speaker 1
It's one that you just kind of universally resonate with. I don't know why. I suppose if you picked another unit, might be a little hard for me to get my head around, but the way y'all did it for some reason, maybe it's because of the maybe because of World War Two. I don't know, something about that just makes it universal.

00:28:10:11 - 00:28:14:10
Speaker 1
Do you find that resonate with vets right away, or did that take a little time for it to catch?

00:28:14:11 - 00:28:26:23
Speaker 3
No, it resonates right away, I think for sure. And being such a big unit, 15,000 soldiers up a drum right now. And there's also another, there at Fort Polk, Louisiana, too, right? Yeah. So go figure.

00:28:27:01 - 00:28:31:07
Speaker 2
Go figure. Yeah. That little ode to Swift, Texas, I guess. Yeah. That too. Right.

00:28:31:09 - 00:28:44:22
Speaker 3
And so if you're in the Army for four years, if you didn't go through 10th Mountain, sure enough, you know, some of that has. Yeah. Right. And so the the unit is recognized across the board. And so.

00:28:45:00 - 00:28:46:10
Speaker 4
Specter thank you, sir. Yeah.

00:28:46:12 - 00:28:47:05
Speaker 3
Respected area.

00:28:47:06 - 00:28:47:21
Speaker 1
Absolutely.

00:28:47:21 - 00:28:50:04
Speaker 4
You went through there, you know, you did something.

00:28:50:06 - 00:28:50:20
Speaker 3
Yeah. Right.

00:28:50:20 - 00:29:10:20
Speaker 1
Yeah. Cross swords in a mountain tavern. You know it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Actually, my first commander was, a 10th mountain guy. And so there's a bit of confidence that comes with knowing that where these guys kind of grow up, you know, as they take over. And we, we joke that even though I think, the guys and gals based in Alaska are pretty tough as well, we always kind of look over at the ten man guys give you just a little bit.

00:29:10:20 - 00:29:11:14
Speaker 1
Yeah, that's that's.

00:29:11:14 - 00:29:14:11
Speaker 2
There's a little more misery over there, just like. All right. Yeah.

00:29:14:13 - 00:29:17:03
Speaker 1
It's cold for a long, long time up there, man.

00:29:17:05 - 00:29:17:14
Speaker 2
They wear.

00:29:17:14 - 00:29:19:03
Speaker 3
That misery on their sleeve and they're proud.

00:29:19:03 - 00:29:20:19
Speaker 2
Of it. Oh, yeah man.

00:29:20:21 - 00:29:40:21
Speaker 1
Tell me about I guess just thinking about the Vail Valley. Now that y'all have lived here, this is your locals. Now, this is home, allotment coming into this part of the country, I never expected so much patriotism. Not not even just American patriots, but really, like, ingrained in that military culture. Is it always been that way, or is it something that's happened as of recent or because of y'all?

00:29:40:21 - 00:29:57:15
Speaker 1
I'm just curious because I think for me, when you think kind of ski town or whatever, you kind of think luxury, you know, sure, they're patriotic, but, you know, not going to have I mean, heck, I've been into several places just being here for a short amount of time, and it feels like you're at some team room down in Texas.

00:29:57:15 - 00:30:01:16
Speaker 1
I mean, it's just people are really prideful about that heritage. Is that always been the case?

00:30:01:16 - 00:30:02:23
Speaker 3
Well, that's great to hear. What do you think?

00:30:02:23 - 00:30:23:02
Speaker 4
So I wouldn't say yeah, I wouldn't say that. I noticed that a lot. You know, when I first lived out here, I would say it kind of coincided with our starting. I don't know if that's completely the case, but I feel like it has ramped up since since we, you know, become a company and become a presence in this valley.

00:30:23:06 - 00:30:23:13
Speaker 4
Yeah.

00:30:23:17 - 00:30:48:05
Speaker 3
For sure. Yeah. I don't think 25 years ago, when I first moved here, 27 years ago, it was as prideful, with the with the military, I think maybe, over the last 10 or 15 years, it has, has headed in the right direction for a number of reasons. Well, veterans program has 20 plus years under their belt, and they're a well known nonprofit in town that, that.

00:30:48:05 - 00:31:14:06
Speaker 3
Yeah, that, that they're incredible. Chris Anthony and his movie that he did all around the 10th called Mission Mountain Vanguard, has certainly put the spotlight on things. Vail Resorts and the town of Vail has started doing, legacy 10th Mountain Legacy Weekends in February and a couple other weekends throughout the winter time. Honoring the 10th mountain and sharing the culture and the heritage and the history with our visitors.

00:31:14:08 - 00:31:36:16
Speaker 3
They started doing that, seven, eight years ago, something like that. And so, the community is leaning in to the history of the 10th mountain and the influence, of the 10th on, on the area more and more now, and I think we just we might play a small part in that, but, it's certainly, something that is, is more and more than it used to be in the past.

00:31:36:16 - 00:31:44:04
Speaker 4
Just put it in mind of people maybe weren't thinking about it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think it's made a difference, honestly.

00:31:44:04 - 00:31:53:06
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. Well, you sure as it got Blackhawks and stuff flying around here too. So, like, if you weren't into it, I mean, you guys got the full gear up. Why are they out here training me? I kind of know, but just for the folks.

00:31:53:06 - 00:32:14:12
Speaker 3
Yeah, sure. Right. It's funny, most people don't realize why they see Blackhawks going up and down the veil value almost on a daily basis. Certainly after the surgery, we're five minutes away from the Eagle airport and the Blackhawks, and and, the Chinooks are flying around as well. They're coming out of the hats training facility, and Hats is an acronym that stands for the High Altitude Aviation Training Site.

00:32:14:17 - 00:32:34:21
Speaker 3
Yeah. And they, teach our helicopter pilots, our helicopter pilots, from around the country, to fly an altitude, and then also friendly, friendly helicopter pilots from around the world bring them in for different training, weeks and programs. And then usually after their program is done, they'll come in and hang out with us, which is a lot of fun.

00:32:34:23 - 00:32:37:01
Speaker 3
So those guys are great, and,

00:32:37:03 - 00:32:44:15
Speaker 1
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, it's really cool that, Your Honor, and just kind of a lot of different, you know, organizations out there. Is that been that case for a while? They've training out this way?

00:32:44:21 - 00:32:49:20
Speaker 3
Yeah. Sure has. Ever since we've been around I forget when they first started. That'd be a good, good fact to know.

00:32:49:22 - 00:32:54:18
Speaker 4
The tasting room and gypsum. Almost as soon as we started there, they were there. But pop pop.

00:32:54:20 - 00:32:59:10
Speaker 1
Is. Yeah. Yeah. You hear them flying up and down? Yeah, yeah, almost every day. I've heard at least one coming by.

00:32:59:10 - 00:33:03:05
Speaker 4
The hills out. And gypsum are very similar to Afghanistan.

00:33:03:07 - 00:33:18:09
Speaker 1
Yes. You know what? Yeah. I'm glad you brought that out. Because just thinking for folks who don't have an awareness of it yet flying at altitude for the aviators out there, they probably get it. But I can tell you, like just being in the riding in the back of these helicopters overseas, and flying around and mounts the whole thing, man.

00:33:18:09 - 00:33:33:23
Speaker 1
I mean, it's, because you also trade in fuel and ammo and your train weight and how many guys you can bring in at a time, because at altitude, unforgiving. Up and down, up and down, up and down. You know, the Chinooks do the best just because they're kind of the workhorse out there. But man, it's quite the thing.

00:33:33:23 - 00:33:38:09
Speaker 1
So cool to see that we have that there. Do you get the pilots ever stopping in these places?

00:33:38:09 - 00:33:39:20
Speaker 3
Yeah, almost on a weekly basis.

00:33:39:21 - 00:33:42:13
Speaker 2
Yeah, definitely. Yeah.

00:33:42:13 - 00:33:49:16
Speaker 3
And they've held some of their, their balls there and dinners there and and so it's something it's a really fun relationship that we have with them.

00:33:49:18 - 00:33:59:00
Speaker 1
Oh yeah. And you know, you also have a relationship with I mean, it was a yeah, quite a bit of Texas Ranger mobile, memorabilia and and what I'm not I'm not talking about the baseball team, like.

00:33:59:06 - 00:34:01:07
Speaker 2
Exactly the silver, but. Yeah.

00:34:01:08 - 00:34:06:11
Speaker 1
Oh, yeah. The silver belly wearing cowboy hat. Texas Rangers that. Tell us about a little bit about just kind of how that all came to be.

00:34:06:11 - 00:34:24:20
Speaker 3
Yeah. That came to be, my brother in law was an Army Ranger and then, worked his way up through the system in Texas and became a Texas Ranger seven years ago or so. And they celebrated their 200 year anniversary in 2023. And they're seven. Their organization is seven years older than the actual state of Texas.

00:34:25:00 - 00:34:46:19
Speaker 3
Yeah. Which is an interesting fact. So, and so we went they asked us if we could put something together for one of their auctions, and we put together, we donated a barrel of whiskey, went around the community and again, alluding to the community support of, of organizations, first responders, military, Vail Vail Resorts, donated some, lift tickets.

00:34:46:21 - 00:35:10:23
Speaker 3
Nova guides, donated, some snowmobile trips around camp Hale, local hotel, the high the Marriott donated a couple nights. So we put together a whole package, that was auctioned off at a at a at their their gala, big celebration of 200 years. And the gentleman that won it came up here and distilled with us, had a great time around town for a couple days and, and, so he's in it for seven years.

00:35:10:23 - 00:35:24:13
Speaker 3
He's going to come back in five, five years from now, which will be seven, and we're going to bottle it together, and then he's going to take it all back and give it out to some of his friends around the state of Texas for Texas, his 200 year anniversary. So that's why you see some of the, Texas Ranger memorabilia around here.

00:35:24:14 - 00:35:32:20
Speaker 1
Y'all had that flag in there, an original Texas Ranger flag. Two bullet holes going right there, man. Yeah. Unreal. Yeah. The memorabilia y'all get in there is world class man.

00:35:32:20 - 00:35:34:06
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's it's pretty.

00:35:34:08 - 00:35:43:07
Speaker 3
It's something that I think takes us by surprise every time we get a new piece in, like, check this piece out. This is incredible. Right. And so there's a lot of cool things that we get to talk about.

00:35:43:12 - 00:35:54:00
Speaker 1
More like one of those original maps of the battle Mogadishu, like, all these things are just, so glad y'all got it. It's almost like this speakeasy in the mountains, man, because it's it's, you know, cool to see.

00:35:54:05 - 00:35:55:19
Speaker 4
We don't ask for it. I mean.

00:35:55:21 - 00:35:56:10
Speaker 1
They just send it,

00:35:56:15 - 00:36:10:01
Speaker 4
Yeah, they want to give it to us after they've been with us usually, you know, like like you said, the gentleman from Texas, he just liked what we were doing, and he was impressed with it. And he sent all the stuff off to us, and we couldn't believe it. You know, we were blown away.

00:36:10:03 - 00:36:19:04
Speaker 1
That says a lot about y'all. I mean, if we were willing, I mean, nobody but guys like me don't part with that stuff, right? Right. You know, you know, very easily. So the fact that they're hanging in nobody else place means you've earned it.

00:36:19:05 - 00:36:31:18
Speaker 3
Well, I mean, it means a lot to us. And we get to talk about it and put it on display and, and educate people that come through our doors about the importance of each piece and what's going on with it. So, we're really humbled by it and really proud to, to be able to display and talk about it.

00:36:31:18 - 00:36:32:08
Speaker 3
So yeah.

00:36:32:08 - 00:36:52:20
Speaker 1
It's cool man. So let's go back to booze for a second or go back to spirits. I'm looking at these bottles right now. Y'all have a ton of them out here seven right I think it's seven spirits. Solium Bourbon was the first one was ish. Yeah. To just kind of run me through that I got I mean the two dominant question to have on my brain right now is where did start and then why all these?

00:36:52:20 - 00:37:02:00
Speaker 1
It almost seems like it's making it more complex. Maybe just kind of. It had me you know, like, why not just do one? I'm just or maybe two, not seven. Just give me whatever you got.

00:37:02:00 - 00:37:05:05
Speaker 2
Good question. Right. Good question. Maybe we'll, scale.

00:37:05:05 - 00:37:05:15
Speaker 3
Back a little.

00:37:05:15 - 00:37:08:11
Speaker 2
Bit after this. I doubt it. Yeah.

00:37:08:13 - 00:37:11:06
Speaker 1
Where did it start? Which are the ones that, you see.

00:37:11:08 - 00:37:32:16
Speaker 3
Since day one, we we hang our hat on our whiskey expressions. We want to be known as a whiskey distillery first and foremost. Yeah. Our Bourbons are best seller. Araya whiskey is our most awarded. We released our American single malt about three years ago now, I guess. And so that's our three age whiskeys. We have another aged spirit, which is our brandy, which is made with Pinot noir wine from Monterey Valley, California.

00:37:32:18 - 00:37:51:11
Speaker 3
We'll touch on that how that came about here in a second. But, and all of those, those four spirits have to be aged in a barrel, right? What everyone thinks about it. Whiskey distillery. You have the big 53 gallon barrels. They're cool, they're neat, they're sexy. Right. But they, in their aging whiskey, for some amount of time, to make a bourbon, one of the requirements.

00:37:51:11 - 00:38:05:09
Speaker 3
A lot of people think you have to make a year for two years, for four years, for six years, whatever it is. But the age requirement for bourbon specifically has to be aged for some amount of time. In, an oak barrel. So.

00:38:05:11 - 00:38:06:03
Speaker 4
Yeah.

00:38:06:05 - 00:38:07:06
Speaker 1
They're going to barrel.

00:38:07:08 - 00:38:26:08
Speaker 3
The, the vodka in the moonshine. The moonshine is technically a whiskey, but it's an unaged whiskey. And we use the term moonshine. Just. It's Colorado clear mountain moonshine. So it's a good alliteration. But it's technically in the whiskey category of unaged whiskey. To be an unaged whiskey, it has to be at least 80% corn, and ours is 100% corn.

00:38:26:11 - 00:38:42:05
Speaker 3
So that's the only grain in the mash bill. Then we have a potato vodka. Which one? John. And I were both in Moonshine University. They're like, we know you guys want to, hang your hat on the whiskey expressions, but vodka is 35% of the overall spirit market. Are you sure you want to ignore that?

00:38:42:07 - 00:38:54:18
Speaker 3
And we said we do not. Most vodkas are grain based vodkas. My favorite, my favorite vodka as a Tom was it was a potato, aka I don't know about Sean. What you were drinking vodka wise. If you were drinking vodka.

00:38:54:21 - 00:38:57:04
Speaker 2
You're not right. So I'm like, if we're gonna.

00:38:57:05 - 00:39:13:04
Speaker 3
Make vodka, it's going to be a potato vodka to kind of differentiate herself from all the grain back on the shelf. And so that gives us a lot of flexibility with cocktails and infusions at the tasting room. It it's still a good cell of ours. I really love it. People, vodka drinkers are way into it, so I'm glad we did it.

00:39:13:06 - 00:39:14:04
Speaker 3
Yeah.

00:39:14:06 - 00:39:20:12
Speaker 1
Is it is it a kind of way to also offset with guests like husband or wife show up 100%. Guys like Bourbon.

00:39:20:12 - 00:39:23:22
Speaker 3
Course. Yeah, exactly. Anyways. And the wife's like, no, no, no, no I would come on.

00:39:23:23 - 00:39:30:08
Speaker 1
Like, if you want. My wife Kelsey loves bourbon, man. Yeah. Good luck. Yeah, but I but I mean, I can see it gives you options. Yeah. Exactly.

00:39:30:10 - 00:39:37:20
Speaker 4
What I first heard was the reason was for ladies and availability. The whole tasting room. Yeah. We needed to have vodka.

00:39:37:22 - 00:39:53:00
Speaker 1
How does it make it up? Like, operationally kind of take me through. Like, how do you do that? I mean, I, I was there today and I'm thinking to myself, man, it's a lot of work, you know? And you're not just like, I didn't seem like you're you're cooking. Really? You're not just switching widget out. How's that?

00:39:53:01 - 00:40:14:05
Speaker 3
Yeah, it's focused on. So each different spirit has different mash bills, different recipes and we focus on one spirit for a couple weeks at a time. Right. For this week we're doing bourbon for next week we're doing rye, etc.. Right. So yeah, we're not making all seven spirits every day by any means. At different times a year in the brandy and as it so we don't even talk about the brain.

00:40:14:05 - 00:40:32:18
Speaker 3
The brandy came along, had a buddy through the Vail Veterans program. He was going through that, and he and I became, fast friends. And he ended up getting a job at a vineyard at a, in Monterey Valley, California. And he and his boss called me up and said that they had 3500 gallons of Pinot noir wine left over one year.

00:40:32:20 - 00:40:37:00
Speaker 3
Do you guys want it? And talk to Sean? And I'm like, what are you talking about, dude?

00:40:37:02 - 00:40:39:11
Speaker 4
Never met a person who bought a bottle of brandy in my life.

00:40:39:14 - 00:40:43:12
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. And nor had me neither. Yeah. Me too.

00:40:43:12 - 00:40:44:18
Speaker 4
But a bottle of brandy? No.

00:40:44:21 - 00:40:46:10
Speaker 2
Nope.

00:40:46:12 - 00:40:47:12
Speaker 4
Kind of a European thing.

00:40:47:18 - 00:40:54:17
Speaker 3
Yeah, but, I asked my buddy. I was like, how much does 3500 gallons? Cost is a cost. We're just going to give it to you, man. Like, well, in that case, send it on out.

00:40:54:17 - 00:40:55:16
Speaker 2
Let's see what we can do.

00:40:55:16 - 00:41:04:00
Speaker 3
So again, we leaned on Moonshine University. We called them and then talked to another friend that, had a, brandy specific distillery in the northwest.

00:41:04:02 - 00:41:05:22
Speaker 4
And up in Portland. Yeah.

00:41:06:00 - 00:41:17:16
Speaker 3
And, and sure enough, we he distilled it and, we it down our ex-bourbon cask for a minimum of two years, and it got recognized as one of the top three brandies in the country by USA today, which is kind of fun.

00:41:17:19 - 00:41:18:14
Speaker 1
That's fun.

00:41:18:16 - 00:41:23:02
Speaker 3
But if you look back in our business plan, Brandy was not mentioned in once at all.

00:41:23:04 - 00:41:30:23
Speaker 4
So the R&D comes in. That stops everything because it takes up every. When we get that truck in, it takes up every container we have.

00:41:30:23 - 00:41:32:19
Speaker 1
Oh, is that right? It's the most labor one.

00:41:32:19 - 00:41:33:08
Speaker 4
Until.

00:41:33:09 - 00:41:34:08
Speaker 3
No, not necessarily.

00:41:34:09 - 00:41:36:21
Speaker 4
Not well yeah actually is.

00:41:36:21 - 00:41:40:00
Speaker 2
Okay I know what you're thinking I know. Yeah.

00:41:40:02 - 00:41:44:22
Speaker 3
When we get. So we did 3500 gallons the first time. The next batch was 5050 500.

00:41:44:22 - 00:41:45:19
Speaker 4
Yeah.

00:41:45:21 - 00:41:51:13
Speaker 3
And so what Sean's alluding to is we got to find places to put 5000 gallons of wine.

00:41:51:13 - 00:42:16:21
Speaker 4
We don't have tanks. That's, Yeah. So. Yeah, we filled up everything that we have. And until that's all gone, the whole place just smells like an after party. I mean, just like stale wine. Because that's what it is. And it, it takes longer, on the spill. Yeah. Each run takes closer to, instead of 9 to 10 hours, it takes closer to 16 to 18 hours.

00:42:16:22 - 00:42:31:03
Speaker 4
So it's just a long, long process. But like you said, we got a lot of good knowledge from from people in the industry that helped us out, which is part of the industry that maybe you haven't heard about. People are very.

00:42:31:03 - 00:42:33:20
Speaker 1
Helpful. Oh, they want to pitch in and say, yeah, yeah, really.

00:42:33:20 - 00:42:34:19
Speaker 3
Even other distilleries.

00:42:34:21 - 00:42:36:17
Speaker 1
Why is that? Why do you think that is?

00:42:36:19 - 00:43:01:07
Speaker 4
Because we learned at Moonshine University. I mean, they were saying it, hey, we just ask that you help everyone. And I was like, yeah, right. Everybody's competing. We called people, you know, in our early weeks and months and everybody called me back. Everybody called me back and answered my questions. You know, I mean, presidents of companies, head distillers at places everybody helped me.

00:43:01:07 - 00:43:11:08
Speaker 4
And when any anytime anybody calls, calls us, we do the same thing. If we don't have the answer, we try to get them in touch with somebody that can help them. Listen, it was amazing.

00:43:11:09 - 00:43:18:02
Speaker 3
Everyone's fighting the same battles out there. You know? We all realize it and so everyone's quite supportive of one another.

00:43:18:04 - 00:43:32:18
Speaker 1
Yeah. It's good. I imagined it being so daggone hard. I guess you just kind of bond that way too. Just knowing what it is. What's the information like? What's what's the hardest part of the process in general? You know, when it comes to honestly bottling.

00:43:32:20 - 00:43:34:19
Speaker 2
But is that right?

00:43:34:21 - 00:43:47:14
Speaker 4
Yeah. Bottling is it's the time consuming and it's it never ends. It's that job of like talking about ladies in the old days that always had to just be, you know, sewing and crocheting or whatever.

00:43:47:14 - 00:43:51:12
Speaker 1
Because it's all done by hand. I mean, that's the other thing folks don't understand. Y'all doing everything by hand.

00:43:51:13 - 00:44:14:04
Speaker 4
It's it never goes away. It needs to be done. Hours every day while we're doing the cooking, while we're doing the distilling, during the downtimes, we have got to be going over to the bottling and getting that done. This is all sounds crazy, but it's just like you said, it's it's a recipe. It's it's ingredients and it's time.

00:44:14:04 - 00:44:35:19
Speaker 4
It's on a much bigger scale. But you're just waiting for temperatures to go up, putting in different ingredients, waiting for temperatures to go down, putting in different and possibly enzymes or something. I mean, it's literally just like a giant recipe with 1,000 pounds of grain, 300 gallons of water. Yeah. But it's it's the same exact way you would make a recipe at home.

00:44:35:21 - 00:44:51:16
Speaker 1
So just over and over and over. Yeah. What's the one that you feel like? Bourbon is the best seller. What would you say is the sleeper the one that y'all personally think, hey, it's actually really punches above its weight class, but maybe don't get the love cordial. Cordial. Which one is that? One is that that little bottle?

00:44:51:18 - 00:44:55:17
Speaker 2
The sage smirks. You like the sage peach vanilla? Cause the reason I.

00:44:55:17 - 00:45:13:09
Speaker 3
Say that is because it's the cordial category is quite small. A lot of people might, know a grandma or Tupac is, and that's kind of the same, same category. But if you walk into a big box liquor store and they're cordial, section's going to be about four foot wide where they're whiskey section. The bourbon section is going to be an aisle or two.

00:45:13:14 - 00:45:32:05
Speaker 3
They're whiskey sections is going to be 3 or 4 aisles combined, comparatively. And so, courses are a bit harder to sell just because people don't gravitate towards it naturally. But at our tasting rooms, when we have a chance to have people taste it, enjoy it, introduce it to them that way, then they're they're buying a bottle or 2 or 3 bottles right then and there.

00:45:32:10 - 00:45:41:09
Speaker 3
When we do the tastings at liquor stores, that's when it moves. Well, when we're at events, and doing tastings with people, that's when it moves. Well, something different. Something different.

00:45:41:14 - 00:45:44:10
Speaker 1
How would you describe it to someone? I mean, how do you drink it? And,

00:45:44:11 - 00:45:50:01
Speaker 3
You know, it's great. Neat. On its own. It's great mix with our rye whiskey. What makes a great cocktail?

00:45:50:05 - 00:45:51:13
Speaker 1
Oh, really? Mixed together.

00:45:51:13 - 00:45:52:17
Speaker 3
And we can do that tonight.

00:45:52:23 - 00:45:55:08
Speaker 1
Okay. Right. Yeah. Let's make that happen. That's awesome.

00:45:55:08 - 00:45:56:07
Speaker 4
And the sweetness.

00:45:56:07 - 00:46:01:01
Speaker 3
Yeah. It's great. And coffees are in hot chocolates. It's great. People.

00:46:01:03 - 00:46:03:16
Speaker 4
Johnsonville. Yeah. Made a sauce out of it.

00:46:03:18 - 00:46:05:23
Speaker 3
The Four Seasons was using it in a sauce for a while.

00:46:06:04 - 00:46:06:14
Speaker 1
Wow.

00:46:06:14 - 00:46:10:23
Speaker 4
Places were just pouring out over their homemade vanilla ice cream. Yeah, yeah.

00:46:11:02 - 00:46:15:07
Speaker 1
So you can go. Yeah. There's a lot of use cases. Don't even think about that. Yeah.

00:46:15:09 - 00:46:17:15
Speaker 3
It's great. And ice tea in the summertime in Texas.

00:46:17:21 - 00:46:18:09
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:46:18:11 - 00:46:19:23
Speaker 3
It's a great little addition to an iced tea.

00:46:19:23 - 00:46:23:02
Speaker 1
So y'all have it always gorgeous. What's that.

00:46:23:04 - 00:46:24:08
Speaker 4
I said specifically for.

00:46:24:08 - 00:46:29:23
Speaker 1
You? Oh, yeah. Specifically, is it? Oh, are these things always available or do you kind of have. Some of them are like seasonal and, you know, these.

00:46:29:23 - 00:46:35:00
Speaker 3
Seven spirits are always available, unless we run short on our bottles or something.

00:46:35:00 - 00:46:37:05
Speaker 2
But yeah, they're always available.

00:46:37:07 - 00:46:59:08
Speaker 3
We do, some barrel finishes with our whiskeys on occasion where there's, limited releases of those, maple sirup finished cask of some sort. We have a couple different mash bills lined down that we're experimenting with that we'll we'll release here. And so there's a couple, on occasion, there's some whiskeys that are limited, but, overall, these seven spirits are, our, our dailies.

00:46:59:10 - 00:47:18:03
Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Well, I look forward to tasting more of them. I'd like to just switch gears for here, and kind of. You both track me just naturally program to work hard and build stuff and get things moving. Obviously build your American dream here. I know maybe initially it didn't start off that way, but,

00:47:18:08 - 00:47:19:03
Speaker 1
Or maybe did it,

00:47:19:06 - 00:47:20:19
Speaker 3
Nightmares or dreams too, aren't they?

00:47:20:21 - 00:47:28:07
Speaker 2
Yeah, I'm just saying, like, careful if you're like, I live in living the dream. I'm like, yeah, sometimes nightmares are dreams.

00:47:28:09 - 00:47:37:06
Speaker 1
What? What about that now? And I kind of looking back on it like, what about that makes you most proud of what y'all have built so far last 12 years?

00:47:37:08 - 00:47:42:18
Speaker 3
I think it's the support that we can give back to the United States military is the most proud thing.

00:47:42:18 - 00:47:44:15
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:47:44:17 - 00:48:08:07
Speaker 4
For me, it was being part of something. The his vision, which included the military and the valley and everything, but being part of something, you know, working at restaurants for so long, you're just a cog in the machine. I don't feel like that. I haven't felt like that, for 12 years, and I still don't, you know, I feel like I'm part of this and that.

00:48:08:07 - 00:48:22:17
Speaker 4
It's going somewhere, and it's going that it means something and it's a whole different, different feeling, you know, going to work every day, like, I don't I don't dread work. I like going to work, you know. And not a lot of people can say that.

00:48:22:19 - 00:48:27:09
Speaker 1
Did you think that was going to come in the form of probably you probably never worked harder in your life though either, right? I imagine.

00:48:27:09 - 00:48:28:05
Speaker 2
Yeah. Right.

00:48:28:07 - 00:48:46:02
Speaker 1
Yeah. What is that? Yeah. I've always curious when I listen to talk to entrepreneurs and folks that operate knowing something mean they're hard working folks, but man, they just seem like happy warriors doing it. Maybe not every day, but generally speaking, versus the person who might strictly work a 9 to 5, you know, there's something that seems like there's soul.

00:48:46:02 - 00:48:48:05
Speaker 1
Something about it's missing something doesn't feel like.

00:48:48:05 - 00:48:56:19
Speaker 3
It's the thing I like out there that kind of encompasses this is I quit my 40 hour week job so I can go work 80 hours a week for myself.

00:48:56:21 - 00:48:59:05
Speaker 2
Yeah. So that kind of summarizes that, right?

00:48:59:05 - 00:49:06:22
Speaker 1
Is it that agency then, is the fact that, like, hey, this is at least mine, even if it is coming at the sake of a lot more time than I used to spend on something.

00:49:07:00 - 00:49:19:11
Speaker 3
Yeah, I'd say probably so, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I mean, hell, no one's going to do it for you, right? And so it's, it's on our shoulders. And so if it's going to get done, it starts with us. So.

00:49:19:13 - 00:49:20:01
Speaker 4
Yeah.

00:49:20:03 - 00:49:21:18
Speaker 1
Yeah. How about you Sean. Same thing.

00:49:21:21 - 00:49:49:23
Speaker 4
Yeah I mean this is Brian's company you know. But I do feel a sense of agency completely. He has given me that freedom. He's not down there all the day, all the time looking over my shoulder or anything. I make decisions I have to check with him on, you know, tons of things. I'm not going to go above what I'm allowed to do, but, I feel like, hey, this is my my thing almost as much as is, you know?

00:49:49:23 - 00:49:50:20
Speaker 4
Yeah, absolutely.

00:49:50:20 - 00:50:09:17
Speaker 3
Yeah. 100%. And again. Yeah, that is distillation side managing the distillery. Sean's got that and I know Sean's got it. And he's I mean he's in good hands with Sean. Yeah I don't worry about that at all. But there's so many more, moving pieces to this business. And we sit there and make whiskey all day long.

00:50:09:19 - 00:50:22:12
Speaker 3
But we don't get, you know, paychecks and bills don't get paid if, if we don't sell it, we don't have distribution. We have the tasting rooms dialed in. Right. And so there's a there's a lot, a lot to it for sure.

00:50:22:12 - 00:50:35:04
Speaker 1
So how do y'all, when y'all are bringing on teammates, what are the things you think about, you know, making sure they got the rest of what are the things you look for. Patriotism okay. Really. You got to bleed red white and blue.

00:50:35:04 - 00:50:45:05
Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. And it will come up in conversation. I'll direct. I won't ask specifically, but certainly direct some questions to to allude to that fact and, and make sure they check that box.

00:50:45:09 - 00:50:48:10
Speaker 1
Is it just because so core to the brain. Yeah. Yeah. You can't fake.

00:50:48:10 - 00:51:05:23
Speaker 3
That. Yeah. We can teach. We can teach everything else. Right. Most everything else. But and it depends on what position we're hiring for as well. But everyone within the company is quite patriotic, and is aligned with our vision of what we're doing. So that's first and foremost.

00:51:06:01 - 00:51:14:02
Speaker 1
So that's I don't know that I've seen, very many job descriptions with that on, there is a core part of the culture. But I think, I mean, it makes a ton of sense for what y'all are trying to.

00:51:14:02 - 00:51:18:21
Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. You know, if if you're not, you're not going to last long with us because that's what we.

00:51:18:21 - 00:51:21:13
Speaker 2
Do on a daily basis. Yeah. No, I mean the different.

00:51:21:13 - 00:51:28:07
Speaker 3
Events they're doing. Yeah. Well, again, back to the veterans program. It's it's we have a big event with them tomorrow.

00:51:28:09 - 00:51:30:19
Speaker 1
It's head golf. What do you tell me about that? What is it? Yeah, yeah.

00:51:30:19 - 00:51:50:00
Speaker 3
They do an annual golf tournament fundraiser. Okay. One of the local golf courses. And what? And the hats. Guys off to fly a Black Hawk in landed, at the, at the driving range and do a big, opening ceremony. It's a really cool event that they have going on. So, and we're always doing different events around, military organizations.

00:51:50:02 - 00:51:53:03
Speaker 3
And so if you're not patriotic, then,

00:51:53:05 - 00:51:54:20
Speaker 2
Then this business is not going to fly with you.

00:51:54:20 - 00:51:56:00
Speaker 1
That's going to be tough, man.

00:51:56:00 - 00:51:56:12
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:51:56:14 - 00:52:03:18
Speaker 1
Tell me just I mean, as we're kind of closing in on you, tell me about some of those things that maybe we didn't get a chance to talk about that y'all support and and why you found it important to do so.

00:52:03:21 - 00:52:24:14
Speaker 3
Yeah. Again, here in our backyard is the, Colorado veterans, program. And then a couple other ones around the state of Colorado, Colorado, Colorado Veterans Project, really comes to mind, houses for warriors as well down in Denver. Nationwide again, we we've worked with, number with the 10th Foundation and 10th descendants program.

00:52:24:16 - 00:52:41:15
Speaker 3
And they do a lot of stuff up at Fort Drum. Shepard's men down in Atlanta does a lot of stuff with TBI and PTSD, treatments, an organization out of Coronado called the C4 Foundation, as close to us, and I mean, I could we could sit here and list off another 50 of them.

00:52:41:16 - 00:52:46:23
Speaker 1
I mean, it's a lot. So how do you decide to how do you decide what you give and how you do it? I mean.

00:52:47:01 - 00:53:06:00
Speaker 3
In a lot of. So we will support organizations on a number of different levels. Sometimes it's just product donations, sometimes it's, supporting an event that we're going out to personally. Sometimes it's, financial donation, not often as much as we'd like. But again, we're growing company. And we got to got to feed the beast as well. Otherwise none of this works.

00:53:06:00 - 00:53:26:08
Speaker 3
So. Yeah. And and there's something all these organizations have a form 990, so you can vet them and you can ask for that form 990. You can see where they're spending their money, which is something a lot of people aren't aware of. But if a nonprofit of any sort reaches out to you and asks for support, I have to do is ask for form 919 and they they'll they'll give it to you.

00:53:26:08 - 00:53:44:04
Speaker 3
And sometimes, the organizations that are a bit more organized will have it on their website. And so, it's just so you can vet them a little bit more and see where they're spending your money and see if it's a, a group that you want to support. And so we'll if it's a group that we're not familiar with and don't have a personal connection with, well that's reform 990.

00:53:44:04 - 00:53:59:02
Speaker 3
And at this point, a lot of our friends are veterans that have been there, done that and been through a number of different organizations. And if it's something that we're kind of on the cusp of that we'll reach out to a friend and be like, hey, do you know anything about this organization? Yeah. What's this about? And so we'll a couple different ways.

00:53:59:02 - 00:54:01:11
Speaker 3
We'll, we'll, do some background checks on them.

00:54:01:16 - 00:54:14:21
Speaker 1
Yeah, I can see that. Yeah. That's important. And kind of yeah, they, they're very big and small. And so of the things you but it sounds to me that y'all are always kind of willing to pitch in and help and support where you can. As you close out here, I mean, gentlemen, it's been good just picking your brain.

00:54:14:21 - 00:54:35:13
Speaker 1
I know we'll get plenty more chances to do it. I'm stoked to get the community together this evening and, you know, be able to share it. Y'all's tasting room down there and in Vail Village. What do you. What's the daydream? What do you hope this looks like ten years from now? Maybe even further. I mean, if you can think about, you know.

00:54:35:15 - 00:54:37:04
Speaker 4
Build that rock house.

00:54:37:06 - 00:54:43:23
Speaker 2
Yeah. Where is that? The extension? You're running out of room for home? Yeah, exactly. It's 99% design.

00:54:43:23 - 00:54:47:02
Speaker 3
I've got it. I've got to call them all morning at 9:00 with our builders.

00:54:47:03 - 00:55:04:05
Speaker 4
Stuff to move around in there with all this. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I would love to open up another, I mean, get another line of production in there and just keep going. I mean, I love what we're doing. I don't have an end goal in sight. You know, I don't I don't see some finite thing where.

00:55:04:05 - 00:55:17:22
Speaker 4
Oh, we have to get to this. You know, anything like that? I mean, as long as we keep doing what we're doing and we're happy with what we're doing, and people are happy with us, which they are, I'm happy, and I just want to keep going.

00:55:18:00 - 00:55:20:01
Speaker 1
You're in the process. Yeah, yeah.

00:55:20:07 - 00:55:21:05
Speaker 4
Yeah, absolutely.

00:55:21:10 - 00:55:22:04
Speaker 1
And Robert. Yeah.

00:55:22:04 - 00:55:36:17
Speaker 3
And that rack house, it's going to hold another 1400 barrels or something. So then the barrels inside our current rack house where we do the distillation as well, that will free up some space in there and then, possibly down the line, add another still or two, for Sean to play.

00:55:36:17 - 00:55:39:13
Speaker 2
With as well. So, that could, could.

00:55:39:13 - 00:55:52:18
Speaker 3
Come, online here in the next couple years. But the rack house is 99%, designed. But a couple more final pieces we got to put in place. Then hopefully I've been saying this for a couple years now that we'll get it out of the ground next spring.

00:55:52:20 - 00:55:54:02
Speaker 2
So, yeah, you got to beat the.

00:55:54:02 - 00:55:54:14
Speaker 1
Winter, right?

00:55:54:15 - 00:56:12:18
Speaker 3
Yeah. Well, yeah, it doesn't. It's up here. There's not a whole lot of construction going on November to April. Yeah. But then, again, just growing it, market by market, state by state, and I think, maybe somewhere down the line, Sean and I had kids would be our grandkids. That would see this as a national brand.

00:56:12:18 - 00:56:37:20
Speaker 3
But, certainly our goal is to to build this into a national brand. And that's going to give us, some more flexibility to support the organizations that we're proud to support. And at the same time. And so it's just but each state is a different, a different beast in itself, each market, a different beast. It's getting the consumer in those states to care about it as much as the consumers here in our backyard care about, because they know the brand, they know what we're all about.

00:56:37:22 - 00:56:49:02
Speaker 3
And communicating that to consumers across the country is challenging. And it takes time. And so, but that's, ten years from now, hopefully we're in a couple more markets and doing well.

00:56:49:04 - 00:56:50:08
Speaker 1
Well, I'm no doubt that.

00:56:50:08 - 00:56:53:04
Speaker 4
The more people we can help. Yeah, yeah. All the different.

00:56:53:06 - 00:56:54:15
Speaker 3
Yeah, exactly.

00:56:54:15 - 00:56:59:15
Speaker 1
So I can see that if we were going to go pick up a bottle right now, what states can they pick them up in.

00:56:59:17 - 00:57:01:15
Speaker 3
Yeah, that's a good question. Right.

00:57:01:17 - 00:57:03:21
Speaker 1
I wasn't driving out here to Vail and just.

00:57:03:23 - 00:57:04:21
Speaker 3
Came out here and hung out.

00:57:04:23 - 00:57:05:09
Speaker 2
That's just.

00:57:05:09 - 00:57:08:10
Speaker 1
It's not disappointing. Yeah, you wouldn't be disappointed.

00:57:08:12 - 00:57:34:19
Speaker 3
Thank you. Appreciate that. Yeah. Here in our backyard across the entire state of Colorado, and in select locations around Texas. We're in Wyoming. We're in, Missouri. We're in, New York, and certainly not not in Manhattan. We don't want to play that game. That's another beast. But in upstate New York and a couple of the, surrounding areas as well, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, a couple other markets and then online at 10th whiskey.com.

00:57:34:21 - 00:57:45:18
Speaker 3
We can't sell direct ourself because, antiquated liquor laws. But we, have a third party middleman that ships on our behalf. Okay, out of Washington, DC. But you can go to 10th whiskey.com and get it there.

00:57:45:18 - 00:57:46:23
Speaker 1
So anybody can pick it up a bottle.

00:57:47:02 - 00:57:57:19
Speaker 3
Yeah, and we can ship in 45 states. There's a couple states, that, still doesn't allow, alcohol to be shipped into those, those states, but 45 states, certainly crash it, too. So.

00:57:57:22 - 00:58:14:01
Speaker 1
Yeah. Do you have a, is there do you all have a code name for what? If someone was going to order all seven bottles or whatever reason? I have to read some gentlemen on yesterday and they called it, the barbecue guys there at Moe's, they called it that. They called it. You know, we sometimes have people come in and they just need a a family pack.

00:58:14:01 - 00:58:21:15
Speaker 1
We just ask him, do you want a double wide or triple wide? And I'm like, never died in my life. I don't know if there's any slang here, here, but, there's not.

00:58:21:15 - 00:58:23:08
Speaker 3
But if you buy all seven, there's a discount.

00:58:23:08 - 00:58:31:06
Speaker 2
So. Yeah. That's important. Yeah, that's about as important as it gets. But now I got to think of a name for that. You tell us. Give us a good military name. Yeah. And? And we'll.

00:58:31:06 - 00:58:47:01
Speaker 1
Go home. Maybe just call it go in Winchester. That's the old term. They used to use in the military when we used to go fight in the mountains and stuff. And the Apache, your Kiowa pilots were coming through and shooting. And after this boys just got done. Yeah. Out of ammo. I used to call on the radio and they go, hey, boys.

00:58:47:02 - 00:59:00:05
Speaker 1
Winchester. Good luck, you know? And then they head back out. Some of them would stick around the yellow extra fuel. Just keep our eyes out for us. Yeah. You go Winchester. Pretty fast in the middle. Yeah, right. Those guys. So maybe there's something in there that you can kind of go, but it just means to clean out ammo.

00:59:00:05 - 00:59:18:06
Speaker 1
Yeah, exactly. You know, so there's, there's that. But anyway, I mean, gentlemen, really. Thank you all. It's been a, you know, an absolute pleasure talking to you again. I can't think of very many things more American than what you guys do. It's so ingrained in our culture. I'm a permanent 10th mountain fan now for. For a long time.

00:59:18:06 - 00:59:22:17
Speaker 1
I mean, even without knowing. Y'all look at this thing. It's like, how do you. Whatever y'all picked in that catalog.

00:59:22:19 - 00:59:23:08
Speaker 2
All right.

00:59:23:10 - 00:59:37:22
Speaker 1
So anyway, thanks for all you do. And from from one vet to some to group of guys here that I know support it really just appreciate you kind of holding that group up. I think there's, there's a lot of countries out there that don't think of it's the same, you know, think of their military the same way.

00:59:37:22 - 00:59:58:20
Speaker 1
And I think for a lot of folks who may or may not know, it's really cool to be a veteran in the United States of America just because there's something about there's something about that level of citizenship that we kind of see from the citizens in our country. It's a two way street. We're fighting so that we can come back and go get a bottle 10th mountain, anytime we want in this great town called Vail or Eagle or wherever we're at in Texas.

00:59:58:21 - 01:00:06:16
Speaker 1
And vice versa. I know y'all believe the same thing. You wouldn't be able to do what you do without the guys and gals out there on the line. So, yeah, it's a firm handshake both ways.

01:00:06:16 - 01:00:07:21
Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.

01:00:07:23 - 01:00:09:05
Speaker 1
Appreciate it. Thank you both. Yeah.

01:00:09:06 - 01:00:10:01
Speaker 2
Thank you.

01:00:10:01 - 01:00:36:07
Speaker 1
Thanks for tuning in to the American Operator Podcast, where we celebrate the backbone of America small business owners and operators like you. If you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe so you'll never miss out on more of these stories and insights from people who keep our community strong. Until next time, keep building, keep operating and keep America moving forward.