Watershed Part Of Marianne Eaves Series

COLUMBUS — Watershed Distillery here is one of eight craft distilleries to be included in a premium, collectible bourbon series curated by Marianne Eaves, the first female master distiller in Kentucky.

Created with the intent of stripping away bourbon stereotypes, the collection, Eaves Blind, showcases some of the most awarded craft bourbon distilleries in regions beyond Kentucky. All of the single-source bourbons in the series were first sampled throughout 2021 in blind seasonal tasting kits.

“My ‘aha moment’ was realizing that there are so many other regions and distilleries outside of Kentucky that are making exceptional bourbons, too,” said Eaves. “This Ohio collaboration gave me the chance finally to work with some energetic and trailblazing industry friends. Watershed should be on everyone’s shortlist of amazing bourbons and believe me when I say they are only going to get better from here.”

Watershed Eaves Cask Strength Bourbon was created to highlight the attention the Columbus distillery pays to key aspects of the bourbon making process, specifically grain and mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation.

“Here at Watershed, there has been quite a bit of excitement around this project,” said Greg Lehman, Watershed CEO. “Not only was it an honor to work side by side with Marianne, but to be selected to be in the company of these other emerging distilleries was a real point of pride for us.”

Watershed Eaves Cask Strength Bourbon is bottled at 130.3 proof and is priced at $150 per 750 ml bottle; it is available only through a bottle lottery which closes on March 9.

Also featured in Eaves’ collectible series are whiskeys from Oregon Spirit Distillers, Bend, Ore.; Distillery 291, Colorado Springs, Texas; St. Augustine Distillery, St. Augustine, Fla.; Stumpy’s Spirits Distillery, Columbia, Ill.; Treaty Oak Distillery, Dripping Springs, Texas; Journeyman Distillery, Three Oaks, Mich.; and King’s County Distillery, Brooklyn, N.Y.

WoodCraft Franchises Bourbon Blending System

CINCINNATI — WoodCraft Bourbon Blender here has begun franchising its system of custom blending single barrel bourbon by the glass or bottle.

The first WoodCraft Bourbon Blender franchise, Barrels & Billets, recently opened on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Ky. The experience allows guests to blend, create and bottle their own bourbon from six award-winning WoodCraft bourbons, including a 200 Year Oak, European Oak, American Oak, Cherry Wood, Maple Wood and Smoked Oak.

During the experience, guests will learn the art of bourbon blending before the blending process begins. Once the blending experience is complete, guests can have their recipe bottled onsite.

The franchisee is Hillerich & Bradsby Co., owner of Louisville Slugger baseball bat company. Barrels & Billets is located next door to the Louisville Slugger Museum.

“Some may be wondering why a sports and attraction company is getting into the bourbon business, but Barrels & Billets is actually a continuation of H&B’s long history of creating uniquely Louisville experiences for our fans and guests,” said John Hillerich, president and CEO of Hillerich & Bradsby Co.

WoodCraft co-founders Doug Hall and Joe Girgash will continue to expand the franchising of the free-standing WoodCraft Bourbon Blending Machines in stores, as well as fractional franchising in more than 20,000 distilleries, breweries and wineries, according to a news release. They are also developing a way for a version of the blending machine to be available in bars and restaurants.

More information on franchise opportunities is available at www.BourbonFranchise.com.