Blake Jones, West Fork Whiskey Co.
Blake Jones is the Co-founder and President of West Fork Whiskey Co. and Old Hamer.
West Fork Whiskey Co. was founded in 2015, and they distill and produce craft whiskeys using ingredients that are entirely sourced in Indiana. One of the things they’re known for is reviving the historic Indiana whiskey brand Old Hamer, which they did in 2019.
West Fork Whiskey Co. offers various spirits, such as their wheat-centric bourbon and earthy and spicy rye. Their goal is to create high-quality, affordable spirits that taste great.
Podcast highlights with Blake Jones of West Fork Whiskey Co.
- Why Blake Jones switched from working in banking and finance to building an alcohol beverage company in Indiana
- Blake shares why he and his co-founders, David McIntyre and Julian Jones, decided to revive Indiana’s historic whiskey brand Old Hamer
- How the pandemic affected the West Fork Whiskey Co., and how they adapted their operations to cater to online stores and direct-to-consumer sales
- Blake talks about their $10 million expansion and the plans they have in the pipeline
- The marketing channels that have worked best for West Fork Whiskey Co. and why they still do billboards
- Blake explains why getting people to try their whiskey was the biggest challenge they had to face
- Why the agro-tourism project of West Fork Whiskey Co. is Blake’s favorite project to-date
- Blake’s advice for new entrepreneurs who want to pursue a business in the beverage industry
In this episode…
How willing are you to go after the things that you love and are passionate about? For Blake Jones, it was an easy decision — he wanted out of his 9-5 job in the banking and finance industry, and he wanted to work on something that he absolutely loved. So he got together with his brother, Julian Jones, and their friend, David McIntyre, and worked on building a well-known whiskey company and brand for their beloved state of Indiana.
After hurdling the initial challenge of enticing people to try their whiskey, the co-founders of West Fork Whiskey Co. have expanded their brand, including the revival of the historic Indiana whiskey brand, Old Hamer. And despite the pandemic, they just announced a $10 million expansion project in July 2021.
Join Darren Fox in this episode of Pitcher This! Podcast as he sits down with West Fork Whiskey Co. Co-founder, Blake Jones, to talk about what it’s like to build a whiskey company from scratch and how they were able to build it into the brand that it is today. Blake also shares the marketing channels they use to boost their brand, how they adapted to the changes brought about by the pandemic, and why he’s most excited about the agro-tourism project that’s in the pipeline for their company.
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