MY VISIT TO OZARK DISTILLERY

Ozark Distillery in Osage Beach, Missouri, about 3 hours from my home in St. Louis

Last week I wrote the fact I was preparing to start work at Ozark Distillery. Well, that happened last Sunday and Monday and I can’t begin to tell you how cool this opportunity was.

Owners Dave & Tiffhany Hoffman simply could not have been nicer. Dave, who handles production, had the perfect scenario aligned for a guy who is interested in bourbon. He had two barrels perfectly aged and ready to go. He had a previously cooked mash perfectly fermented and ready to distill. This meant I could see the entire process. Dave and I milled the corn, barley and grains. We cooked a mash. We distilled a fermented mash. We emptied two barrels. We filled bottles, corked them, sealed and labeled them.

Did I mention we drank some bourbon?

It was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting, fun and exciting activities I have ever done.

So what happens now?

Well, while I had a lot of fun, I was also working. During the down times, I was interviewing Dave in preparation for writing a book about Ozark Distillery. The plan is to make this book available on Amazon and in their gift shop. I’ve already started some preliminary work on the book. I’ve interviewed a bourbon historian and started reading a book on the history of bourbon recommended by the bourbon historian. Dave wants a little history mixed in with his story so this should be very helpful.

I have to tell you, if every book was as fun to write as this one has been, I’d have a 1,000 books in my catalog!

Here’s me, as happy as can be, checking out some bourbon aging in the barrel house.

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Write Steve Write! is a weekly blog by author Steve Akley. Typically it is posted on (most) Sundays and features insight about his writing… though there is an occasional movie review or random thought post. It should be noted it’s posted as a live feed… no editing, no planning beforehand, it’s typed out on Sunday morning and the “publish” button is immediately hit. Apologies for any errors but you get this just as Steve thinks it!

Coming Next Week: Nothing planned, we’ll see what comes up next week!

In the meantime, follow check in on Steve in a variety of ways:

Steve’s Catalog on Amazon: http://goo.gl/kJpKcP

The OPUS Blog: steveakley.tumblr.com

Evan Haskill’s Blog: I am a contributor here: thebourbonguyandrye.com

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GETTING READY FOR WORK

I think the term “fantasy camp” started with baseball where they would have some retired players instructing grown men and women about baseball. Then the camp participants play in a live game with the retired players serving as coaches. Now they’ve got all kinds of fantasy camps… guitar, cooking, military, survival, you name it!

While I’ve never participated in any sort of official camp, I’m embarking on a two-day journey that can best be described as bourbon fantasy camp. Dave Huffman, the owner of Ozark Distillery, was featured in my book Small Brand America V: Special Bourbon Edition. The concept of the Small Brand America series was very simple; I would highlight tiny brands which manage to survive as the compete against much larger and better funded competitors. The “secret” to their success tends to be not so secret… they often have a superior product to these huge manufacturers who cut corners based upon their volume and ownership structures to increase profitability at the expense of quality.

Dave Huffman’s Ozark Distillery is a perfect example. First of all, it’s primarily a two-person operation. Dave and his wife Tiffhany. Two people. Yet, his product sits on the shelf next to Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, PAPPY VAN WINKLE, etc.

Can you imagine?

How can two people take on mega corporations in a sales channel these large companies have a stranglehold on? Well, it’s the quality discussion from above. There are all of these high-tech yeast strands you can now buy. They speed up the process for making distilled spirits. Dave shuns them. He wants the strands they have been using since the real James Beam himself was making bourbon. That’s what makes bourbon taste like bourbon. Dave also filters out the bad alcohols which cuts down on volume, but gives him a smoother tasting product. His approach into everything with his product is to stick to the highest quality ingredients and simply not cut any corners.

Dave liked being in the Small Brand America book but we had talked about writing a book just about his company he could sell in his gift shop. Part of the research for the book would involve me coming down to spend a few days working at his place, seeing him in action making bourbon.

Those two days are here. In about an hour I will be heading to Dave’s place to make bourbon. We’ll be cooking a mash, barreling, bottling and sampling. Yes, sampling. You have to, it’s part of the job. We’re even going to take some of the bottles we bottle while I am there and making the first ever “Ozark Distillery Signature Series” signed by both Dave and I.

Pretty cool, huh?

Yes, this sounds way better to me than a baseball fantasy camp with an accountant, who just learned to pitch in a 30 minute training session, is there throwing a baseball at my head!

_______________________

Write Steve Write! is a weekly blog by author Steve Akley. Typically it is posted on (most) Sundays and features insight about his writing… though there is an occasional movie review or random thought post. It should be noted it’s posted as a live feed… no editing, no planning beforehand, it’s typed out on Sunday morning and the “publish” button is immediately hit. Apologies for any errors but you get this just as Steve thinks it!

Coming Next Week: I share my experience about working at Ozark Distillery.

In the meantime, follow check in on Steve in a variety of ways:

Steve’s Catalog on Amazon: http://goo.gl/kJpKcP

The OPUS Blog: steveakley.tumblr.com

Evan Haskill’s Blog: I am a contributor here: thebourbonguyandrye.com

Sign Up for Steve’s Newsletters: Email Registration

Twitter: @steveakley

Instagram: @steveakley

What’s App: Steve Akley

Untappd: steveakley

Home Phone: I’m not giving you that!