Chasing the Butterfly of Blue Run with Mike Montgomery and Tim Sparapani (Bourbon Pursuit #333)

Now I have to admit, I remember the first time I heard of Blue Run Spirits and I had my reservations. Who were these guys with some 13 year old sourced product, a Nike shoe designer creating the packaging, the likes of Jim Rutledge putting his name to it, and they are charging over $150 a bottle!? A lot of those reservations began to disappear after I tasted their bourbon. It was really good. And then, the awards started piling up. Blue Run Spirits has been on a sprint more-so than run after launching in 2020. I’m joined by Mike Montgomery and Tim Sparapani, both co-founders of Blue Run, to talk about this journey and how they hit a turning point when people couldn’t stop talking about their products. We talk about working with Jim Rutledge, moving from high aged to younger whiskeys, and how they are meeting a new demand in the market.

Show Partners:

• Catoctin Creek has been honoring that tradition of small craft rye whisky since 2009. Learn more at CatoctinCreekDistilling.com.
• Smooth Ambler builds on the traditional roots of American whiskey in West Virginia. Visit SmoothAmbler.com to learn more.
• Wilderness Trail is Sweet Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled in Danville, Kentucky. Learn more at WildernessTrailDistillery.com.
• You can now buy Barrell Craft Spirits products online and have them shipped right to your door. Visit BarrellBourbon.com and click Buy Now.
• Spirits of French Lick is delivering the finest hand crafted Bottled in Bond bourbons. Check out SpiritsofFrenchLick.com.
• Total Wine and More is wonderland for wine, spirits, and beer lovers! Explore more in store or online at TotalWine.com.
• Heaven Hill Distillery has been lifting America’s spirit since 1935. Check out educational resources and sign up for their newsletter at HeavenHillDistillery.com.

Show Notes:

• This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick (@fredminnick) talks about the secondary market.
• How did your whiskey journey begin?
• Where did your two worlds collide?
• Why bourbon?
• Tell us how you went about sourcing your product.
• How many barrels were your buying in the beginning?
• Tell us about your packaging. How did you land on the butterfly?
• How was it working with Jim Rutledge?
• What was the turning point?
• Are you concerned about selling younger aged products?
• Talk about your pricing strategy.
• What are you working on at Bardstown Bourbon Company?
• @bluerunspirits
• Support this podcast on Patreon

This post first appeared on Bourbon Pursuit at https://bourbonpursuit.com/2021/11/25/333-chasing-the-butterfly-of-blue-run-with-mike-montgomery-and-tim-sparapani/

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