Experience

I spent more than twelve years helping build and guide a working craft distillery from the ground up — developing operational structure, regulatory compliance systems, hospitality integration, brand positioning, and long-term maturation strategy as the operation grew into a respected and sustainable brand.

In addition to hands-on leadership, I have built comprehensive distillery frameworks for emerging projects across Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia, including pro formas, phased development plans, compliance structures, market alignment strategies, and experience-driven hospitality models. My advisory work is rooted in lived operational reality — balancing craft integrity with disciplined business structure.

Craft & Structure

Distilling is equal parts craft and discipline. Behind every label are thousands of decisions — grain sourcing, compliance, facility flow, hospitality design, barrel management, marketing alignment, and long-term sustainability.

 I work with craft distilleries and emerging whiskey brands across the Southeast, helping founders build operations that are structurally sound, financially realistic, and aligned with the story they want to tell. My perspective is not theoretical. It was built from the inside of a working distillery.

 My focus is not on helping brands compete with multinational portfolios. It is on helping craft distilleries lay strong foundations — the kind that allow a brand to grow with integrity and endure.

Strategic Development

In addition to operational leadership, I support founders in shaping the structure behind the vision — from pro forma modeling and phased development sequencing to regulatory planning and hospitality alignment.

Some projects require refinement. Others begin with a blank page and a financial model. I work comfortably in both spaces.

Advisory Focus Areas

Operational Build Strategy

• Facility flow and phased growth planning

• Production-to-hospitality alignment

• Long-term barrel management structure

• Sustainable scaling frameworks

Regulatory & Structural Guidance

• Federal and state compliance navigation

• SOP development

• Maturation tracking systems

• Documentation and internal discipline

 Hospitality & Education Integration

• Tour and tasting strategy

• Staff education frameworks

• Executive Bourbon Steward-level training

• Experience design that strengthens credibility

 Brand & Market Alignment

• Narrative clarity grounded in heritage

• Marketing strategy aligned with operational reality

• Founder positioning within the brand

• Long-term sustainability planning

Who I Work Best With

 My advisory work is best suited for founders who care about doing it correctly — even when it takes longer.

If you are building intentionally, balancing craft with compliance, and thinking beyond opening day toward five, ten, or twenty years from now, we will likely work well together.

Engagement Options

 I work with leadership teams in several ways:

• Advisory retainer relationships

• Project-based consulting

• On-site strategic intensives

• Investor and board review support

 Every engagement is tailored to the stage and goals of the distillery.

Closing

Building a distillery is both a calling and a commitment. If you are laying foundations — or strengthening the structure you’ve already built — I offer experienced, steady counsel rooted in operational reality and respect for the craft.