We love to tell the story of how we started Pappy in our basement, for a few reasons, one because it is true, we were crammed into a small corner of Louise’s basement, in the house where she was raising her very small children (pregnant with her twin boys), with boxes surrounding us and computers perched precariously on any surface we could find. But more so because it reminds us of not just our early days, but of those of every Van Winkle before us. For the story of Pappy & Company doesn't begin in our basement, it doesn’t even begin with the dream we have been tossing around at every family dinner since we could talk.  It began four generations ago, with the principles and promises of our great-grandfather, Pappy, himself.  

It begins so humbly as to seem impossible. With a young man bearing a funny nickname bestowed upon him by a good friend and golfing buddy in his youth, for a reason we aren’t exactly sure, and probably better left between the two of them. When Pappy graduated from Centre College, he set out like all college graduates before and after him with a mission to find himself a job, and he did, as a whiskey salesman at W.L. Weller & Sons.  

 Perhaps the most surprising detail of all was that this great legacy, this incredible story and heritage of one of the most iconic bourbon names in the world began with a man who simply “wanted a job and I got one.” As remarked by a colleague later in his career, “the mightiest distiller of all didn’t have an ancestor to his name.” 

While he didn’t set out to achieve a bourwon legacy, it would be impossible to argue that, even if by complete accident, that is what, in fact, he did. So while we may have differed in the origins, we were taking on the helm of an established legacy, not creating one; we’ve certainly modeled our company, our mission, and our values after the only people we could, our great-grandfather, grandfather, and father.  

 

Pappy began as a salesman. Our grandfather helmed it through challenges.  Our dad rebuilt the family business. We started in a basement. While not identical stories, they share a common parallel. The same goals, dedications, and promises. While our great-grandfather's name carries a legacy and has earned the status of icon, it was never his intention.

In fact, the story of Pappy & Company can be traced to the story of a man, who upon a banquet honoring the joint celebration of his 75th Birthday and the Distillery’s 100th Anniversary, stood after laudatory comments to remark: “I do not believe we deserve so much praise, because, after all, we have simply tried to be honest and make a good product.” Even then, that is how simply he saw his role, and furthermore, that  “after all is said, this company would not have prospered if we had not had loyal customers.”

Humble, in service of the bourbon that now bears his name and likeness. He wasn’t interested in the acclaim, but rather took the opportunity to remind everyone that theirs had always been a simple mission, “a good product,” even though that good product had gained worldwide recognition and acclaim. Time and again, he reminded everyone, it has always been, and will always be, about the bourbon. 

So for us, that is where we began, with sharing that legacy. Sharing that heritage, in the same way every generation has before us.