Alltech founder and president, Dr. Pearse Lyons, discusses with Tom Martin his company's plans to launch Lyons Reserve, a malt whisky that will be distilled at the Kentucky Ale brewery in downtown Lexington.
Given your education and expertise, has distilling been a lifelong ambition?
Absolutely. One of my ambitions has always been to have a distillery. Coming from a family where, at least on my mom's side, they have been involved in cooperages - the "juice" was in my blood. Ironically, however, I also come from an immediate family of teetotalers.
Traveling through Ireland and Scotland, I used to admire small distilleries. They were almost boutique. I thought I would like to buy one, but the timing was never right, financially or otherwise.
How long has this project been in planning?
It has been planned ever since I worked in a distillery in the early 1970s. I would say that it has been ever since I was part of a group that was involved in the planning of distilleries and the creation of gin, vodka and rum.
Do you see this as "the new Bourbon"? Are you looking to create a whole new industry in central Kentucky, which is, after all, something of a home-away-from-home for many Irish nationals who have been drawn here by the horse industry?
No. Bourbon is unique. If it is to be improved on, I certainly don't think I have the talent to do so. Instead, I believe we can create something different - a malt whiskey. A malt whiskey lends itself to more branding capabilities. It has a lower volume, but higher returns. It lends itself to creating an image of Kentucky almost to rival Speyside in Scotland. Kentucky is a wonderful brand. Therefore, a Kentucky malt would be wonderful brand.
An historical note: We have had two idle distilleries in Lexington for over half a century. To resurrect those big distilleries is very difficult. On the other hand, to create a small distillery, which could lead to other small distilleries, is a lot easier.
What distinguishes Irish whisky from other liquors?
What distinguishes Irish whisky, and what will distinguish this whiskey, is the fact that it uses malt and only malt as a cereal. They use only pot stills for Irish whisky: three pot stills. The malt uses only two stills. What distinguishes malt whiskey and Lyons Reserve is the size of the stills; they are small so as to ensure distillation is fast, with no production of off flavors, but wonderful flavors created by yeast and the master distiller.
Will you be able to call it "Irish" whisky, even though distilled in the United States?
The answer is probably yes, but we don't want to call it an Irish whisky. It is an American malt whiskey.
Who do you consider competitors?
The world is a competitor. Our competitors are so large compared to us that we have the opportunity starting, and starting now, to take a first step on this very exciting journey.
Will this be produced at the Kentucky Ale brewery?
It will be produced, at least initially, at the Kentucky Ale Brewery. I believe this is part and parcel of its uniqueness. It has three advantages: it keeps our costs down because we don't have to invest in new fermenters, the technical staff is already in place, and now I can tell the story of Kentucky Ale and the whiskey.
What sort of distribution do you envision?
It will be big, but it will take time. We plan to get Lyons Reserve out by the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. We will be using a mixture of some small barrels and large barrels, so we can have rapid maturation. Master tasters will be brought in from Scotland. I have worked with them in the past. We will be using Roy Court and Jim Drysdale, prestigious master distillers from Scotland.
What local resources/raw materials will be required in the production and marketing processes?
Again, this is very exciting. The barrels will probably all be sourced in Kentucky. They will be barrels that have held bourbon whiskey for a very unique flavor or barrels made from Kentucky and Missouri oak. We will select one cooperage and work with them.
How long does it take to produce a finished product?
It will take a minimum of two years maturation.
What sort of impact do you anticipate this will have on the local economy in terms of economic impact and jobs created in both the short and long term?
We have a lot of whiskey to make, and a lot of barrels to buy. One needs to look at Kentucky Ale as an example. While the actual jobs may be few, the economic impact is significant.