177: The Bourbon Behind the Butterfly with Blue Run Spirits

Blue Run has experienced a lot of growth and success in the time since we last spoke with them on Episode 115.  Their recognizable bottle and butterfly branding has helped propel their premium whiskies to the top shelf of many enthusiasts' bars.  We catch up with Mike Montgomery and one of their newest team members, Shaylyn Gammon, to discuss the brand’s current position in the market and how they expect to continue to push the premium American Whiskey world.  

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Bourbon Lens

Show Links:

• Use Code: BOURBONLENS for 20% off and free shipping at MANSCAPED (Sponsored)
• Blue Run Spirits
• Bourbon Lens Episode 115: Blue Run Spirits - Tapping A Legend of the Bourbon World
• This mom-to-be helped create the Best American Whiskey of 2021 without ever trying it
•  

ABOUT MIKE MONTGOMERY

Mike Montgomery is cofounder and CEO of Blue Run Spirits. Mike has spent the last few decades in public affairs consulting after working with California-based elected officials. Prior to his time in politics, he worked with the U.S. Canoe & Kayak team in Lake Placid, NY. He is a proud graduate of the University of Washington. Mike and his wife and daughter reside in Los Angeles.

ABOUT SHAYLYN GAMMON

Blue Run Spirits recently announced the hiring of Shaylyn Gammon as its first Whiskey Director. Gammon will drive the development and expansion of Blue Run’s whiskey portfolio.

Gammon joins Blue Run Spirits from Campari Group, where she managed product innovation projects across the company’s North American portfolio.  Based in Kentucky, she worked closely with the Bourbon Hall of Fame duo of Jimmy and Eddie Russell on Wild Turkey whiskies, in particular brand extensions such as Master’s Keep, Rare Breed, Russell’s Reserve and Matthew McConaughey’s Longbranch.

Gammon’s work with the Russell’s has been widely lauded. Most recently, Russell's Reserve 13-Year-Old Bourbon was named the “Best American Whiskey of 2021” by world-renowned spirits critic and bourbon authority Fred Minnick. Double Gold Medal wins at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition include Longbranch, Rare Breed Rye, and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye, which was also a finalist for Rye Whiskey of the Year at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

As Blue Run’s Whiskey Director, Gammon will work with the Blue Run team on the selection of sourced barrels for the company’s bourbon and rye releases, prepare the company’s private barrel selection program, and serve as a distillation apprentice to Blue Run Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge. She will also work closely with the Blue Run team to strengthen and grow its comprehensive, long-term product and innovation strategy, tapping into her years of experience as a research and development scientist, and, of course, a huge whiskey fan. 

In addition to Campari Group, Gammon’s experience includes AmeriQual Foods, YUM! Brands and Land O’Frost. She is a member of the Bourbon Women Association; Women of the Vine and Spirits; and Louisville Women Leaders and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky in food science.

ABOUT BLUE RUN SPIRITS

Blue Run Spirits was started in October 2020 and has since created seven whiskey releases – several with separate expressions in a single release, such as the recent 12 Days of Single Barrel High Rye Bourbon this past December.

 The company’s releases have sold out in mere minutes and have received many accolades, including Blue Run 14-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon, which was awarded top honors at the prestigious 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition winning Best Small Batch Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, along with a Double Gold Medal. The company’s spring 2021 release, Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, was awarded Best Single Barrel Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, as well as a Double Gold Medal. Blue Run Kentucky Straight Golden Rye Whiskey was awarded a Gold Medal.  

Find Blue Run Spirits online at www.bluerunspirits.com, and on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Blue Run Spirits is a new kind of spirits company, creating a unique luxury proposition by tapping into the deep heritage and craft that makes a truly great whiskey, then elevating it through a modern design and marketing lens to reach a younger, broader and more diverse whiskey drinker. The company’s founders include a Nike designer, the first director-level employee at Facebook, a hospitality executive, a political advisor, and a philanthropist – all huge whiskey fans and individuals who acutely understand how to build demand and buzz for a contemporary consumer product. They are backed by a team of advisors including Nike marketing experts; the Campari communications veteran behind Wild Turkey and the Aperol Spritz; a former spirits distributor; and others with deep industry experience. The Blue Run name is a nod to one of our founder’s upbringing in Georgetown, KY.