Life & Work with Alex Lindsey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Lindsey.

Hi Alex, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Like many men in their 20’s looking for a productive outlet, I decided to put my energy into learning how to distill 10 years ago. I had the homebrewing background but really wanted to see what a Wheat Whiskey would taste like on my 10-gallon copper alembic pot still (his name is Hephaestus).

After lots and lots of reading, visiting countless distilleries, and soaking up as much as I could I started to experiment and really age whiskey in small barrels. Sharing the Wheat Whiskey with people was my first “aha!” moment. The feedback was eerily similar across the board “I don’t like whiskey, but I would drink this”. From there I started scaling up a little in my garage to where it’s how I spent most of my free time.

At this point, I knew I wanted to explore starting my own distillery, and coming up with a brand was really important. The rich history of the West Bottoms district of Kansas City is almost overpowering and I loved the industry, innovation, and frankly drunken history and wanted to capture that in a symbol. That symbol is Murdock; and he is the representation of the men and women who worked the factories, innovated, and gave rise to what Kansas City is today.

With Murdock in hand and the name West Bottoms Whiskey Co. I emptied all of my savings (excluding my daughter’s college fund) and raised money from friends and family; enough to get a small startup. Inspired by the industrial revolution and the area I sought to find a space in the West Bottoms and found a truly unique space (off Craigslist in fact). I signed the lease in 2019 for a beautiful train tunnel distillery and tasting parlor.

I knew this space would be just big enough to start a small distillery and tasting room. Along the way to opening (which was far more difficult than I anticipated while still working full time), I brought on 3 business partners Eric Morey (Operations Director), Michael Hopkins (Marketing Director), and Danny Faught (Parlor Manager) to get me across the finish line.

Given how small the space was and knowing we couldn’t distill large enough quantities to serve the masses I decided to do what pretty much every distillery does starting out and that is sourcing. Sourcing whiskey is basically purchasing whiskey already aged in barrels.

For my first whiskey, I didn’t want to just buy a bourbon cut it to a lower proof and slap a label on it; I wanted to create a unique flavor and blend with the resurgence of the Kansas City Whiskey style I took a crack at creating a specific blend. Kansas City Whiskey is a blend of a 3-year bourbon, 3-year Rye, and less than 2.5% dry Oloroso Sherry.

After getting a beautiful label designed, picking out bottles and finishing up the space, and getting all final permits we were ready to launch.

What was fun about this time (January 2021) was Covid was still very prevalent and the opening was a little terrifying but financially our runway was only a couple of weeks, so I decided to sign on with a distributor Veritas Selections who welcomed us on to their books as their first whiskey.

This allowed us to open and distribute and really start getting our story out there.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Wow, smooth is fun a term. I would say it wasn’t smooth but it wasn’t a nightmare. I think a lot of that comes down to perception and working thru those tough times.

Personally, it was learning and adjusting to our new demand for whiskey and the supply chain issues that plagued everyone. To give a quick anecdote; our first order went out the door in January 2021, I contacted our bottle supplier for more only to find that they were out, and no more were being made until May!

The first 5 months were spent scrounging for bottles all across the country just to stay on top of orders.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the Founder and Master Distiller at West Bottoms Whiskey. As a new entrepreneur, it was strange quitting my job several months after opening and learning how to scale production up, build out a new expansion space, manage people, etc.

As the founder, my general role is to oversee all aspects of the business; production, sales, and parlor that my business partners manage to ensure the vision for the business stays true and profitable. My real passion for what I do is distilling and aging whiskey. After our expansion is complete (appx 1 month) I will be distilling on a new 211 Copper Alembic Pot Still from Portugal.

What makes the whiskeys unique is the combination of grains, cuts (during distilling), and aging techniques. Those 3 when done right can create some pretty amazing whiskeys and the goal for all of mine is approachability. Our first full release made in-house will be a single malt (name TBD) which will be at or around cask strength – I’m hoping to have this be a statement whiskey.

I am very proud of the awards we have won so far in the Double Gold for the whiskey and the Best New Bar and Best Old Fashioned in KC (voted by the Pitch). I am also very proud of our team and how much my business partners have invested in this dream I had. I feel very fortunate.

What sets us apart is our flavor pallet for the whiskeys we produce and in general our approach. For years there was a tried and true distillery opening model (vodka, rum, gin, whiskey) and my approach of sticking to just whiskey and our ability to scale up as quickly as we have does set us apart in the industry a bit.

What matters most to you?
Story and Connection. This is why I love whiskey it has both. Each barrel of whiskey has its own story, it sat in an oak barrel, and it went thru seasons and pandemics just like you and me.

And the best part of whiskey is tasting the story behind the grains, the location, how it was distilled and aged the reason for it, etc. And what makes it really special and why it’s important is the connections it creates.

Sharing a bottle on a porch or near a fire with your loved ones, friends, and family has created some of the most meaningful and long-lasting relationships I think any of us could really ask for.

Pricing:

• Kansas City Whiskey $30-35
• Batched Old Fashioned – $26 (Parlor Only)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.westbottomswhiskey.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westbottomswhiskeyco/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westbottomswhiskeyco/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChpxoQQdxsOBiWka3dZiYBQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-bottoms-whiskey-kansas-city-3?osq=West+Bottoms+Whiskey

Image Credits:
Garrett Blackwell and Travis Carroll