Joe Beatrice, founder of Barrell Bourbon, was kind enough to meet with me on a horrendously rainy day in New York City. Over lunch in SoHo, Beatrice jumped right into explaining the story behind Barrell; it quickly became clear to me this man was passionate about his product, and not in the salesman-y way one might assume from a guy with a long-time background in marketing.

Beatrice has been in New York since 1984 but has spent much more time these days on the road, including many trips to Kentucky. He made beer his “whole life” as a hobby, but…