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Howard W. Hewitt

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Howard W. Hewitt

Tag Archives: Huber Distillery

Distillery rivaling Huber’s wine success

24 Tuesday Dec 2019

Posted by Howard in Indiana, Uncategorized

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Carl T., Huber Distillery, Huber Winery, Ted Huber

The explosion of the craft cocktail in bars and specialty distillers, driven largely by millenials and women, is skyrocketing the growth of distilled spirits.

It’s happening in across the globe, the U.S., and in Indiana. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, whiskey and bourbon exports surpassed one billion dollars in 2015 and the three years prior.

Distilleries are certainly popular in the Hoosier state. Official statistics can be hard to track down but Indiana featured 25 distilleries as recently as last year. Kentucky, home of brown spirits, had 68 distilleries for an increase of 250 percent in the last decade.

IMG_2748

Ted Huber

Ted Huber, of Huber Orchard and Winery along with Starlight Distillery, was and continues to be one of the pioneers in the Indiana artisan distiller business. Huber, whose family has roots in Southern Indiana near New Albany, leads one of the state’s most successful wineries. Adding a distiller was a natural part of his ever-continuing growth. He started with fortified wines in 1998 and started distilling in 2001. Changes in Indiana law now has Indiana distilled spirits on shelves across the state but only a handful of wineries have made the leap.

The iconic winery, situated in the rolling hills near Starlight, In, produces approximately 60,000 cases of wine. Three years ago Huber said he’d like to grow the distillery to about 50,000 cases. But the two products are different. Any given year’s grape harvest will produce a wine to go on the market within one to three or four years. Spirits take longer from a few years to 10 or more.

The distillery’s signature product is Carl T. Bourbon. The whiskey is named after Ted Huber’s grandfather Carl. Ted is the sixth generation winemaker and now distiller on the family farm. The Carl T. represents a growth product. It sells for $34.99 on the distillery’s website.

Production-wise Huber is making almost 50,000 cases but not yet selling nearly that much. “What we produce in the distillery is mainly bourbon (corn whiskey),” Huber explained. “After the bourbon comes rye and malt whiskey. So those finished products are a blend of four to six year barrells. So with the age requirements there is still another three years before we have enough product in the pipeline to hit those kind of numbers (50k).”

Huber said he wants to develop Carl T. with blends of 6-7-8 year old whiskeys. During a walking tour of one of his giant aging facilities, he poured several examples of bourbons aged and blended in several different ways.

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Huber discusses aging his whiskies.

“We need that age,” he said. “We were patient with our brandies. When they first came out we sold only 10- to 20-percent before upping production. Even today with our brandy production, even though we’re going on 18 years, we will never sell the same amount that we make. We’re getting older and older barrels in our warehouse for blending. And we plan to do that for several more years with our whisky.”

Huber has been a major player in numerous national and international brandy competitions winning top awards and awards for best in specific categories. His whiskeys are beginning to be recognized by top spirits critics as well. One critic wrote that Huber’s bourbon was one of the top 10 in the nation not made in Kentucky that afficionados must sample.

The boom in female brown spirits fan is not lost on the veteran winemaker. He said it’s been the biggest surprise during the growth of his spirit sales.

“Our clientele who came here for an experience of wine and spirits had the women dominate with wine and the men the spirits,” Huber said. “That is long gone over the past four years. We have as many women, or more women, coming here to enjoy and taste the different bourbons or whiskeys. The women who absolutely know their whiskeys from a quality standpoint has blown my mind.”

As a result of that burgeoning interest from women, Huber adjusts some single barrel whiskey’s to full cask strength (110-120 percent alcohol) and unfiltered. “And when we have clients come here from all over the United States to pick out barrels they are looking for products they think women will like. They’re looking for a little more complexity, a little bit more fruit and less oak.”

Huber wines are distributed in five states while the spirits are sold in 12 states. The Huber product line includes several whiskies, straight and flavored brandies, infusions and ports, rum, gin, and vodka.

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Huber Sons To Continue Tradition

07 Saturday May 2016

Posted by Howard in Indiana, Newspaper Column 2016, Uncategorized

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Blake Huber, Christian Huber, Dana Huber, Huber Distillery, Huber Winery & Orchards, Ted Huber

Christian and Blake Huber made career plans not long after learning to walk. If that seems silly, it makes perfect sense in a nearly 175-year- old family business.

The Huber family has farmed property near Starlight, In., atop the hills overlooking Louisville and the Ohio River valley, since 1843. The youngsters’ plans assure the Huber name and tradition will continue for a seventh generation as Huber’s Orchard, Winery, and Vineyards.

Grape Sense Logo“I was in kindergarten,” 20-year- old Christian said, stifling a laugh. “We had one of those ‘what do you want to do when you grow up?’ things. I wrote down winemaker and my teacher thought, ‘who is this guy?’ His family alcoholics or something?’ “

Turning over a growing business with 130 full-time employees and 700 acres in agricultural production was never a given. Blake said his parents never pressured him or his brother to consider the family winery as a career.

The young mens’ first steps are underway. Christian attends Niagra University in its Viticulture/Oenology program at Ontario, Canada. He is in the second semester of a two-year program. He spent parts of last year at IUPUI studying marketing and supply side economics. Blake is a senior at Providence High School.

Blake, Christian Huber

Blake and Christian Huber

Christian has considered California’s UC Davis, the country’s most prominent winemaking program, but cannot enroll until he turns 21. Blake is narrowing his college choices and trying to decide between winemaking or chemistry.

The proud parents couldn’t be more certain that when retirement comes, and Ted assures anyone listening he’s not ever retiring, the boys will carry on the legacy.

“They both have natural ability,” Ted said. “We really officially can’t taste wine with them because they’re under 21. But both boys have an unique ability to be phenomenal blenders.”

Dana said her sons are passionate and have a strong desire to learn. “Neither is going to quit until the job is done,” she said. “They’re both competitive and that will serve them well. They’re community leaders and they’ve shown that on their high school sports teams.”

Ted is just 50 years old. His concern for the sons is turning over a business experiencing rapid growth. “Turning over a business experience small growth is fairly easy,” he said. “But 20 percent-plus is pretty substantial number to keep up. You’re growing a business and buildings have to be built, new vineyards are rotating in and out, and new vines have to be planted. Taking over and running a company while it’s growing is a much bigger concern than when I took over.”

The sons aren’t shy talking about the future and admit to more than a few late nights talking about putting their stamp on the family business.

“It will be about expanding our distilled products and our line of wines,” Blake said. “We want to have a viable whiskey on the market. We’ve talked of getting a new tasting room, creating a new atmosphere but keeping the (original) barn.

“My dad has the product quality at a high level and hopefully Christian and I can keep up the legacy dad and grandpa started.”

As the next generation prepares to take over, the Starlight Distillery business is booming. Huber purchased 100 acres of farmland near the winery to grow corn for the distillery. Efforts in the distillery have recently focused on whiskey. The distillery is bottling just a small portion of the finished product now while the remainder goes into barrels for aging.

The distillery has ramped up to 130 percent of capacity, Ted offered, with more construction planned for later this year. As a matter of fact, in 4-6 years the total distillery production should match the current wine output of 50,000 cases annually.

The seventh generation of Huber farmers is ready to continue a Southern Indiana tradition.

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