Many of us have heard of A. Smith Bowman, which is owned by Sazerac, but we really don’t know much about them. We sit down with their Master Distiller, Brian Prewitt, to learn about the inner-workings of their operation and how the relationship with Sazerac works, as it pertains to the bourbon. With more than 20 years of brewing and distilling expertise, he tells us how he dialed in their stills to create a unique product and what the future entails for growth. We may or may not talk about gin for a few minutes as well. If you're a fan of A. Smith Bowman, let us know your favorite bottling in the comments. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about Texas. How did you get into bourbon? What has been your favorite spirit to work with? Did your parents influence you to get into the alcohol industry? Tell us the history of A. Smith Bowman. Does it ever make you mad that Kentucky gets all the glory for bourbon? What year did the operation start? Tell us the history of Master Distillers there. Is it hard to dial in flavor profiles? Are you able to make your own imprint on the product? What did you tweak during the process? When did it become part of the Sazerac portfolio? What resources did you gain from Sazerac? Do you distill or does Buffalo Trace contract distill? Is it aged in VA? Are higher age releases sourced or made in house? What is your capacity? How many states are you available in? Is there a flavor profile difference from Kentucky bourbon? Tell us about your products. What makes your gin unique? Tell us about your single barrel program. Where do you see the market in the future? How has Virginia embraced you? Do you have a lot of competition visit? Has bourbon tourism grown in VA? What are your plans for growth?