BARREL BENEFITS

Using California’s wine country as a model, Matt Jamie of Bourbon Barrel Foods seeks to create a lifestyle brand based on Kentucky’s bourbon heritage

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Andrew Kung

Timing and tenacity are two important factors Matt Jamie, founder of Bourbon Barrel Foods, cites in the enormous success of his gourmet food and lifestyle brand, headquartered in the Butchertown Market. A veteran of the foodservice industry at all levels – from dishwasher to chef – Jamie began mulling over ideas for a unique niche in the gourmet food market in the early 2000s. Honing in on artisan soy sauce, he undertook an arduous research and development process that drew parallels with the history and heritage of Kentucky’s bourbon distilling tradition, ultimately resulting in his first bottle in 2007.

Matt Jamie in the BBF warehouse.

The recipe for soy sauce is deceptively simple – soy, wheat, salt, water, and yeast – and what sets Jamie’s Bluegrass Soy Sauce apart is the quality of the ingredients and the aging process. He uses non-GMO soybeans from a Kentucky farmer who exports a good deal of his harvest to Japan; soft red winter wheat originates from the same farm that supplies the Maker’s Mark distillery; limestone-filtered spring water is trucked in from Bardstown; and, pure ocean sea salt is harvested along the Pacific coast.

Jamie refers to the repurposed bourbon barrels used for aging as the sixth ingredient. The soy sauce is aged for 12 months, a factor that places it among the super-premium category in a peer ranking.

Renewed interest in recent years regarding America’s native spirit proved to be quite a boon for the company.

“Being a blonde-haired guy in Kentucky that makes soy sauce using bourbon barrels is good for generating buzz, but the quality of our products backs up the hype,” he remarked.

Annual production is approximately 20,000 gallons. For perspective, Jamie points out that Kikkoman plants in the US cumulatively turn out 200,000 gallons per day. “They probably spill more in an afternoon than we make in a year,” he joked. During our recent visit, there were 125 barrels of soy sauce at various stages of the aging process; the cache represents America’s only micro-brewed soy sauce. Jamie’s magic touch even extends to the by-products of the soy making process: his spent smoked mash is highly sought after by local and regional chefs.

The company’s rapid growth and product line expansion in both its retail and wholesale/food service business have given Jamie the opportunity to delve deeper into Kentucky’s culinary roots and reintroduce both novice and professional cooks to products like sorghum. “Kentucky has always been a lead producer of sorghum, so it’s part of our identity. There’s something very romantic in taking a somewhat forgotten crop and making it relevant again, and chefs are really excited about it right now,” he said.

Increased demand and sales have resulted in the ability to purchase equipment that allows a bit of easing up on the amount of sweat equity required for each batch of soy sauce, though Jamie points out that he recently spent a day inside the smoker cleaning and performing routine maintenance. You won’t find him complaining, as the huge smoker, which is used to produce bourbon-smoked sugar, sea salt, paprika, and pepper, is a vast improvement over his original one, which he likened to a dorm-sized refrigerator.

Inking a partnership with Woodford Reserve proved to be a huge catalyst for the company’s growth. “In four months we expanded at a rate that would have taken us four years before,” explained Jamie. His line of products crafted in collaboration with Woodford Reserve includes aromatic bitters, sorghum and sassafras bitters, mint julep sugar, bourbon vanilla sugar, seasoning blends, spiced cherry bitters, and bourbon sorghum vinaigrette.

“Although I knew there was something unique about what we were doing, I never would have imagined this,” says Jamie, as he takes a pivoting glance around the production area. The recent shipment of a 1200-pound palette to Harvey Nichols in London is evidence of just how far the company’s renown has spread. Highly regarded and touted chefs such as Sean Brock, Mike Lata, Charlie Palmer, Edward Lee, and Eric Ripert are a few notable fans of the company’s products.

Starting in 2007, production, aging, and warehousing largely occurred within the confines of a 1,300-square-foot pole barn in the Butchertown Market; today the company headquarters utilizes in excess of 10,000 square feet in the same building. The interior of the corporate offices perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the brand, complete with the comforting smell of toasted wood.

Just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, a gleaming GE Monogram theatre kitchen with a window overlooking the production area is the hub of the headquarters and an indicator of the company’s future growth strategy. Formerly a nondescript boardroom, the high-ceilinged space boasts a bar, table, stools, and light fixtures crafted by Jason Cohen using spent bourbon barrels. A cadre of co-workers, who are also Jamie’s close friends and family, complements the homey atmosphere.

Chef-in-residence Jessica Greis utilizes the theatre kitchen to test and showcase recipes using Bourbon Barrel Food products that allow consumers to “eat their bourbon.” The space has also been host to book signings, dinners and cooking demonstrations with local chefs and is available for rental by corporations and groups seeking a unique venue for their meeting or intimately scaled event. All of the fittings and furniture are for sale, which is part of Jamie’s vision to make his company into a complete lifestyle brand.

“There are scores of books devoted to the wine country lifestyle, and I think we have that same refined simplicity with bourbon that presents us with a similar opportunity," said Jamie.