Co-Owners David McIntyre & Blake Jones
THAT’S THE SPIRIT WEST FORK WHISKEY CO. TO LAUNCH WESTFIELD FACILITY IN 2021 Writer / Jon Shoulders Photographer / Amy Payne
whiskey made with ingredients grown right here in the Hoosier state.
A new facility planned for West Fork Whiskey Co. in Westfield represents the company’s ongoing mission to continue growing its brand across Central Indiana and beyond, according to co-owner Blake Jones.
“My childhood best friend and my brother set out to make great whiskey, and the reason is because we love the state of Indiana and we grow great corn here,” Jones says. “We thought it was a big shame, with the state’s agricultural background, that there wasn’t a well-known whiskey distillery here. We were getting frustrated with some of the whiskey available at the time that sold for $50 to $70 retail and was worth about $30.”
Back in 2014, Jones, along with his brother and head distiller Julian and childhood friend David McIntyre, founded West Fork to meet what they saw as a need for quality
The founders cashed out their 401(k) accounts, secured a loan, and by the end of 2015 they began producing what they call uniquely Indiana whiskey out of an Indianapolis facility. “Since then, we started raising a little money and have been able to scale the company up,” Jones says. “We opened our cocktail bar and have been able to enter new states and launch new products. We’ve been producing whiskey for about four years now.”
WestfieldMag.com / OCTOBER 2020 / WESTFIELD MAGAZINE / 27
