Daniel Linde

In 2006, Washington University and Pepperdine graduates Daniel Linde and David Mandell broke into the alcohol market with Pink Spirits, a company that produced, among other things, a unique fusion vodka drink. After a successful launch and surprisingly robust sales, the blossoming company was sold in 2009, and with their capital, the duo was eager to tackle the flourishing bourbon market. So in early 2015, Linde and Mandell began work on a mammoth proposal that has since revolutionized contract bourbon distilling.

The pair planned to fill a void in the market for brands that needed to source whiskey but sought to have more say in the basic components of grain, mash bill, barrel selection, aging, and other nuances of the process, a design that had never been conceivable in the past. Customers eagerly enlisted, and Bardstown Bourbon Company was born. “We sold 25,000 barrels in 2016 before we finished building, which improved our cash flow to continue growing,” recalled Linde. 

By 2019, Bardstown Bourbon Company had burgeoned explosively, released its own unique Fusion Series of bourbon, and was the sole source for many well-established bourbon brands. However, Linde had become restless and decided to leave Bardstown to join Northeast Drinks Group in Middlebury, Vermont. As CEO at Northeast, Linde oversaw a small private company that produced Woodchuck hard cider and other alcoholic drinks as well as specialty non-alcoholic beverages, including some for large companies such as Ocean Spray. Meanwhile, back in the Bluegrass State, Bardstown Bourbon Company had sold to Pritzker Private Capital for an undisclosed sum.

In 2022, Kentucky again beckoned, so Linde, still in his 40’s at the time and unwilling to retire, unexpectedly resigned from Northeast and rejoined with Mandell, as well as industry veteran John Hargrove to found Elizabethtown’s Whiskey House distillery. Whiskey House’s business model is patterned much like Bardstown Bourbon’s, that is, as a sole source for non-distillers, but allowing clients even more flexibility and input into their final product. Unlike Bardstown Bourbon Company, Whiskey House has no plans to produce nor market any of its own products. Since beginning operations on July 1, 2024, Whiskey House has already produced more than 50,000 barrels encompassing 20 different mashbills with 50 unique recipes. Future Whiskey House products are already 90% sold out for the first five years of production, with the remaining 10% being held back for new customers.

Daniel Linde recently transitioned from CFO at Whiskey House to the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, where he initiates company vision and planning, develops strategic initiatives and oversees partnerships. While he may be a Kentuckian at heart, as of 2025, Linde remains a resident of Chippingham, England. 

Contributed by: Tracy McLemore, Dickson, Tennessee