Chet Zoeller

Charles “Chet” Franklin Zoeller was born February 24, 1941 in Louisville, Kentucky. Chet lived within the shadows of Churchhill Downs and just a few short blocks from the premier distilleries of the day: Yellowstone, Seagram’s, Hill & Hill and Stitzel-Weller, all within distance of inhaling vanilla, caramel and smoke aromas. He attended the University of Kentucky, earned a graduate degree from Western Kentucky University and graduated from University of Louisville with a Law Degree.

Chet married the love of his life Patricia Gayle Zoeller on December 26, 1964 and began his legal career in Louisville. He practiced law for a number of years in Louisville before purchasing and operating a telecommunications firm in Savannah, Georgia. After that successful venture in the telecommunications industry, Chet sold the business in 1995 and returned to his roots in Louisville.

Here is where he co-founded Jefferson’s Bourbon with his son Trey Zoeller in 1997. It was originally sourced whiskey in the early 1990s, as they always picked the very good barrels for their product. It was not easy for the Zoellers in the beginning for several reasons. The first was a trademark issue with the first bottle they used. Secondly, bourbon sales were flat during this period.

But they persisted. When the Kentucky Artisan Distillery started, the Zoellers started their business relationship with them and Stephen Thompson, and Jefferson Reserve found its home. This was the beginning of their well-known brands Jefferson’s, Jefferson’s Reserve and Jefferson’s Rye.

Another passion for Chet was his passion as a researcher, historian, author and speaker on the history of bourbon. Interested in the history of the whiskey business in Kentucky, Mr. Zoeller began researching the subject, which led to his writing Bourbon in Kentucky: A History of Distilleries in Kentucky, originally published in 2009. His other books is: Kentucky Bourbon Barons. These are considered as THE reference works of the industry. He has since updated and revised the book. His second book, Kentucky Bourbon Barons, introduces readers to the giants in the industry during the golden years of distilling.

Chet’s book, Bourbon In Kentucky was quite an accomplishment. He was interested in finding every distillery that existed in Kentucky and has documented nearly 1,000 distillers and brands, including an estimated 250 distilleries pre-Prohibition. Chet has stated: “You had a much greater spectrum of flavors and taste profiles back then”. A number of these old bourbons began their initial fermentation with the ‘sweet mash’ method, where 100 percent of the grain is inoculated with a fresh yeast culture, creating a wide degree of variance.

Chet Zoeller was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2023, with his son Trey Zoeller. Chet passed away peacefully in Louisville on May 14, 2024.

Contributed By: Joe Grimoldi, Cordova, Tennessee

REFERENCES:

https://www.courier-journal.com/obituaries/psbn0824673

https://bourbonveach.com/2024/05/17/bourbons-unsung-heroes-chet-zoeller/

https://www.butlerbooks.com/kentuckybourbonbarons.html

https://gardenandgun.com/articles/collections-a-private-reserve/