Bulleit Proof

9 The New Frontier

I SOON DISCOVER, NAÏVELY AGAIN, as if I’m emerging from a fog, that partnering with Seagram will not mean instant distribution. Far from it. Even though Seagram, a giant of marketing and distribution, could press a button and put Bulleit into all 50 states, lifting our distribution from 5,000 cases to 60,000 in a blink of an eye, I get the word that will not be happening immediately. The decree comes down from Joe Tripodi, GMO. We have work to do. The bourbon will sit on the shelf until we iron out a couple of not-so-small details. First, I will have to move our distilling operation from the Sazerac facility in Leestown to Seagram’s distillery in Lawrenceburg. I get that. Everything should stay in-house.

Then, thanks to Bob Mackell, my identical twin, that brilliant thug and former Big Ten defensive end, we’ve secured the concept—Frontier Whiskey—an image that I love, and with Arthur Shapiro’s blessing and budget, we head into the next phase: designing the glass. Now, we just need a designer. Arthur refers me to the M&M boys for a recommendation.

“They got a guy” he says. “And I mean that literally. One guy. The only guy. Steve Sandstrom.”

* * *

“Every communication with your customer should be a gift.”

Steve Sandstrom

Rewind.

1978.

Eugene, Oregon.

It’s come to this. Rebellion. The group of passionate, insistent students at the University of Oregon gather to protest the injustice. They feel they have no other choice. The authorities have scoffed at them, ...