For most bourbon companies, it takes seven to 10 years for an application to be approved by the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board. The Durham-based Old Hillside Bourbon Company, founded on June 1, 2020, however, is an exception to the rule: it successfully made it through the ABC board process in just three months.
And, even more remarkably, within just three years of its founding, the company won best in show at the TAG Global Spirit Awards in Las Vegas.
It’s a good showing for the new company, which has three bourbon flavors—the Kentucky Straight, the Indiana Rye, and the Tennessee Bourbon—plus one whiskey, the Last Rye’d. The distillery is located in Sparta, Kentucky, and bourbons can be purchased in many ABC stores across North Carolina and liquor stores throughout Kentucky and California.
The four founders of Old Hillside chalk their early success up to divine intervention.
“This is not us,” cofounder Brian Burton says. “We do not like getting super-religious because we don’t want to offend anyone, but we’re not doing this; somebody’s helping us.”
The idea for Old Hillside, in fact, came to founder Jesse Carpenter in a dream.
“Jesse gave me a call on a Saturday morning at about six a.m. He said he had a dream about a bourbon company,” Burton recounts. Burton and Carpenter were close friends as teens and lost touch after high school but reconnected through social media while Carpenter was living in Lexington, Kentucky, and Burton was visiting the city. The two went to horse races and on distillery tours, as one does when in Kentucky, initiating a common interest.
The third founder to come on board, Courtney Tucker, attended middle school with Burton and Carpenter but had not spoken to the pair for over 20 years. When Burton and Carpenter called Tucker and told him about their new venture, he agreed to join the team on the spot. Soon thereafter, Tucker recruited his cousin Emmanuel Waters, thus finalizing the current leadership team at Old Hillside.
The four founders—who work in industries ranging from pharmaceutical testing to TV production—had no prior experience in the spirits industry. Nevertheless, each of their backgrounds have proven essential at Old Hillside, and all four put in long hours, as they balance their day jobs with their passion project.
“I like to brag about my friends. When you step back and you admire somebody from afar, you appreciate what they’ve accomplished and these guys have always been accomplished,” Burton says. “Since second grade Courtney has excelled. To have that confidence, that this guy standing beside me is going to give it 110 percent, you know, that was, for me, what put me over.”
The company’s name is an homage to Hillside High School, the alma mater of Burton and Carpenter, who graduated in 1993. Burton explains that Hillside is the second oldest majority African American high school in the country that is still in operation (the oldest being Dunbar High School in Washington D.C.).
The pair have a common history that goes even further back than high school, making their business all the more meaningful.
“In African culture, they say that your ancestors speak through you,” Burton shares. “Jesse’s grandfather actually ran illegal moonshine. And there’s legitimate stories of him running from the police, throwing it out the window. And my family has been running moonshine up and down the East Coast for God knows how long.”
African American distillers, Burton says, account for less than 1 percent of the bourbon industry. Aware of that stark underrepresentation, the Old Hillside foursome have been working to change the landscape of the bourbon industry.
“We felt like we could create a blueprint to bring other African American business owners or entrepreneurs into the space,” Tucker says.
Old Hillside has also developed a whiskey, the Last Rye’d, and a series of cocktails featuring their products, inspired by the untold stories of African American jockeys. In the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 13 of the 15 contestants were African American. Before the Jim Crow era, African American jockeys dominated the sport, winning 15 of the first 28 derbies.
Enslaved people and the children of enslaved people were often responsible for caring for horses, and the proximity, familiarity, and experience with the animals resulted in high numbers of Black jockeys. The cocktails (you can find the recipes on the company website) include the Isaac Murphy, a drink featuring Old Hillside rye, sweetened iced tea, lemon juice, and orange bitters. It’s named after the renowned three-time African American Kentucky Derby champion.
As for Hillside’s primary product, it’s instructive to know what’s required for a beverage to be considered bourbon.
There are five requirements: it must be made in the United States; contain a minimum of 51 percent corn in the mash bill; be aged in charred new oak barrels; be distilled to a maximum of 160 proof; and be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. From there, a given distiller makes a number of adjustments to create a distinctive spirit.
Photo By Angelica Edwards
Old Hillside’s three bourbons are all brewed and bottled at the Sparta distillery. Their products are 71 percent corn and have a strong wheat flavor and a hint of rye. A non-chill filtered process instead of a chill filtration makes for a less alcohol-forward tasting bourbon. Old Hillside’s products are all aged between four to seven years and start at 97 proof. The longer age and the higher alcohol content make Old Hillside’s bourbons appealing to connoisseurs, while the sweetness and lack of a strong alcohol taste make it an approachable brand for beginners.
Old Hillside’s motto is “history, heritage, homage.” They abide by that in all aspects of their business, honoring their own childhoods and ancestors, as well as the greater Durham community that they call home, even for those who have relocated.
“We have the smokestack…We’ve got Parrish Street, you know Black Wall Street, on some of our bottles as well,” Burton says. “We’re just paying homage to the Durham community, to the history of those who came before us.”
The founders of Old Hillside Bourbon Company continue to be amazed by the success and support they have found but, most importantly, say that they’re grateful for the impact they have made close to home.
“We hope we make Durham proud,” Burton concludes. “All of those people that we knew growing up and going to school with, we hope we make those guys proud.”
Comment on this story at [email protected].
Support independent local journalism.
Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.
You must be logged in to post a comment.