OUR STORY
William J. McRoberts Jr.
Original Founder of Willow Run
(1824 – 1876)
In 1865, William J. McRoberts Jr. founded Willow Run Distillery in the greater Cincinnati area. McRoberts was an Irish immigrant who, after surviving the potato famine, settled in Cincinnati and started early in his career as a drayman. He would take his dray (a flat, horse-drawn cart) down into Kentucky to pick up bourbon barrels and bring them back to the city. In that position, he actually played a crucial role as a conductor in the Underground Railroad, helping escaping slaves find freedom in the North and Canada, by sneaking them across the Ohio River in empty bourbon barrels.
McRoberts later went on to own multiple distilleries, one of which he named Willow Run. Bringing back the Willow Run name and legacy is a chance to honor greater Cincinnati’s robust history. The distillery’s history intertwines with both Cincinnati’s past and the ongoing values of freedom, courage, and resilience.
McRoberts’ journey from an immigrant escaping the Irish Famine to becoming a prominent American distiller exemplifies the spirit of the American Dream. His life story, filled with trials, triumphs, and family tragedies, echoes the very essence of resilience and determination. When you visit the reborn Willow Run Custom Bourbon downtown Cincinnati, only a couple blocks away from Willow Run’s original offices, you will hear more about his story. And, as was the tradition of McRoberts’ time, when there were over a hundred barrel blenders on the streets of Cincinnati, you will be able to create your own custom blended bourbon. We are returning bourbon and Cincinnati (the commercial birthplace of bourbon) to its glorious roots!
IT’s All about the wood
It’s been long understood that 70% of the flavor and 100% of the smoothness of bourbon comes from the interaction of whiskey and wood. Great bourbon is created when the spirit soaks into the barrel wood during the warmth of the day and summer then comes out of the wood during cool nights and winters. The result is a chain reaction of transformations in the whiskey that takes it from raw and rough to a smooth and complex bourbon.
After some exploratory experiments we quickly learned that the key to success was to not change the natural process of wood and whiskey – through chemicals, crazy energy sources or biochemistry – but rather to simply reduce variation in the natural process. To do this equipment is used that allows the heating and cooling to be managed within a tenth of a degree. The result is a level of quality control of the whiskey / wood interaction that helps us achieve amazing flavors.
The 1800’s – the golden age of custom whiskey
In the 1800s, most bourbon whiskey was purchased from merchants who were barrel blenders. They would buy the bourbon whiskey from farmers and distilleries in barrels. Then, they would blend various barrels together to unlock different tastes depending on their individual customer’s preferences.
In Cincinnati, there were over 100 barrel blenders and even more all over the world. One of the most famous barrel blenders was Johnnie Walker in Scotland.
Today, with our custom bourbon offerings, we are returning bourbon to its roots in the 1800’s. Stated another way, we are returning bourbon to being, “Of the People – By the People – For the People.”