OUR STORY
EMBARRASSED AND ASHAMED
In 2015, our Founder, Michael Vu was quickly moving up the corporate ranks as a Director of IT. At this time, he was beginning to get invited to dinners with Board members and the C-suite, at five star restaurants. As each member ordered their 21-year-old scotch of choice, Michael, a very casual, social drinker at the time, ordered what he knew - a popular cognac mixed with Coca Cola. Embarrassed and ashamed, he sought out to understand and appreciate good whiskey.
A GIFT THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
By 2019, Michael had become a whiskey enthusiast and aspiring connoisseur. His boss at the time (and still dear friend) gifted Michael a copper alembic still for his 39th birthday. Not knowing what to do with the illegal gift, Michael expressed his gratitude and stowed it away. When the pandemic hit in 2020, and the world working from home, Michael found free time on his hands and decided to use the still. He started to research the process of distillation. A couple of drain-pour batches of moonshine later, he was hooked and bought a larger still.
HE BELIEVED HE COULD DO BETTER
Tasting multiple Texas whiskies at the time, he thought they were horrible, and sought to answer why? (Most of these brands no longer exist or are now making great whiskey.) Can good bourbon be made outside of Kentucky? Of course, Indiana and Tennessee had proven that. Can younger bourbon taste good? Michael became a big fan of a two-year-old bourbon from Tennessee, so yes, it was possible. Can good spirits be made in extreme heat? One of Michael’s favorite single malts comes from Taiwan, where the warehouse can reach up to 108 degrees. The issue with making bourbon in Texas is the extreme heat. This causes rapid barrel extraction, showcased by several bourbons at the time, that tasted burnt and over oaked. And that was the stigma of Texas bourbon – too young and too oaky.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY AND PROFIT
Knowing he couldn’t wait four years to release a product, Michael began to research aging in smaller barrels and how to combat extreme heat, humidity, and over extraction of tannins. How would he differentiate himself from every other whiskey distiller in Texas? He started with the decision to use blue corn as his primary grain. Though twice the cost of your standard yellow dent corn found in most bourbons, blue corn adds a nuttiness, savory note that sets his products apart. He decided to have a very low barrel entry proof, about 101, 24 points lower than the maximum allowed. This costly process allows more vanillin extraction from the barrels over tannins. While most distillers boast about using the “purest water” when using reverse osmosis water, Michael learned mineral water tastes better, thus making spirits taste better. He now sources mineral water from Mineral Wells, TX and local spring water to proof down his whiskies. Much more expensive, but producing a higher quality product.
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
Michael has sought to incorporate Texas and his own family as themes throughout the distillery. Blue Lacy Vodka was the first spirit produced, named after the Texas state dog. Blue Truck was the first aged spirit produced, a two-month old bourbon named after his late father’s last vehicle. Blue & Amarillo followed, polysemous as Spanish for yellow (one of the two types of corn used) and the Texas city. Tall Grandpa is named after his father’s father, as the grandchildren referred to their grandfathers as “Tall Grandpa” and “Short Grandpa”. Tall Grandpa is Blue Truck finished in French Oak, a fitting name as Tall Grandpa was heavily influenced by French colonization in Vietnam. A single malt whiskey soon followed, named Glenrio, named after a Texas ghost town. Many single malts start with the name “Glen” in Scotland, and “rio” is heavily used in Texas culture, meaning river in Spanish. Having named a whiskey for his father, he soon made Hien, a vodka named after his mother, made from 100% malted barley. Soon to be released are 6 year olds, Blue Lacy Bourbon and Blue Lacy Rye. These are the only products sourced from another distillery, as the grain-to-glass products continue to age.