Guy Rehorst is the founder and CEO of Great Lakes Distillery, Wisconsin’s original post-Prohibition distillery. From hobbyist homebrewer to pioneering entrepreneur, discover how curiosity, experimentation, and an engineer’s mindset led him to transform Wisconsin’s spirits landscape.
Find out about the challenges of building a craft distillery from the ground up, from navigating regulatory hurdles to sourcing local ingredients and championing sustainability. This episode also delivers invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs – including the hard realities of sales, market volatility, and the power of adaptability in an ever-evolving industry.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Pioneering Wisconsin craft distilling
(04:05) Trailblazer’s journey into craft spirits
(06:22) How bourbon is made and planned
(10:06) Reviving absinthe after re-legalization
(15:37) Making spirits vs selling them
(17:37) THC cocktails and production challenges
Links mentioned in this episode: