While Journeyman Distillery has only just been getting started with The American Factory over the past two years, the Valparaiso community has been treated to an opportunity to learn the history of its whiskey.
Journeyman Distillery first came into fruition in 2010. Bill Welter, owner of Journeyman Distillery, worked with a team to create whiskey for competitions prior to the distillery forming.
“We knew that we were going to open a distillery in Three Oaks, but we didn’t have a distillery,” Welter said. “We also didn’t want to source whiskey from another manufacturer, so I contacted the owner of KOVAL Distillery in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. That’s where the first batch of whiskey we ever made was at.”
Welter and his team submitted the whiskey, formerly known as Ravenswood Rye, for the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The whiskey was an instant hit and won the gold medal.
However, an issue came into the picture when a large, multi-billion-dollar company sent a letter to Welter and his team. The company had a trademark relative to the name of the whiskey, which called for a name change.
“We still wanted to keep the raven logo, but we weren’t allowed to keep it without losing profits,” Welter said. “It felt like they left us with hardly anything, so it came to our team that we have nothing but one last feather of the Raven bird. We decided on the name ‘Last Feather Rye’ for the whiskey. We’re in the feather bone factory, and we still wanted to create a little homage for the ravens with our label.”
For the next decade, Journeyman Distillery began distribution in the Midwest. Last Feather Rye became an iconic staple of the Three Oaks location. Once Journeyman opened up The American Factory in 2023, it wanted to start off with a piece of their origin story for their first whiskey.
“We wanted our first distillation in Valparaiso to be a tribute to our history,” Welter said. “Last Feather Rye is our flagship product. That’s a recipe of 60% rye, 35% wheat, and 5% malted barley wheat.”
Last year, members of the Valparaiso community were able to participate in a still naming competition for the first time at The American Factory. The winner gets to walk away with a piece of the whiskey.
“People can win their own barrel of whiskey for this competition,” Welter said. “All you have to do is go to The American Factory building in Valparaiso to be a part of our still naming competition. We currently have a name for three stills in Three Oaks: Willy Wonka, Tassie, and Ethel. We wanted to bring this event to Valparaiso and give away a barrel of the whiskey to whoever wins the competition.”
There is a barrel on the inside of The American Factory restaurant, where people will be able to drop their name into it. You must be 21 years old to participate. Submissions must include a phone number, mailing address, and email. The contest runs until International Whiskey Day on Thursday, March 27. The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 26.
“These factories bring a real pride of place and a sense of history,” Welter said. “Not only do we have the manufacturing of whiskey and beer, but also incredible storytelling with our history. We love doing things like this with the community because it makes for a fun and worthwhile experience.”
For more information on Journeyman’s “Name The Still” contest at The American Factory, you can visit its website.
