Bill Kennedy, the Founder and Operator of Backbone Bourbon Company, joins us this week to talk about his path from young bartender in the 1970’s, to sommelier in the 1980’s and 90’s, and finally to his own distributorship and Bourbon label. It was a circuitous path that involves being thrown to the wolves on the dining floor, a business deal gone bad, and some side trips to Indianapolis.

He’s long been a beloved part of the Indiana beverage scene, and has now become the charismatic force behind Backbone Bourbon, Bonesnapper Rye, and Bone Dry Gin, liquors that are now available in half of the United States. And here is how it all started.