Black Bourbon Society executive Trey Wade has joined the young, exciting whiskey company Blue Run Spirits. (Photo: Blue Run Spirits)

On Thursday, young Kentucky whiskey company Blue Run Spirits announced that it has hired the Black Bourbon Society’s Trey Wade as chief experience curator for Blue Run’s upcoming Private Barrel Program. Wade starts with Blue Run immediately and will report to CEO and cofounder Mike Montgomery.

“It struck me immediately that Blue Run was doing something different and interesting in the whiskey industry,” Wade said in a news release. “There was an energy and a passion to reach a wider whiskey audience that I found infectious. I am very excited to bring yet another dimension to this vibrant organization.”

In his new role, Wade will manage the curation of Blue Run’s first Private Barrel Program. The program will launch in February and will allow businesses, spirits societies and individuals to choose from a collection of barrels, bottling their own selected whiskey.

“We were introduced to Trey through Black Bourbon Society, founded by Samara Davis, and we knew instantly he shared the same vision and values as Blue Run,” Montgomery said in the news release. “After working with him on our first 12 Days of Bourbon project in 2021, I could see he had the attention to detail and the overall bourbon experience that would be perfectly suited to lead our Private Barrel Program. In short order, Trey will turn this into the preeminent barrel selection experience in the world and one of the critical pillars of our long-term growth plan, elevating the overall Blue Run customer experience to an even higher level.”

Additionally, Wade will oversee Blue Run’s corporate partnerships and culinary alignment.

Wade has served as vice president of national partnerships for the Black Bourbon Society for three years. Wade has participated in more than 120 barrel selections and worked on dozens of blending projects for well-known brands, according to Blue Run. In 2021, Wade collaborated with Blue Run on its inaugural 12 Days of Bourbon release.

“We feel strongly that the team at Blue Run should accurately reflect the diverse community that is embracing our whiskies,” Montgomery said. “Shaylyn Gammon serving as our Whiskey Director and now Trey developing and leading our Private Barrel Program reflects our commitment to Blue Run’s founding mission and values.”

Prior to his experience in whiskey, Wade worked in the experiential marketing field for Dell, Amazon and Five Hour Energy.

About Blue Run Spirits

A nascent brand, Blue Run Spirits opened in October 2020. Since then, the Georgetown, Kentucky-based brand has launched 13 bourbon and rye whiskey releases, selling 21,000 9-liter cases in 2022. Currently a bottler, Blue Run plans to become a distiller by investing nearly $51 million in a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse in Georgetown, Kentucky. The company plans to break ground on the distillery this year.

Blue Run’s whiskeys are crafted by former Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge, liquid advisor, and Wild Turkey alum Shaylyn Gammon, who serves as master blender for Blue Run.

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