Shaping Success Treasure Valley | Andy Koenig - Building Koenig Distillery

Send us Fan MailAndy Koenig has been building Koenig Distillery since 1999, but the story started years earlier with his family’s roots in Austria and the tradition of making fruit brandy at home.In this episode of Shaping Success Treasure Valley, Andy and I talk about how Koenig Distillery grew from European-style fruit brandies into one of Idaho’s best-known local distilleries.We get into the history behind the distillery, Idaho-grown fruit and potatoes, hand-built German copper stills, Seven Devils bourbon, the Koenig Whiskey Club, Caldwell Night Rodeo whiskey, and the launch of Bone Orchard Tequila.Andy also explains what actually goes into aging and blending bourbon, why two barrels from the same batch can taste completely different, how Idaho’s changing liquor laws opened new opportunities for the tasting room, and why some products take years of planning before customers ever see them.This is a conversation about building something local, sticking with it for decades and continuing to evolve without losing what made it special in the first place.In this episode:Growing up between Idaho and AustriaHow Andy got interested in distillingThe story behind Koenig DistilleryUsing locally grown Idaho fruit and potatoesHand-hammered copper stills from GermanyHow Seven Devils bourbon is aged and blendedThe Koenig Whiskey ClubCaldwell Night Rodeo whiskeyIdaho’s new distillery cocktail lawsSilo Saturdays and the Koenig tasting roomThe launch of Bone Orchard TequilaWhat Andy actually drinks when he gets homeFind Koenig Distillery and support local Treasure Valley businesses.Shaping Success Treasure Valley shares the people, businesses and stories helping shape the Treasure Valley.Chapters00:00 — Andy Koenig joins Shaping Success Treasure Valley01:44 — How European fruit brandy started the story03:51 — Growing fruit locally in Idaho05:41 — Starting the distillery right out of college06:21 — Growing up in Austria and learning the language09:39 — Making brandy the old-school Austrian way11:42 — Hand-built German copper stills15:09 — 27 years of distilling equipment17:04 — Koenig’s most popular spirits18:17 — The beginning of Seven Devils bourbon21:49 — How Koenig sources and ages bourbon24:18 — Inside the Koenig Whiskey Club28:37 — Why every bourbon barrel tastes different31:33 — How Andy blends barrels for consistency35:17 — Caldwell Night Rodeo whiskey37:22 — Whiskey Club finishes and special releases39:41 — New Idaho laws change the tasting room42:46 — Silo Saturdays at Koenig Distillery43:28 — Why Koenig launched Bone Orchard Tequila48:52 — What Andy Koenig drinks at home50:40 — Closing thoughts#ShapingSuccessTreasureValley #KoenigDistillery #TreasureValley #IdahoBusiness #IdahoBourbon #SevenDevils #CaldwellIdahoSupport the showFor merchandise, podcast and youtube:Join The Patreonhttps://patreon.com/WestankersleyFollow Shaping Success https://shapingsuccesspodcast.buzzsprout.com/Get Ars Victorioushttps://a.co/d/5f4todGhttps://a.co/d/5f4todGEmail [email protected] for guest ideas or to be on the show!