Exclusive Interview with Dave Willis, Head Distiller of Bully Boy Distillers, LLC

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Exclusive Interview with Dave Willis, Head Distiller of Bully Boy Distillers, LLC

Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

Dave Willis, Head Distiller, Bully Boy Distillers, LLC

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about Bully Boy Distillers and what inspired you to start your own distillery?

My brother and I grew up on a fourth generation working farm. We grew up getting our hands dirty. There were a hundred apple trees on the farm, and as kids we used to make apple cider. Adolescent curiosity lead to hard cider. From there, it was simply a matter of applying heat.

We were hobbyists for a long time, and then we started getting serious about distilling ten years ago. We worked with other distilleries to get experience on larger stills. The lessons we learned on a one gallon still were instrumental, but working with guys who knew what they were doing was critical. We decided to open a distillery in Boston because at the time there were no other distilleries within city limits. Being Boston’s first distillery since Old Mr. Boston left town in the eighties was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Q: Looks like you and your brother are nice guys, why did you choose the “Bully Boy” name?

Ya. We are definitely not Bullies. Bully Boy was a draft horse on the farm in the early 1900s. Our great grandfather was a big Teddy Roosevelt fan. Teddy had a saying, “Bully For you,” meaning good for you. The name was an homage to our roots. While Bully Boy is located in Boston, the soul of the company remains on the farm.

Q: Every region seems to have specific challenges for distillers. Islands, for example, require a lot of logistics for shipping, access to water and also for wastewater management . What are some of the specific challenges you face in Boston?

In some cases we are distilling high proof alcohol, and we are doing so in the setting of a city, which is obviously a populous area. Because of that, there is more red tape, and rightfully so. Distilling can be dangerous. It’s also more expensive to operate in a city setting. We pay three times what we’d pay in rent if we operated an hour outside the city. From an operational and logistical perspective, there is little upside to distilling in the city. The downside, however, is more than made up for by the Branding leverage that a city like Boston offers. Also, you are smack in the middle of 750,000 people, most of whom, at least in the case of Boston, are big drinkers.

Q: New England and rum go back in history quite a bit . Are you drawing inspiration from the past or are your rums based solely on your vision of the present market and its needs?

By all accounts the Rum that was made in Boston in the 17 and 1800s was terrible. It’s one of the reasons it was aged in charred new American oak: It needed aggressive aging. I don’t think it’s a style you’d want to emulate. Our “Boston Rum” is less a reference to rums of the past and more a stake in the ground for Boston’s future as a rum town.

Q: What rums do you currently have in your portfolio?

We have two styles of Rum, our “Boston Rum” and our white rum:

• The Boston Rum has a really nice fruitiness to it. I always smell a hint of grape. It’s medium-cogener, meaning its got flavor but it’s not over the top. There are notes of toasted fruit, molasses, and oak.

• Our white rum is slightly more robust than traditional white rums, but at the same time it works really well in cocktails. There is the same fruitiness as the Boston Rum, albeit more muted, with a hint of banana up front. There is also a really nice bready-ness to it. It always smells fluffy to me, almost like toasted marshmallow.

Q: Do you have signature cocktails? If yes, which one is the most popular?

We have a cocktail bar that’s attached to the distillery. We do a drink called the Chomp Samba. It uses our Boston Rum, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice, Clove Syrup, and Angostura Bitters, and its garnished with a Blood Orange. It’s phenomenal. We also make an amazing Rum Old Fashioned.

Q: Where are your rums currently available for purchase?

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut. We’ve been slow to enter new markets. It’s a strategy that’s served us well.

Q: Do you currently distill or plan to distill other spirits apart from rum?

We also distill whiskey, Gin, and Vodka. Rum and Whiskey are really our focus.

Q: Do you offer tours of your distillery?

We offer tours Thursday through Sunday. Thursday and Friday tours are only offered after 5:00pm.

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?

It’s best to email our general email address: info@bullyboydistillers.com

Q: Do you have any advice for someone who is considering opening up their own distillery?

Unless you’ve spent time working at a large, well-established distillery, pay a consultant for the know-how. You’re not going to get the information you need from a forum. You need an objective voice to tell you what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.

Also, be prepared to spend a significant chunk of change to build a scaleable operation.

You can churn out great juice, but if you’re only laying down a barrel a week you’re not going to succeed. Finally, don’t spend your life savings getting a distillery off the ground. This is a very risky business. You need something to fall back on financially if your distillery flops.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Rum and tonic is infinitely better than gin and tonic.

Margaret: Again Dave, thank you so much for the opportunity to interview you. I wish you and your team much success!  

I am very happy to share this interview with all our readers because New England rum played a very important social, political and economical role in Colonial America. 

That same rum spirit is still alive today and is doing well, actually it is doing much better than it ever was, thanks to the enterprising and hard working team at Bully Boy Distillers.

Cheers!

Margaret E. Ayala