01 Nov Fortune’s Fool and The Prelude Bourbon – Bringing More Women into Indiana Distilling
by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap
We’ve talked before (link here) about athletes and stars owning spirits brands and being involved in their production to some greater or (usually) lesser degree. However, you don’t need to be a star to introduce a brand of bourbon/whiskey/other spirit. You can be just a regular person looking to get into distilling, and using a first product/brand to develop capital for your distillery.
It’s also true that introducing a new spirit brand is not an overnight endeavor. No matter whether you’re rich and famous or just a person with a desire to add to the artisan spirit world, it’s going to take time and money, whether you are distilling or aging/blending spirits. Artisan distillers often put out white spirits while their brown water products are in barrels, but if you are making solely a line of whiskeys/bourbons, then you’re going to need some mechanism to survive while your product is aging. It takes dedication and persistence.
Dr. Juliet Schmalz, founder of Fortune’s Fool. image credit: Fortune’s Fool
As an example of this dedication, I was recently introduced to a Hoosier developing a new line of whiskeys. Dr. Juliet Schmalz has just put a ryewhiskey on the market – The Prelude is the first offering from her brand, Fortune’s Fool. We talked about what makes The Prelude and Fortune’s Fool a high-end spirit, the lack of women distillers as of now, and the unique perspectives that women in the industry can bring to the table. I think you’ll enjoy Dr. Schmalz’s story and what she is bringing to Indiana artisan distilling.
Indiana On Tap (IOT): You started Fortune’s Fool in 2019, how long had you been interested in producing spirits before that? What’s your story in spirits and anesthesiology?
Fortune’s Fool (FF): Back in early 2018, my husband and I had brainstormed and made a list of things about which I have passion, and whiskey was one of those things. I have been a whiskey drinker for my entire adult life, and I kept finding myself more and more intrigued by the process of creating whiskey. Creating a premium whiskey is important to me because I have been inspired to make my own product and to do it without compromises. I find the idea of people drinking and enjoying my products similar to the feeling of watching someone eat something that I have cooked or baked for them. It gives me great pleasure to share food with people, and I realized that sharing a great whiskey with my customers will give me the same feeling of enjoyment.
I intended to work part time in anesthesia until I was too busy to do both jobs. However, COVID had different ideas. My contract ended at the end of March 2020, so I didn’t have work for many months, and then eventually decided to “retire” a little early.
IOT: How does practicing medicine relate to distilling spirits?
FF: Comparing practicing medicine to distilling spirits may seem impossible, but I do think the level of commitment and the striving for perfection is similar. I am definitely trained to be meticulous and expect nothing but the best effort from myself. I also had to learn (still have to learn) that I cannot control every aspect of the process when I am working with partners. I have to trust their expertise. Also, running a business is less black and white. There is a lot more gray, and I am learning to roll with the punches. Not everything is going to go as planned, and as long as excellence is the final product, I am learning to relax and let the process unfold.
The Prelude. image credit: Fortune’s Fool
IOT: Can you explain the story behind the name Fortune’s Fool? I’m also interested in the meaning behind The Prelude – does it mean that this product is the beginning of something greater?
FF: Fortune’s Fool is from Romeo and Juliet (Romeo talked about his bad luck after killing Tybalt – he was Fortune’s Fool). It’s a cool name for a brand, despite the fact that it does hint at bad luck. I think it’s a little funny that one can look at it as just a cool phrase from the play, but it’s also a little bit that I am fortunate enough to be able to start a whiskey company…and does that make me a fool??? We liked going with this theme, which allows creativity in every element of the brand. Also, creating, owning, and operating a whiskey company is MY second act.
The Prelude is our opening act. We chose to release it this way because it still is a young product (although it doesn’t taste as young as the stated age!), and, due to glass shortages and other temporary roadblocks, our custom bottle is not yet ready. We didn’t want to wait another year to release our first product, so we came up with The Prelude as an introduction of the brand, and keeping with the Romeo and Juliet theme. We also wanted this release to be sleek and simpler in its design. It definitely is the beginning of something greater. We have a beautiful custom bottle in which our four year and older products will be released. We have rye, but also a bourbon and a wheated bourbon aging at the moment. They have all been aging in the finest barrels in the world, and will be absolutely stunning. Our first bourbon release will be in just over a year, in our custom bottle.
IOT: Is Fortune’s Fool an artisan distiller at this point, or a blender?
FF: For now, Fortune’s Fool contract distills. I did not want to source product from MGP or anyone else; I wanted this to be my own creation. I chose to work with an expert distiller, one of the tops in the industry. I created the mash bills and chose yeast strains, and then paid the distiller to use their equipment to make my product. The current business plan is a great way to get a foot in the door of the industry, a proof of concept, if you will, and a way to develop capital. I did have to wait years for a first product to be released, but it was a decision I am glad I made.
Soon, I hope to build a rick house in the Indianapolis area, with also blending and bottling facilities, so I can control this aspect of the process. Eventually, the next step would be to build my own distillery here in the Indianapolis area. In the meantime, Fortune’s Fool is a virtual brand. I sell our product through a distributor.
IOT: Where will people be able to find The Prelude?
FF: xxxxxxxxxx
The secret is in the barrels. image credit: Fortune’s Fool
IOT: When you begin distilling on your own, will you wish to have a tasting room?
FF: I would love to have a tasting room, bottle shop, and cocktail bar, but the current laws do not allow me to sell my product in any way directly to the consumer. We do hope this will someday be a reality.
IOT: The Prelude is a high rye product, and Indiana just introduced the official designation of Indiana Rye Whiskey, which refers to whiskeys that are >51% rye, distilled to ≤160 proof, barreled at ≤125 proof, and be mashed, fermented, distilled, and rested for at least 2 years in Indiana. Does The Prelude meet the standards for an official Indiana Rye Whiskey?
FF: The Prelude does not currently meet the standards to be officially an Indiana Rye Whiskey. That would not occur until we have our own distillation facility here in Indiana (my contract distiller is not in Indiana). I would consider marketing it that way. I think Indiana should capitalize on being geographically in the center of the bourbon universe, and prove that we can make just as fine a product as Kentucky does.
IOT: Tell me about your philosophy of distilling/blending?
FF: Whiskey production is art meets science. I do not ever want to stray from the science of this process, the precision. Our product stands out because we use wine grade bourbon barrels to mature all of our product. These barrels are made with the premium standards we require. They yield beautiful flavors. The blending process definitely has science as a base, but is also a form of artistic expression. I think if we just looked at whiskey production as a medical case, we’d miss some of the beauty of the product. However, I do argue that even though my job was very much on the side of science, practicing anesthesiology also has a side of artistry, looking for the best way to guide a patient through the surgical process, with as much comfort and care, and as little pain as possible.
IOT: What are your coming products for Fortune’s Fool?
FF: Our future lineup includes a 3-year rye to be released in the first half of 2024. A 4-year bourbon, to be released in the custom bottle, along with a 4-year rye in the custom bottle will come in 2025. In 2026, we will have a 4-year wheated bourbon. We also refilled the rye barrels that we just emptied in order to have a whiskey product that will be released after 8 years or so of aging. We wanted to reuse the barrels for a couple of reasons. One, the barrels are premium, and will yield a great product on the second round. Also, with a shortage of barrels, there’s no need to scrap these barrels early.
IOT: How did you come to be familiar with the Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage and tell me more about what makes these barrels so much better than others?
FF: I asked a lot of questions when I was with producers learning about the whiskey making process. I took classes at Moonshine University in Louisville, Kentucky. They are well connected in the industry, so I had great opportunities to interview many people. I learned about Seguin Moreau, and knew we had to see for ourselves. We visited the facility, and we were very impressed with their cooperage. The barrels we purchase from them are open air dried 24 months (industry standard is a much, much shorter time frame), they never kiln dry to speed the process (also a norm in the industry). They only use oak fire to shape the barrels, and to char and toast, so they never use steam or gas on the barrels. This is our baseline standard. Our bourbon and wheated bourbon will be in Seguin Moreau’s Icone barrel. These barrels are made to the standard above, but also each stave undergoes chemical analysis of that wood’s extractable substances and potential to create the flavors sought after in a bourbon. Since 60-80% of the flavor of a finished whiskey comes from the barrel and its interactions with the liquid, this is definitely a way to ensure premium quality. It’s an investment, being 2-3 times more expensive than a standard barrel, but it is what makes us different, and delicious. We use American Oak for all of our barrels.
image credit: Fortune’s Fool
IOT: Indiana has been a leader (lately) in providing opportunities to female brewers. There are more than a dozen female head brewers in the state and several more as assistant brewers who will get their shot soon. However, there are fewer women who are prominent in Indian distilling. How important to you is that you are helping to blaze that trail in Indiana? Did it enter into your decision making on your master blender?
FF: I am proud that Fortune’s Fool is owned and operated by a female. I am interested in showcasing females in the industry, when I am able. Eboni Major is our master blender. She is very talented, and I am extremely excited to continue to work with her. We discuss what I envision our product to be, and she knocked this first blend out of the park! I am really glad to be working with another female. She came highly recommended to me, without me even asking specifically for a female. I do think having women in this industry is a great thing. We can bring a slightly different perspective, and hopefully open the whiskey drinking community to some people who are hesitant or think they don’t belong here. My goal is to make a product enjoyed by the seasoned whiskey enthusiast, but to also be approachable enough for a novice whiskey drinker. The Prelude is high proof, but drinks very smoothly. It’s classically a rye with spice and heat, but is balanced with caramel and butterscotch.
IOT: What about Fortune’s Fool haven’t I asked you that you’d like people to know?
FF: I hope that Fortune’s Fool can help demystify the industry to consumers, with transparency and education about our process to create a premium whiskey. I also hope our approachability and welcoming attitude helps expand the whiskey drinking community in Indiana and beyond.
Look for The Prelude at many central Indiana bars/restaurants/retailers, as well as in Evansville, Fort Wayne, and other cities in the state. Look for a list of places you can find it here. The price is extremely generous at $40/bottle, but you better move fast, there are just over 2300 bottles of this first offering of a 10 barrel blend.
Official tasting notes, among other details, for The Prelude include:
Product: The Prelude Straight Rye Whiskey
- Mash: 62% Rye, 30% Corn, 8% Barley
- 10-barrel blend
- Maturation: 32 months
- Barrel strength
- ABV 55% (109.6 proof)
- Barrel: Seguin Moreau American oak
- Tasting Notes: Spicy start, with a smooth mix of oak, vanilla, butterscotch, and fruit, and a definitive finish
No Comments