Foundry Distilling Company

What Foundry Distilling Company does

Foundry Distilling Company is a privately held craft distillery headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, operating from a building originally constructed in 1899 as a railcar repair facility for the Rock Island Railroad in Historic Valley Junction. The company is led by owner Scott Bush, who previously founded Templeton Rye and built it into the second largest rye whiskey brand globally. Foundry produces a portfolio spanning signature spirits (Hand-Forged Vodka, Botanically-Infused Gin, Barrel-Aged Gin, Barrel-Aged Manhattan), heritage brands (Okoboji Vodka, The Real Stuff — a Depression-era recipe recreation), and an expanding catalog of collaboration whiskies produced through the Brewer-Distiller Alliance with 18+ brewery partners including Stone Brewing, Boulevard, Surly, Left Hand, and Toppling Goliath. Distillation is performed on a proprietary hand-forged four-tray pot still and a 30-foot column still with 21 trays estimated to be the largest in the craft spirits industry on a throughput basis, supported by 8,000 gallons of primary fermentation capacity, 10,000 gallons of bulk storage, and over 1,500 aging barrels.

The company generates revenue across multiple streams: direct on-premise sales at the distillery tasting lounge, e-commerce through a Square storefront, regional retail distribution via Hy-Vee, Fareway (exclusive partner for Butcher's Block Vodka), and liquor stores in Iowa and Minnesota. Higher-margin service lines include the Private Barrel Club / MyPrivateBarrel.com custom-branded spirits program (hundreds of corporate, non-profit, and family clients), the Estate Bourbon program where customers deliver 15 bushels of their own corn for distillation and 2-3 year aging, guided tours ranging from $25 to $50, and event venue rentals with capacity up to 300 guests. The customer base spans craft spirits enthusiasts, corporate gifting buyers, individuals seeking personalized milestone spirits, farm families celebrating agricultural heritage, and Midwest retail consumers — all served by a team described as small (11-50 employees) but operationally scaled through capital-intensive distillation infrastructure.

Name

Foundry Distilling Company

Legal name

Foundry Distilling Company

Website

https://foundrydistillingcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foundry Distilling Company is a privately held Iowa craft distillery led by Templeton Rye founder Scott Bush, producing signature and heritage spirits, custom-branded whiskies via the Private Barrel Club, and brewery collaboration whiskeys for retail, B2B, and visitor experience channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Spirits Distillery

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries (THAFALAH), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft spirits distillery
• Custom branded whiskey
• Barrel-aged vodka gin
• Brewery distillery collaborations
• Estate bourbon program

Headquarters

HQ city

West Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Spirits Sales: On-site sales of spirits directly to consumers at the distillery location, including signature spirits, collaboration products, and custom branded spirits.
2. Online Store Sales: E-commerce sales through their Square storefront for direct-to-consumer spirits purchases.
3. Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution of spirits to Hy-Vee, Fareway Stores, and liquor stores in Iowa and Minnesota.
4. Custom Spirits Production (Private Barrel Club): Custom branded spirits production for individuals or companies through the Foundry Private Barrel Club, including labeling, taxes, and logistics coordination.
5. Estate Bourbon Program: Family corn processing into custom bourbon - customers deliver 15 bushels of corn, distillery handles fermentation, distillation, and aging for 2-3 years.
6. Tours and Tastings: Guided distillery tours and tasting experiences including Foundry Tasting ($25), Distiller's Tour ($35), and Owner's Tour ($50).
7. Event Venue Rental: Rental of flexible event spaces including Full Distillery (up to 300 capacity), Tasting Lounge (up to 75), The Speakeasy (up to 15), and The Patio (up to 60).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Foundry Distilling Company is a craft distillery located in West Des Moines, Iowa that produces and sells a portfolio of spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, and ready-to-drink cocktails. The company operates signature spirits lines, heritage brands, and brewery-distiller collaboration whiskies, while also offering custom-branded spirits production (Private Barrel Club), estate bourbon made from customers' own grain, distillery tours, tastings, and event venue rental in a restored 1899 railcar repair building in Historic Valley Junction.

Product overview

Foundry Distilling Company is an Iowa craft distillery producing a portfolio of spirits centered on whiskey, vodka, and gin. The core product lineup includes Hand-Forged American Vodka, Botanically-Infused Gin, Barrel-Aged Gin, and Barrel-Aged Manhattan as Signature Spirits. Heritage Brands include Okoboji Vodka and The Real Stuff recreating Depression-era recipes. The company operates a custom spirits production service through MyPrivateBarrel.com (private branded whiskeys) and Estate Bourbon (using customer's own grain). Collaborations include Butcher's Block Vodka with Fareway and the Brewer-Distiller Alliance producing whiskeys from 20+ brewery partners' beer recipes. Visitor experiences include distillery tours, event venue rentals (Full Distillery, Tasting Lounge, Speakeasy, Patio, Clubhouse), and a craft cocktail bar. The company is led by Templeton Rye founder Scott Bush and is located in Des Moines' Historic Valley Junction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heritage Brands: A collection of heritage brands including Okoboji Vodka and The Real Stuff, built around unique people, places and events.
• Private Barrel Club

Products and services

• Hand-Forged American Vodka

Quantifiable outcome

• Second largest rye whiskey brand globally (Templeton Rye)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Arrogant Consortia (Stone Brewing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrewer-Distiller Alliance creating Arrogant Bastard Whiskey from their Strong Ale (released April 17, 2021). Bold, uncompromising collaboration producing intense, subliminally sublime whiskey.
• Boulevard Brewing CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including Unfiltered Wheat Whiskey (Midnight Ritual), Imperial Stout, Irish Red Ale Whiskey (Bottled-In-Bond), and The Sixth Glass American Malt Whiskey (Quadrupel Ale).
• Left Hand Brewing CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations including Galactic Cowboy Imperial Stout Whiskey (Bottled-In-Bond), Milk Stout Whiskey (Sinister), and Sawtooth Amber Ale whiskey.
• Surly Brewing CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo collaborations: Furious IPA Whiskey and Axe Man IPA Whiskey. Both IPAs distilled into unique American Malt Whiskeys.
• Exile Brewing CosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuthie Lager Whiskey (Bold yet smooth from Ruthie Gold Lager) plus cask collaborations Gigi, Tico, and Forage.
• Peace Tree BrewingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlonde Fatale Whiskey from Belgian-Style Blonde Fatale. First 100 proof whiskey aged 2+ years in charred and toasted American White Oak barrels.
• Confluence BrewingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDes Moines IPA Whiskey and Over the Ivy collaborations plus Blue Corn Bourbon cask finishing.
• Barn Town BrewingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCicada Killer Imperial Stout Whiskey from their 8.9% ABV imperial stout.
• Stone BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImperial Stout Whiskey and Arrogant Bastard Ale Whiskey collaborations. Both from high-ABV beers (10.8% and Strong Ale respectively).
• Toppling Goliath Brewing CosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPseudo Sue cask collaboration in Brewer-Distiller Alliance.
• Gezellig Brewing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHugzilla Whiskey collaboration.
• Kinship Brewing CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheriff Dobeck Imperial Stout cask collaboration.
• Singlespeed BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTip the Cow collaboration with notification of release.
• Court Avenue Restaurant Brewing CominorStrategic or Co-development Partner21st Amendment Malt Whiskey collaboration.
• Lift Bridge Brewing CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm Girl cask collaboration.
• Big Grove Brewing CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEasy Eddy cask collaboration.
• Fareway StorescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive retail partner for Butcher's Block Vodka ($17.99/750mL). Since 1938, Fareway butchers selected best ingredients for this premium vodka. Portion of proceeds supports Variety, Iowa (children's charity).
• Maytag Dairy FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaytag Mead collaboration featured in collaborations section.
• Jethro'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as Brewer-Distiller Alliance partner.
• Hy-VeesecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail distribution partner for Spirits including Sinister Milk Stout Whiskey and other collaboration products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catoctin Creek: Virginia craft distillery producing rye whiskey and other spirits with tasting room and tours. Comparable small craft distillery with founder-led brand and taproom/tasting room model.
• Koval Distillery: Chicago-based craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, vodka, and specialty spirits with a focus on single-grain, organic production. Comparable craft spirits portfolio, taproom model, and small-batch production scale.
• FEW Spirits: Evanston, Illinois craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, and vodka with a tasting room and tours. Comparable craft spirits range, Midwest geography, and direct-to-consumer + retail distribution model.
• Smooth Ambler: West Virginia craft distillery known for aged whiskey and small-batch production with on-site tours and tastings. Comparable craft distillery operating model with tasting room revenue and whiskey-forward portfolio.
• Balcones Distilling: Texas craft distillery producing whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum with custom pot stills and a tasting room. Comparable craft spirits portfolio, proprietary distillation equipment, and DTC + retail distribution.
• Wilderness Trail: Kentucky craft distillery focused on bourbon and rye with on-site tours and tastings. Comparable craft distillery with similar barrel-aging programs and regional wholesale distribution.
• New Riff Distilling: Kentucky craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, and other spirits with tasting room and tours. Comparable craft distillery scale and product mix targeting premium retail and DTC channels.
• Treaty Oak Distilling: Texas craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, vodka, and red corn spirits with custom production services. Comparable craft spirits offering plus a custom-distilled/B2B service similar to Foundry's Private Barrel Club.
• Copper & Kings: Louisville, Kentucky craft distillery focused on American brandy and whiskey with on-site bar and event spaces. Comparable craft spirits model combining spirits production, taproom/bar, and event venue revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Templeton Rye: Founder Scott Bush's prior company, scaled into the #2 rye whiskey brand globally. Directly comparable craft-to-premium rye distillery with similar Iowa/Midwest roots and founder-led brand-building approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Foundry_Distill
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoundryDistilling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foundry Distilling Company