Wes Henderson and the story behind True Story Whiskeys

True story: A successful whiskey maker and married father of six adult sons sells the mega-brand he created with his family and says he’s retiring. He means it, but his family doesn’t believe him, and for good reason. While building Angel’s Envy, cofounder Wes Henderson would log more miles in airplane seats than some pilots—and then come home to volunteer as a firefighter and a coroner.

Who volunteers to be a coroner? Aren’t animated people more exciting than the dead? Apparently not. Same for retirement: boring. The naturally driven go-getter thought golfing would occupy his time, but his heart told him work was more fulfilling and engaging than leisure. So, he started thinking …

“I was at home one evening, and all of a sudden, it popped into my head, ‘Hey, wow, The Kentucky Castle. Wow! What a place to do a bourbon; have a bourbon affiliated with the Castle! Have the Castle as a destination.’ That's really where it started with just that crazy-ass idea,” said Wes Henderson.

As Henderson’s wife, Julie will tell you, seeing Wes’s hyperactive mind in action is amusing but potentially costly.

“He came home and told me he bought a castle,” says Julie Henderson, making no effort to hide her wry, “I know this guy.” Side-eyeing him sitting next to her, she continued. “He likes staying busy, likes a challenge. But, yeah, a castle.”

The Kentucky Castle, to be precise. This odd but uniquely luxe hotel is located in Versailles, a bedroom community of Lexington. (For what it’s worth, Kentuckians don’t pronounce it like the French do, “vehr-sai.” We say it, “vur-sales.”) It’s an actual four-turreted castle with high stone walls surrounding a hotel, restaurant, bar and event space at the center. Its high perch overlooking Versailles Road places it among some of the priciest horse farms in the world: hundreds of thousands of green, fenced acres where legions of petted and powerful thoroughbreds are trained, raced and duplicated.

At this intersection between bourbon country and horse country is where Henderson’s idea rapidly took shape: He’d use the Castle as a homeplace for a whiskey brand, where he’d welcome people to its beautiful grounds for unique whiskey experiences. At two nearby locations, he, his six strapping sons and a considerable staff would work to make, age and bottle his new whiskey.

“While at Angel’s Envy, I was very cognizant of how bourbon starts the conversation, that it’s the basis for gathering..."

The brand’s name is True Story

How Henderson chose to name his new brand, True Story, is another glimpse into his self-dubbed life as “an ADD poster child.”

On a pre-Covid trip to Houston to lead a whiskey talk at a swanky bar, he was led to a room “that was more like a library … some sofas, big overstuffed chairs. And there was just one overstuffed chair at the front of the room,” he recalled.

He took the isolated seat, read the room and dispensed with the de rigueur Bourbon 101 summary, which whiskey makers trot out to ensure everyone knows at least a little about the all-American spirit.

“And instead … we just had a discussion,” he said. “Talked about anything that came to mind.”

Bourbon, he realized, provided opportunities for every drinker to share stories. True Story, he said, will create spaces where people can pull up a chair, share a pour and connect over conversation.

“While at Angel’s Envy, I was very cognizant of how bourbon starts the conversation, that it’s the basis for gathering,” he says. “I used to say a lot when I’d be signing bottles, ‘I'll sign this, but please open it. Don't let it sit on a shelf somewhere, because there's so many stories inside that bottle that, if you don't open it, those stories will never be told.’”

Henderson’s plan makes likely that True Story will be a big story someday. As he did with Angel’s Envy, he’s launched the brand with bourbon and rye whiskies that were sourced, rebarreled, aged again and blended. Each release is marked by its volume, as in “Volume 1, Volume 2,” etc. Volume 1 is a 90-proof Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey finished in white moscatel casks ($59.99). Volume 2 is a 100-proof blend of straight rye whiskies finished in amburana and sherry casks ($69.99). Sourced liquid will be used for at least the next several years until True Story’s own whiskies are fully matured.

Making Henderson’s own liquid and maturing it will require a $92.5 million investment in a distillery, rickhouses and a bottling plant located on two nearby sites. According to his son, Kyle Henderson, at the heart of that operation will be a 36-inch Vendome continuous column still capable of producing 4 million proof gallons (circa 35,000 barrels) of whiskey annually.

“That was Dad’s dream for Angel’s Envy, to work with his son and grandsons. That I have the chance to do this again is great, just great.”

Meanwhile, the Castle will remain a boutique hotel while getting a bourbon-centric makeover for tastings, barrel picks, etc. In addition to suites in the Castle proper, there are private houses on the property that might also serve as lodging. Its current farm-to-table experiences (centered on a produce garden for its kitchen) will be retained, and its kitchen will be expanded to do more large events such as weddings and business meetings.

Full truth be told, much of the work of making True Story whiskey will fall to the six Henderson sons, Andrew, Connor, Christian, Kyle, Spencer and Ian, most of whom worked at Angel’s Envy. The fact that the new brand will be family-centered is deeply significant to Wes Henderson.

“That was Dad’s dream for Angel’s Envy, to work with his son and grandsons,” Henderson said, referring to his father, the late Lincoln Henderson, longtime master distiller at Woodford Reserve before retiring and helping Wes get his start. “That I have the chance to do this again is great, just great.”