Smooth Ambler's Best Whiskies Are Yet To Come
Of all the lessons Little has learned, one that seems obvious is: “We’re going to do what’s right for the whiskey, not what’s right for marketing. Do everything necessary to make the whiskey delicious.”
Little 'can't wait' to bring aging Smooth Ambler to market.
John Little is a refreshing business interview. The co-founder of Smooth Ambler Distillery is confident without the bluster and insecurity of those preaching the Gospel of My Way. If anyone at all, Little blames himself for wrong choices and hard lessons learned, then delivers them with a wry grin.
“I remember all the losses and none of the wins.”
“I’m the opposite of a gambler,” he said, highlighting his propensity to fret over his miscues. “I remember all the losses and none of the wins.”
Whether he sees it, in the 15 years since Smooth Ambler’s founding, Little has matured as a businessman, adopting a pragmatism that’s very much the gambler’s: a clear-eyed comprehension of the long odds of convincing strangers to buy his Maxwelton, W.Va.-made bourbons and ryes.
“Fifty percent of the people who taste your stuff will like it, 40 percent are OK with it, and 10 percent will hate it. I focus too much on the 10,” he said. Still, he sees wisdom in those 10 percenters’ feedback. “It’s hard not to focus on the criticism. But when criticism comes from a meaningful place, that’s useful. You don’t get better in a vacuum.”
“Never thought it would get this big.”