John Little
(Born 1989)
Growing up in North Carolina, John Little’s hobbies were hunting and fishing, and fried fish is still one of his favorite foods. He later moved to West Virginia, and he and his father-in-law, Tinsley Azariah “TAG” Galyean, developed a goal of creating a world-class product that makes West Virginians proud. Ultimately, John Little became the Co-Founder, Former Head Distiller, and CEO of Smooth Ambler Spirits. From start-up to $30M, with years of industry operational management experience, and products available for purchase in many states in the U.S. as well as in international markets, Smooth Ambler keeps getting better and better.
John Little was raised in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, with his mother and sister. He attended college at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, studying geography, and earned his Bachelor of Science there. He also met his wife at UNC-Charlotte, and the couple moved northwest in 2002. He and his family currently live in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
Little has a history in the restaurant business. Galyean, a successful businessman, architect, and designer, and Little had been working on a project for high-end hotels when the stock market crashed in 2008. After the market correction, Little and his father-in-law decided they wanted to create “a world-class” product made in West Virginia that represented the best of West Virginia and would make West Virginians proud.
After reading an article in Time magazine about micro/craft distilling, Galyean wrote a comment to Little on the article, telling him that they “could do this in [Little’s] garage.” So, in 2009, they founded Smooth Ambler as a grain-to-glass distillery, with the goal of making affordable craft spirits. Thereafter, they went to an American Distilling Institute (ADI) conference in Kentucky, and while there, they visited several distilleries as well as Vendome. Little says that his visit to Vendome set his intention to be in the distilling business. Little and his father-in-law also attended Artisan Distilling Program workshops offered by Michigan State University. They researched the industry and garnered knowledge from others in the industry willing to share information. They also had the opportunity to get hands-on experience at a distillery in Washington state.
In 2010, they traveled to Kentucky to buy another still. It was during this trip that they met Richard Wolf, who was a barrel broker. Little and Galyean sampled whiskeys from several different distilleries, and while waiting for their whiskey to mature, settled on a high-rye mash bill from Midwest Grain Products of Indiana (MGP). Committed to honesty and transparency, Little and Galyean decided on the name “Old Scout" to reflect that they “scouted" out their [sourced] whiskey. They released Old Scout, a 5-year-old whiskey sourced from MGP, in the Fall of 2011.
In 2016, Smooth Ambler was running out of sourced whiskey, so they connected with Pernod-Ricard North America with the hopes that Pernod had mature whiskey available to sell. Unable to strike a deal on whiskey, Pernod offered something much better when they offered to purchase a majority stake in Smooth Ambler. The acquisition was completed in 2017.
Smooth Ambler’s product line reflects these three principles: “Make”, “Merchant”, and “Marry”. Their Big Level Bourbon label, introduced in 2018, which is distilled and aged in West Virginia, reflects their “Make” principle. Their Old Scout label reflects their “Merchant” principle and is 100% sourced. Their Contradiction label, introduced in 2015, reflects their “Marry” principle, which blends their Big Level Bourbon (Made) and Old Scout (Merchant) whiskeys.
Smooth Ambler does not filter any of their whiskeys as they aim to deliver a product that is very much the original distilled spirit. Also, they stopped selling vodka in 2016, then discontinued their gin line in 2017, and now concentrate solely on whiskey.
Little and Galyean created a world-class product that makes West Virginians proud. Their current sales exceed $30 million annually, and their product is available for purchase in many states in the U.S., as well as in international markets.
In addition to being a founder and Chief Executive Officer of Smooth Ambler, Little also served as the Head Distiller from its founding in 2009 until January 2022. As per Little’s LinkedIn profile, he continues to serve as a “Whiskey Maker” for Smooth Ambler. In January of 2023, he founded “Engauged Consulting” and is a distilled spirits consultant and industry advisor; and, in January of 2024, he joined Moonshine University as a part-time instructor.
Contributed by: Gwen Hoover, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
References:
https://wvexecutive.com/going-smooth/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7HfuQ5d9Yo
https://www.thespiritseducator.com/smooth-ambler
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-little-b003698/
https://www.bourbonbanter.com/smooth-ambers-best-is-yet-to-come/
https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/five-minutes-with-john-little-from-smooth-ambler.aspx/