Honoring Pappy’s Legacy: The Sisters Behind Pappy & Co.
Pappy Van Winkle bourbon is well-known, well-respected and deeply rooted in the South. It's fitting that his three great-granddaughters created a company to both complement and extend that brand in ways Pappy himself would surely commend!
Julian βPappyβ Van Winkle began making exceptional Kentucky bourbon over 100 years ago. Little did he know, his family would still be continuing his legacy four generations later.
Pappyβs great-granddaughters (who are triplets!), Chenault, Carrie and Louise, were proud of their heritage in the bourbon business but never played an active part in the Pappy Van Winkle company. Then, they realized it was missing something: a strong promotional branch. So the sisters teamed up, combining their impeccable styles with their natural entrepreneurial skills, to create Pappy and Co.
βWe started mainly with a need to take care of the promotional side of the bourbon,β Carrie says, βbecause we had this famous bourbon brand, but there were no promotional products like hats or t-shirts or anything for all these fans to wear to represent the brand they loved.β
Pappy Van Winkle bourbon certainly is beloved β itβs coveted, high-end and fit for the finest of bourbon connoisseurs. But the brand wasnβt always so glamorous, and the Van Winkle family worked hard to achieve their success. Pappy himself was most famous in his day for owning the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Shively, Kentucky. Unfortunately, the bourbon industry faltered around this time, and Pappyβs son, Julian Jr., was forced to sell the distillery. However, Julian Jr. knew that wouldnβt be the end of his familyβs bourbon legacy. He kept the rights to the Pappy Van Winkle label, which then allowed his son, Julian III, to pick up where he left off.
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βWhat the company is today is what my dad basically started over from nothing. He rebuilt the original older Van Winkle label,β Carrie says. βI definitely compare my dad to Pappy in terms of what heβs done for the industry.β
Spending their childhood watching Julian III work tirelessly for the company inspired Chenault, Louise and Carrie to eventually try to make their own mark on the Van Winkle legacy. βThe older we got, the more we realized how special this history was within our family, and we didnβt necessarily work directly with our dad, so we had no role in the bourbon business,β says Carrie. βSo starting Pappy & Co. just felt right.β
The sisters decided that Pappy & Co. would sell a variety of Pappy-inspired items, from cigars to menβs and womenβs clothing to high-end barware. As Chenault and Carrie are both interior designers, it was easy for them to apply their design acumen to market an already exceptional bourbon. βWe have a good sense of style, so we donβt feel worried about either diluting the brand or disrespecting the brand because it is just a part of us,β Carrie says. βWe make sure we hold true to that and donβt do anything that feels too far-fetched or out of place with how we live. So a lot of the products we carry, people enjoy even if they donβt necessarily love bourbon.β
One of the ways they bring their ideas to life is by collaborating with other companies to make products that are uniquely excellent. βWhen we come up with an idea, we try to find someone who makes a really high-quality version, someone who is the best in their field,β Carrie says, βbecause together in a collaboration, we make a product that you really canβt find anywhere else.β
A prime example of this is Pappy & Coβs famous bourbon balls. It is their only product made with Rip Van Winkleβs actual 10-year bourbon and is crafted locally in Louisville, Kentucky at Sugar Mamaβs Bake Shop.
βBourbon balls have always been a tradition in our family,β Carrie says. βEspecially around the holidays in Louisville and other places in the South, itβs just natural to make bourbon balls.β
Many of Pappy and Coβs other products are similarly born from customs in the sistersβ lives. βOur products come from things that we love and that we want ourselves or use ourselves or eat ourselves or wear ourselves,β Carrie says. βSo a lot of times itβs something we already use β¦ so we might as well use our own version. Or something that we want in our lives, either for our husbands or for ourselves. All the products come about because itβs just an extension of who we are.β
Pappy & Coβs distinctive rustic barrel decor β ranging from chairs to tables to sculptures β displays this better than anything else, as it combines the sistersβ classic taste with relics of Pappyβs empire.
βOur favorite way to furnish our own homes is by taking those old pieces and incorporating antiques into modern lines and fabrics. Weβre all about mixing, and I think that says a lot about the products we create because it hints at our past and the traditional aspect but in a modern, current way.β
While the company is flourishing, Chenault, Carrie and Louise no longer work side-by-side every day. Chenault spends a lot of her time focusing on her own company, Chenault James Interiors, and Carrie now lives in Idaho. But they all continue to dedicate as much love, time and effort as Pappy would have wanted.
βWe run Pappy & Co as three sisters and the great-granddaughters of Pappy. So it definitely is really family-oriented and everything revolves around decisions made by us as sisters or by the family as a whole,β Carrie says. βItβs all very related and really represents who we are.β
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And at this rate, Pappy may even end up with a fifth generation of Van Winkleβs involved. βItβs fun for kids because they probably would never have learned who Pappy is otherwise,β Carrie says. βTraditions in family heritage can get lost so quickly through generations, so itβs kind of neat how they all refer to Pappy and like to say βPappy would have loved this.ββ
Learn more about this amazing Southern company and shop their collection of products at pappyco.com.
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