Riding the Boom, Contract Distillers Are Selling More than Whiskey

When Kentucky Peerless promoted Caleb Kilburn in 2018—he was 27 at the time—he became the state’s youngest master distiller. He left Peerless in 2023 to pursue a new project, but not before the Icons of Whisky Awards named him Master Distiller of the Year.

His career is still young, but today he’s more focused on helping others achieve success. As cofounder and master distiller at Eastern Light in Morehead, Kentucky—where, on July 2, they broke ground for their $143.7 million destination distillery—he says he’s passionate about helping the people behind whiskey brands realize their ambitions. Sometimes that means taking a central role; other times, it means taking a back seat.

“We saw so many amazing craft concepts that would fail to reach their potential due to lack of access to really good whiskey, proper distribution, creative channels,” Kilburn says. This was the inspiration for the company, and so far, the team has been providing professional advisory services and lining up clientele. “We’re willing to customize as much of the process as they want—to help them actually have a stake in the ownership of creating their spirit. We want them to feel like they’re taking ownership of the products that we help them make.”