You wouldn’t know it unless you lived there, and even then, you may never have heard, but there’s a secret river running underneath the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. Maybe. Probably. There are certainly caves way down below Magic City and they have wide pools of moving water so, yeah, there’s probably a river. Ancient stories and local myth—and verifiable news reports of mysterious cave-ins—back it up. So does John Cubelic from Dread River Distilling who has based the mythos of his brand on this story and makes his remarkable Straight Bourbon from the water that might be, that’s probably, flowing underneath him.
What whiskey first made you say fuck yeah?
Angel’s Envy products. They do a really cool series of things and their finishing process is something I’ve adopted at Dread River. Angel’s Envy sort of changed my palate.
If you weren’t making whiskey, you’d probably be . . .
I was working in the film industry prior to this. That’s why the branding side of this is so interesting to me. I find myself to be a storyteller. Being a brand ambassador and telling the story is one of my my biggest involvements in Dread River.
What’s a fucked up way you drink whiskey you probably wouldn’t tell anyone if you weren’t filling out this questionnaire?
I don’t do anything particularly weird. Perhaps the sacrilegious thing I’ve learned in this industry is that people love high proofed spirits. Certain times that’s great, but other times I just don’t love that so I will cut very high proof whiskey.
What’s a fucked up way someone you know drinks whiskey that makes you want to throw them off a cliff, and seriously, Jesus Hashtag Christ, why, Darryll? Why?
Down here in the south everything has to be very, you know, sweet and syrupy but it really pains me when we’ve put all this blood sweat and tears into Dread River and we really think they’re good, we’re getting really specific gravities and exactly the right proof because we think this ids the best expression of this product and then people pour it into coke.
What song will get you onto the floor no matter what?
Give a quote from a movie you obsess over:
“I’m kind of big deal; people know me.”
Anchor Man
Besides making whiskey, what do you do right?
I love to cook. My favorite thing in the world to cook is Thanksgiving dinner. But I have to do the whole thing. I’m not one of these people who do pot luck. I’m one of those “get out of my kitchen, get out of my way,” people.
Sum up the essence of great whiskey with a single word.
Community.
What moment during your process strikes you as perfect?
When I have one of those moments when I have an idea and it’s kind of avante garde and you kind of bring everybody together and you can see in everybody else’s face, yes. I see where you’re going with this.
Name the single most underrated or overlooked distillery in your state.
Irons ONE in Huntsville, AL
Name a whiskey you think our readers never heard of.
Marble Distilling, from Carbondale, CO
What was your most embarrassing mistake making whiskey?
We almost ruined eight barrels of whiskey during a blend.
What are you reading?
Fighter Pilots Maneuvers and Tactics.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
Pat Heist and Shane Baker from Wilderness Trail
