Meet Casey Ross | Co Owner, Senior Broom Pusher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Ross and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey, what do you attribute your success to?
Easy, these three things sum it up. It’s our partners, employees and consistency in product. I’m very fortunate to have some long time friends that we started this company with. Our employees have become family and that has been a huge part of our success. We couldn’t do something like this on our own and were just grateful to be on an incredible journey with an amazing team! We have a lot of pride in our spirits and a lot of respect for our people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career path has been all over the place. I got my start in automotive building muscle cars then working my way into management. I then toured all over the world with theater and rock n roll for 13 years. Every three months or so I would come home for a week or two on break. My friends (now partners) would get together and make beer. Thats what started us down the road of whiskey. I work well alone but thrive in team settings. I’m good at several things sure…but I can honestly say I’m not great at anything. Thats the beauty of the team. You see, I’m more of the hands on, creative type. I’m not worth much when I’m behind a desk. But when you have partners that are, it makes for a fantastic balance. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to be consistent with your weekly meetings. With two location and a lot of moving parts it’s easy for things to get missed.

I’m proud of the relationships we’ve been able to build along the way and were excited to build some more as the years go by.

We are very happy with where Axe and the Oak is currently. It’s come along way in the last 8 years. We’re are still a very small distillery but we’re growing and trying to make wise decisions as we roll along. Our expansion plan is looking good and we’re getting closer to finding our next location here in Colorado Springs. We have just about tapped out the current facility and are eager to move. When we do our plan is to put a new distillation system in place that will increase our production by 16 times. We just got licensed for distribution in 12 new states. We will add them one by one as our production increases.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Here we go! Stay at Kinship Landing or SCP hotel. Both are small boutique hotels that really care about people and your stay.

You have to hit Garden of the Gods for sure. Bring your mountain bike or hiking shoes for all of our amazing trails. Grab some tickets to the new U.S Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Schedule a tour of Glen Eyrie Castle.

Enjoy some incredible food from COATI, Streetcar 520, 503W, Homa, Red Gravy, Monse’s Pupuseria, Almagre, Slow Downz. Ivywild School is an old school that has been transformed into a cool food and beverage hall. You can grab some coffee or cocktails at the Principles Office, an incredible beer from Bristol Brewery, grab a bite to eat and then pop downstairs to our tasting room, Axe and the Oak Whiskey House to end the night with one of our craft cocktails. My favorites are the Tobacco Old Fashioned or the Noble Experiment.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow, huge shoutout to my partners Jason Jackson, Eric Baldini, Scott White and Mike Helwege! We have all been friends for a very long time and we balance each other out well. I love all these guys like brothers and would do anything for them. Mega shoutout to our wife’s and kids for the support everyday but especially in the beginning.

Wahooo! to our current employees. To our long time employees Lauren Reece, Belinda Speth, James Hallaway and Jeremiah Neill for being so loyal and always having our back. To all our past employees that helped us so much and have started their own new companies we are so proud! To our loyal fans like Kim and Reggy Short that have been there from the beginning. We can’t thank you all enough!!!

Website: www.axeandtheoak.com

Instagram: @axeandtheoakdistillery

Twitter: @axeandtheoakdistillery

Facebook: @axeandtheoakdistillery

Image Credits
Lauren Reece Stephen Martin