Jason Queen bought a historic grist mill in 2017 as a 10th wedding anniversary present for his wife Jeanne. It’s located in Alamance County, near the midpoint between their hometowns. The couple enjoys historic preservation, so they planned to renovate the property together and turn it into a place for weekend getaways.
After more research, the Queens learned that what they had bought was actually a pre-revolutionary grist mill, built sometime in the 1700s. The mill was a well-known meeting and trading post for farmers, distillers, and early settlers, and it played an important role in the revolutionary fight for freedom.
As they explored their newly acquired mill, Jason and Jeanne discovered not only equipment, but also leftover grain inside that was at least 50 years old. They decided to contact the agricultural department at NC State to test the grain and see exactly what they were dealing with.
At this point, Jason, a seasoned entrepreneur, got an idea. He wanted to reintroduce heirloom grains to the area as a nod to the once-thriving business of whiskey production in North Carolina. Inspired by other liquor company success stories, Jason decided to apply his experience as a restaurateur and pioneer to launch a whiskey company.
Cook’s Mill Bourbon Whiskey was officially established in 2020, and the first bourbon was available for sale in 2022. Cook’s Mill whiskey is aged in American white oak barrels and made exclusively from NC-grown corn.
“We are laying down barrels of bourbon each year grown from varying heirloom corns incorporated from different regions, climates, and soils across the state,” Jason explained. “We have an infinite amount of ways to express these varieties as they age.”
Jason hopes to restore and return Cook’s Mill back to a functioning grist mill, so a portion of the proceeds from the whiskey sales are allocated to fund the restoration initiative. He also wants to make it a destination where visitors can learn about the history of whiskey and agriculture in North Carolina while enjoying samples from an onsite tasting room.
Fourscore has worked with Jason to prepare and structure its current company’s pre-seed funding round structuring the investment documents and ensuring Cook’s Mill has a strong foundation for growth.
To learn more and see where Cook’s Mill Whiskey is sold, visit https://www.cooksmillwhiskey.com/.
