After a unique opportunity fell into the lap of Andrew Varga and Carl Cordova of Gold Corn & Co., they’ve found themselves moving from partners to sole owners of craft distillery J. Mattingly 1845.
The near 200-year-old Mattingly name has a legacy in creating world-class bourbon and a contributing role for at least nine distilleries across the state. Gold Corn & Co. aims to carry forward what John Graves Mattingly originated.
Aside from helping kickstart the way for bourbon, John Graves Mattingly was responsible for implementing and perfecting the famous distilling column used by a plethora of producers today, aiding in a creating a continuous production of bourbon.
Varga partnered with the Frankfort distillery two years ago with 45% ownership. He said he’s continually seen great opportunities since and is blessed to be able carry on the Mattingly family name and the future it holds.
Jeff Mattingly, a sixth-generation descendent of John Graves Mattingly, founded modern-day J. Mattingly 1845 with the help of his wife Melissa, as well as the creation of a custom blending experience. Visitors can now blend a personal bottle from multiple double-staved proprietary barrels and partake in a full customization process of bottle appearance and name.
Under the new Gold Corn ownership, Jeff Mattingly will step back from his leadership role but leave his son Cameron Mattingly to carry on the family name’s involvement as vice president of production.
“Cam Mattingly, who is Jeff’s son, is an integral part of our production techniques and our blending,” Varga said. “(He’s) one of the best young master blenders that I’ve come across.”
Pleased to have Cameron Mattingly staying on his team, Varga said he plans to focus on furthering the growth of established talents within the company during the brand’s next stage, as well as preserving the family name.
“Just having that Mattingly name and Cam’s passion for really just trying to coax as much great quality out of bourbon as you possible can is a great double win to have him still involved and his wife Savannah Mattingly still involved in helping us run the gift shop,” Varga said. “We’re really thrilled to continue on this Mattingly legacy.”
Note: Ownership acquisition is to be finalized in the next 60 days.
