Ashley Barnes

After graduating from Eastern Kentucky University with a BS in Biology and a Chemistry minor, Ashley worked as a pharmaceutical chemical analyst, ensuring the quality and purity of raw materials and that all tests required by international oversight agencies were completed and passed. These responsibilities required extensive lab tests and detailed notes and reports, further developing the meticulous attention to detail that defines her lab at The Blending House.

Buffalo Trace Distillery

In 2012, Ashley joined Buffalo Trace Distillery as a Quality Control Technician. Her responsibilities included quality control throughout the production process, from raw materials to the production line and finished goods. Ashley became a TTB Certified Distilled Spirits Chemist at Buffalo Trace, and began to explore the deeper concepts in bourbon production. 

She studied under the Master Blender, testing warehouse styles and locations and learning classic methods of blending. They conducted quality control checks at every step of the process to create consistency, quality, and reproducibility. Scalability was also a focus and taught the ability to increase batch size while maintaining a consistent profile. 

At Buffalo Trace, it was also discovered that she has an incredibly unique and sensitive palate–one skill that cannot be learned. She can pick up flavors and nuances that most people cannot, giving her an edge when it comes to creating harmonious flavor profiles and maintaining consistency.

Four Roses Distillery

Ashley joined Four Roses as an Assistant Quality Manager in 2014. Her responsibilities included daily distillate approval; management of all international and domestic flavor profiles; single barrel, private barrel, and limited/special release management; quality control for production and bottling; the analytical laboratory; and product training for new employees and the public.

At Four Roses, Ashley worked with a different style of warehouse and bourbon than at Buffalo Trace. With a steadier temperature from top to bottom, the single-story warehouses produced a more consistent maturation of product. At Four Roses she was able to stretch her analytical and research skills and it was there that she learned how truly unique and complex each barrel was.

Ashley began honing the art of the blend at Four Roses, creating flavor profiles to target customer tastes and analyzing how the different points in the process influence the finished product we all enjoy. The mash bill is only the beginning. It is a culmination of numerous tiny steps and decisions along the way that create the flavor.

The Spirits Group and The Blending House

In December 2018 Ashley joined forces with Monica Wolf to launch The Spirits Group, a consulting company designed to help small and mid-size craft brands and distilleries. The opening of The Blending House is the culmination of Ashley and Monica’s plans for The Spirits Group. In addition, she is a spirits judge for American Distilling Institute, American Craft Spirits Association, and New Orleans Spirits Judging (Tales of the Cocktail), using her knowledge and experience to critique and provide educational feedback to brands across the country and around the world.