The Road to the Revival.
Zach Hargis · Co-Founder & President · in his own words, with the photographs to prove it.
Bourbon isn't just part of my work. It's my passion, something that's shaped my life, driven my career, and been at the center of some of my most important memories. Before Silk Velvet ever came back, there were years of warehouses, barrels, and long days inside Kentucky distilleries. This is how I got here.
The Spark.
It all started with a simple trip to Maker's Mark with my wife and a couple of friends. That spark I never saw coming quickly grew, and we began visiting every distillery we could, falling in love with the history, the craft, and the people behind it all.
Passion Becomes a Career.
I accepted my first role in the bourbon industry ten minutes before my wife gave birth to our youngest son, at the O.Z. Tyler Distillery in Owensboro. My onsite interview that day included a distiller named Jacob Call. We hit it off over the two things we still bond over: golf and bourbon. I walked out knowing I wanted the job for more reasons than one.
My very first day on the job, one of the warehouses collapsed. Not exactly the welcome I expected, but it was my first taste of how unpredictable this industry can be.
My First Revival.
In 2020 I was part of the team that brought the historic Green River brand back to life and back to its original home in Owensboro after more than a century. I helped select the first barrel to carry that name in its return. My first true pinch-me moment. I even got to join the band at the launch celebration.
The Name Finds Us.
While all of this was happening, my dad Mark had been quietly collecting the pieces of a forgotten Henderson whiskey called Silk Velvet: old bottles, labels, and advertisements found around town. The bottles he found are where we first learned the name. That Christmas, we handed him the trademark application. The revival was officially in motion.
Two Houses, One Roof.
I was part of the transition that brought Green River and Bardstown Bourbon Company under the same umbrella. Two great distilleries joined forces, and I saw firsthand how different approaches to whiskey can work toward the same goal. When the dust settled, my heart was set on following my friend Jacob to Western Kentucky Distilling Co., and that is exactly where the road went.
From the Ground Up to First Distillation.
I joined Western Kentucky Distilling Co. at the ground level to help build one of the most state-of-the-art distilleries in Kentucky, where I still proudly work today. I've watched it come together from the ground up, through first distillation, helped design and manage warehouses that hold thousands upon thousands of barrels, and worked on the first bottle we ever sent into the world.
Over my time in the industry I've seen more than half a million barrels produced at the distilleries I've been part of. Each one represents hard work, craft, and tradition. I market, sell barrels, ship bottles, and travel the country sharing bourbon with people from all walks of life. And yes, I get my hands dirty when needed.
Setting a Standard.
We became founding members of the Estate Whiskey Alliance, a partnership between a group of distilleries and the University of Kentucky responsible for establishing a grain-to-glass standard for estate whiskey that is now recognized across the industry.
The Most Personal Chapter Yet.
In December 2024 we officially brought Silk Velvet Whiskey back to life. The project began its journey four years earlier with my dad Mark, my brother Zeb, and my good friend Jacob Call, whom I consider one of the greatest distillers of his generation. Zeb brought a side of the industry I never worked: years spent bringing spirits to market and putting bottles into the hands of retailers and drinkers. My production road and his sales road met in the middle, and Silk Velvet is where they led.
It started the day we handed Dad the trademark application, and it ended with the first bottles in over a century selling out the day they were released.
Reviving a historic Henderson, Kentucky brand in my hometown, where I was born and now raise my own family, means more to me than words can capture.
The Road Goes On.
The journey has not slowed down. Silk Velvet pours at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, new barrels rest in the rickhouse, and the friendship that started in that job interview is still at the center of it all. Jacob and I keep collaborating: on WKDC, on Silk Velvet, and on new adventures not yet announced.
It Was Always Headed Home.
Along the way I've met industry legends, incredible craftspeople, and passionate bourbon lovers, worked alongside some of the best people I've ever known, and learned from friends who have become family. Every mile of it led back to Henderson, to my dad, my brother, and Jacob, and to a name that waited a hundred years for us.
This isn't a hobby. This isn't a side project.
This is my life's work.