Large Format Ice Finds its Place in Kentucky
Rich Finck started Kentucky Straight Ice after experiencing the bourbon world from all sides. His degree from the University of Louisville covered communications, psychology and advertising. He spent his years after college being a marketing manager and event specialist for disparate fields, working for brands ranging from Samsung to Jim Beam.
Kentucky Straight Ice founder Rich Finck
By 2014, Rich was figuring out his next move and falling deeper into a personal appreciation for bourbon. Ask any bartender, particularly those who work in Kentucky where tourism is centered around bourbon, how they feel about ice and be prepared to get a dissertation in response. Ice is as important a detail in the construction and experience of a drink as the spirit itself. The standard “chip” ice dilutes quickly due to its smaller surface area and if your customer wants to taste the bourbon as it is meant to be tasted, you need something more substantial.
Rich is practical and he knew that it was unrealistic for most bars, restaurants, event spaces and distillery tasting rooms to equip and maintain a cold draft cube system or be able to keep up with cutting their own ice, so he started his own company.
I met Rich when I was still handling social media for Maker’s Mark and they were hosting a series of pop-ups that highlighted craftsmen outside of the distilling world. He was hand stamping his ice cubes with custom branding for Maker’s, something he does for any brand that brings him out, and talking to people more about why he loved the whisky than touting his own company. That’s why they all call him. He’s a bourbon fan at heart and a creator of memorable experience in practice.
So, next time you’re in Kentucky and you see a crystal clear ice cube anchoring your glass of bourbon, there’s a good chance you have Rich and his chainsaw to thank.
