After eight years in City Hall, Mark Kersey re-brands himself, trading politics for making a California bourbon that just won a gold medal
For eight years, Mark Kersey was a San Diego councilman dealing with budgets, policies, potholes, backlogged infrastructure needs and every other issue that came before the council.“A decade of politics served me well for transition to the alcohol business,” jokes Kersey. “It may be a challenging time politically, but it’s a good time for bourbon.”He has traded municipal tasks for casks. It wasn’t a long-planned career change.
The men focused on the idea of a California bourbon, a four-grain bourbon distilled in the Midwest and matured in the requisite new charred American oak casks, then shipped to the West Coast. Here in California, they finish it in cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc wine barrels from Montaño’s small family vineyard in San Pasqual. Hence, it transitions into a California bourbon.
A lot of bourbon distilling and finishing is taking place in San Diego County, he explains, adding that the nationally distributed bourbon of NFL Pro Hall of Famer Charles Woodson is blended in San Diego. Kersey likens his job to that of a chemist who adds a little bit of this and a little bit of that. He describes their finished product in mouth-watering terms: “notes of vanilla, almond, cocoa, spices, cinnamon, allspice — a lingering finish” — and all at a robust 102 proof.
Long a fan of San Diego’s craft beer industry, Sanders acknowledges that a tequila and whiskey vibe is happening in San Diego right now. “They’re carving out a real cool niche,” he adds, and is grateful for a new industry to attract tourism.
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