Bill Welter | Source | Co-Founder/Owner at Journeyman Distillery

Bill developed a passion for great whiskey while pursuing life’s great adventures in St. Andrews, Scotland. His passion led him on a backroads journey with a few stops along the way.

Bill comes from a diverse line of entrepreneurs and creators. On his mother’s side, Bill’s Grandfather Randy Faurot was the chief designer at Studebaker and would eventually pursue entrepreneurship in opening his own design business. On his father’s side, Bill’s Grandfather William Welter owned and operated several automobile dealerships in Northern Indiana. William would eventually take a leap of faith in 1973 by exiting the auto industry in his mid-50s and entering the banking business, an industry of which he knew little, buying First National Bank of Valparaiso. William set the stage for a multi-generational business when his son, Chuck (Bill’s father), joined his father in taking First National to new heights as CEO and president for over 25 years. Bill, having grown up in the family business, was the third generation in the business until it was sold in 2007.

In pursuit of William and Chuck’s model and dream of a multi-generational business, Bill followed with his own leap of faith, opening Journeyman Distillery in 2010 with his partner and wife Johanna with an ambition to carry on the principals and ethics found in his predecessors’ businesses. Over the past decade, Journeyman has established itself as a leader in the craft distilling industry offering a full range of award-winning organic, kosher, and gluten-free spirits. Journeyman has also established itself as an innovator in the distillery hospitality world, attracting over 200,000 guests annually while offering a unique restaurant, tour, event space, lodging, and golf experience.

Journeyman is distributed across 34 states in the US, Europe, and Australia with a long-term focus on creating a family-owned and operated business for the ages. The Welters and dedicated Journeyman team members now pursue a renovation of historic proportions with the Valparaiso project, which will expand Journeyman’s distilling and hospitality while allowing Bill to return to where it all started in Valparaiso, IN.

In the fleeting moments when he’s not dreaming of ways to improve Journeyman, you’ll find Bill with his beautiful wife Johanna and daughter Islay.