Wilderness Trail Distillery co-founders Shane Baker and Pat Heist first started distilling operations in Danville, Kentucky in 2013. For their aged whiskeys, they start with Kentucky sourced grains and a proprietary yeast, which is a blend of strains collected over the years. A proprietary Infusion Mashing Process is used for their sweet mash, which is said to produce a softer and flavorful distillate. A chemical-free steam boiler is used, where only pure steam goes into their cooker and beer column. Distillation started with a 250 gallon Vendome Pot Hybrid Still, which produced the first bourbons they made. As the company has expanded, they introduced both a 40 foot tall, 18-inch beer column still and a 40 foot tall, 36-inch continuous beer still along with a 500 gallon doubler. Whiskeys enter 53-gallon #4 char barrels at 110 proof for bourbon and 100 proof for rye, which is believed to be the lowest rye entry proof in Kentucky.