Have you met Kyle?

Kyle Merklein’s background and education in engineering and fermentation led him to find his professional path in the distilled spirits business. As a Master Distiller, Kyle brings his passion for the bourbon industry to production, and the evidence is clear in the taste of Holladay Bourbon.
Born and raised in Phillipsburg, Kansas, Kyle has been a Kansas resident for his entire life. Upon graduating high school, he attended Kansas State University where he earned a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering and an M.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering with research focused on optimization of various fermentation systems. After completing these programs, Merklein settled in Atchison, Kansas where he currently resides with his wife and two children.
Kyle’s first professional role came after he completed his undergraduate studies. He worked as a Production Shift Manager for Cargill making Biodiesel and refining Glycerin. In this role, he had the opportunity to put his academic knowledge of food safety and troubleshooting operational inefficiencies into practice.
While working towards his Master’s Degree, Merklein was employed by RBC Medical Innovations as a Systems Test Engineer where he learned the product development process and tested medical devices to ensure they worked properly. His next shift  opened the door for a career in the distilled spirits industry. Kyle’s interest in the industry led him to MGP Ingredients in Atchison, Kansas where he gained experience as a Production Shift Manager. In this role, he was exposed to the production process of beverage alcohol for the first time with neutral grain spirits and gin production. This experience assured him he had met his match with the industry.
In 2016, Merklein joined the team at the Holladay Distillery as the Distillery/R&D Manager. Focusing on bourbon and new product development from the beginning, Kyle’s experience and talent in this area made him an obvious fit for his next move, Master Distiller. 
When asked what he enjoys most about his career, Kyle shared that he has always been drawn to technical challenges, so he thoroughly enjoys working through the complexities involved with making bourbon and other spirits.  Between troubleshooting a processing issue to analyzing flavor compounds on a GC/MS Chromatogram, there is always a new challenge to explore. The career is never boring, and he loves that. He also really enjoys bourbon on a personal level. 
A personal concept Merklein lives by is shaped around the measure of time. His mindset is centered around ensuring that what he does today is not what is most convenient now, but rather what is best for six or ten years in the future.  While he knows he can’t predict the future, he knows that certain behaviors and actions will compound and produce good results over time. If you produce a high-quality distillate using time-tested traditions, place the distillate in a well-made barrel, and then store in a rickhouse for several years, good things will happen. That line of thinking is how he approaches all areas of life beyond just bourbon.  
Kyle is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University where his focus will be in data analytics and operations research. His schedule keeps him busy, but when he’s not working or studying, you can find him spending time with his family or enjoying his craft with a glass of bourbon neat in hand.

Privacy Policy

Holladay Distillery takes the protection and proper use of your personal information seriously. We respect your privacy, and take great care to safeguard information in our possession. Your preferences for use of your information are our highest priority.

Holladay Distillery does not share customer information (including e-mail addresses) unless it is necessary to provide you with Holladay Distillery products or services, or we are legally required to do so.

We restrict internal access to your information to those individuals who need it to provide you with services. Any third-party companies we must use to provide you with services are required to keep your information secure and confidential.

Holladay Distillery is happy to provide further details of our privacy policies. For more information, please contact us.

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California Supply Chains Act

McCormick Distilling Co., Inc. is a distilled spirits company located in the United States, doing business in the domestic and certain foreign markets. We comply with federal, state, and foreign laws regarding labor practices wherever we operate.

The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (SB 657) (“Act”) seeks the elimination of slavery and human trafficking from product supply chains and requires that large companies who do business in California disclose their efforts toward the elimination of slavery and human trafficking. The information below relates to our efforts to comply with the Act.

1.) The vast majority of our suppliers are located in North America, principally in the United States, and in the European Union. To the best of our knowledge and belief, no supplier to our company, whether located within or without the United States, has ever been accused of engaging in forced labor or human trafficking.

2.) We reserve the right to audit our suppliers operations to ensure compliance with the Act. Currently, audits are not regularly performed by the company or an independent third party.

3.) Our purchase orders and supplier contracts will now contain an express representation that each supplier will comply fully with all applicable laws prohibiting human trafficking and slavery and that any violation of such laws are cause for immediate termination of our contracts and orders. We will terminate our contract with any supplier found to be in violation with our policy on human trafficking and slavery.

4.) To further our efforts to eradicate human trafficking and slavery from our supply chain, we have now asked suppliers to return a signed statement to us acknowledging that they support the elimination of forced labor and human trafficking.

5.) Our Employee Code of Conduct requires that company personnel try to ensure we work only with reputable suppliers. Employees annually affirm their compliance with our Employee Code of Conduct, but we have no formal training related to the issue.

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Our Commitment
The United Kingdom Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 require companies to disclose their efforts to mitigate the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in their supply chain. Modern slavery and human trafficking are the use of forced, compulsory or trafficked labor or anyone held in slavery or servitude. As a responsible corporate citizen, McCormick Distilling Co., Inc. is committed to actions that will mitigate the risk of modern slavery in our business. In addition, we expect our vendors, suppliers, and contractors to have the same commitment.

Our Controls
McCormick Distilling Co., Inc. is committed to implementing and enforcing controls to prevent modern slavery in our business and in our supply chain. We have regular contact with our vendors, suppliers and contractors. Our contracts with vendors, suppliers and contractors require compliance with all applicable laws. If necessary, we will engage with third parties to assist us in evaluating our supply chain. Any concerns relating to noncompliance with this statement are investigated promptly and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

Our Training
We support our commitment and controls by providing training to our employees. The training is designed to create awareness around the problem of modern slavery and to help employees identify the sign of modern slavery in our supply chain.

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