After 30+ years in the restaurant and bar industry, Johnny Holder created Barman’s to be something different: not another faceless bottle on the back bar, but a brand built from the people, places, late nights, regulars, and stories that make hospitality what it is.
Barman’s is produced in Rochelle, Illinois, in partnership with Kennay Farms Distilling, using 100% Illinois-grown wheat. Barman’s launched July 2026 with Original Premium Wheat Vodka alongside three naturally infused expressions made with real fruit, no added sugar, and no unnecessary additives.
Kristiane Weeks‑Rogers of CRAFT SPIRITS magazine (CSM) spoke with Holder about the “How” and “Why” behind Barman’s.
CSM: Barman’s is founded on being built by hospitality professionals rather than celebrities. What does that mean to you in practical terms?
Holder: As a buyer, beverage director, bar manager, and bartender for 30 years, I’ve seen everything. Especially in the last decade, I’ve been buying for multiple locations with a lot of buying power. Every new product crosses my desk (great labels, celebrity names) but most of them are bottling mediocre juice. It’s all marketing money.
I thought, “why not make something that comes from the people who actually use it every day?” The marketing dollars and celebrity endorsements don’t affect the person opening the bottle and pouring the cocktail. I came up as a bartender, the bar scene and restaurants are in my blood. So I wanted to pay homage to the people who are there every night, working holidays and weekends while everyone else is at the cabin on the Fourth of July. They’re the creative force behind cocktail programs and martinis.
After decades behind the bar, I’ve worked with incredible talent and collaborated on countless menus. I figured, why not start with those people and build a product line from there?
CSM: You mentioned expanding beyond vodka, I’m curious about the limoncello. Why that next?
Holder: I’ve been making limoncello in‑house for years. My background includes barrel‑aged cocktails, bitters, tinctures, shrubs, syrups, all that. People always loved my limoncello. When they tasted it next to store‑bought versions, it was night and day. We don’t cut corners; it’s naturally infused.
That philosophy carries into our vodka. I chose three flavored vodkas, cranberry, pineapple, and blueberry, because those profiles worked best throughout my career. Back in the ’90s, Absolut and Stoli made flavored vodkas cool, but all those clear flavors meant chemicals. Today, people want natural ingredients and lower sugar. So we start with beautiful wheat grown in Illinois, make a premium vodka that competes with the big overseas brands, and infuse it naturally with fruit. No additives, just color and flavor from the fruit itself.
CSM: So you’re using real fruit, how do you source it?
Holder: I use Get Fresh, which has the best quality sourcing. Right now, I’m using IQF fruit — that’s “individually quick frozen.” The fruit is flash‑frozen at peak ripeness, locking in flavor. When I get it, it’s still frozen, and I dump it straight into the vodka. It thaws in the spirit, infusing perfectly over two weeks.
I tested fresh fruit, store‑bought, farm‑fresh, IQF beat everything. Fresh fruit isn’t always fresh; it’s been sprayed and stored. IQF costs more, but it preserves flavor naturally.
CSM: How did you land on your infusion formula?
Holder: Illinois law allows two weeks for infusions, so I worked backward from that. For about 250 gallons of vodka, I use roughly 400 pounds of IQF fruit. I learned that higher‑proof vodka absorbs flavor better, so we start at 115 proof. After two weeks, it settles between 84 and 92 proof, depending on the fruit, and we proof it down to 80. That keeps consistency and value for bartenders, no one wants to pay for a 60‑proof flavored vodka.
CSM: What surprised you most during production?
Holder: Honestly, how much flavor stays locked in the fruit. After straining, we realized there was still vodka trapped inside. So we bought a restaurant‑grade mop bucket with a press, seriously, and used it to hand‑press every last drop. It’s our “hand‑pressed” method, and it works beautifully.
We’re a small startup, so everything goes into the juice and the label. As we grow, we’ll upgrade to proper infusion tanks and presses, but for now, it’s all hands‑on.
CSM: Tell me about your distillery partnership.
Holder: We partnered with a family‑run distillery whose head distiller came from an ethanol plant background. He set up the system to run 24/7, which is amazing. They’re also sixth‑generation farmers, so all the wheat for our vodka comes from their farm or neighbors’ farms.
We just sold our first batch and are starting our second run. They told me to wait until the fresh winter wheat harvest (around the Fourth of July) because the vodka will be even better with new grain. That kind of farmer insight is invaluable.
CSM: Why wheat as your base grain?
Holder: Most mass‑produced vodkas (Tito’s, Svedka, Stoli) use corn because it’s cheap. Premium vodkas like Grey Goose, Ketel One, and Belvedere use wheat. I wanted to make a premium, American‑made wheat vodka that could compete with those imports.
Grey Goose and Ketel One are doing flavored vodkas now, but they’re chemical infusions. I wanted something natural, local, and affordable, a vodka bartenders can proudly pour.
CSM: You mentioned bartenders on your labels. How does that work?
Holder: Each bartender featured gets one percent of profits from their bottle for life. That comes out of my founder’s shares. It’s not a marketing gimmick; I don’t advertise it. I want it to grow organically in the community.
It’s about giving back to the people who make hospitality what it is. Big corporate brands have no connection to the industry. I wanted to build something for the people who work so hard to make others’ nights memorable.
CSM: What does it mean to put hospitality professionals at the center of a spirits brand?
Holder: It’s been a long time coming. Someone should’ve done this years ago. I’m glad I get to be the one.
This idea came to me about six months ago when I was feeling burnt out. I realized I could either keep running restaurants or finally do something for myself. I raised about $180,000, partnered with a distillery, and in six months went from idea to packaged product.
We hand‑bottled, hand‑infused, hand‑labeled, and yes, hand‑pressed, every bottle. It feels incredible to build this without corporate dollars or investors telling me how to run it. I work for myself for the first time in my life, and it’s the greatest feeling ever.