About Us
Welcome to the nuts-and-bolts side of 11Bucks. You already know the legend of those eleven battered dollars. This page gives you the straight facts behind the romance.
Who’s Running the Show
David Martinelli is the owner, dream-driver, and chief taste-tester. He spent 15 years flipping companies and collecting rare bottles for private clients. In 2015 he spotted Gio Rinaldi’s forgotten prayer book at a European estate sale, felt the lightning bolt, and bought the crumbling rickhouse where our whiskey now ages. David holds a WSET Spirits certification, still signs every release sheet, and can name the grain farmer for each mash bill.
The Distillery
- Location: A restored 1920s grain mill, surrounded by spring-fed creeks and cold winters that push flavor deep into oak
- Still Room: One 1,200-gallon Vendome copper pot still and a 500-gallon hybrid column for small-batch experiments.
- Barrel Policy: 36-month air-dried Appalachian oak, #3 or #4 char, never used more than once
- Rickhouse: Stone walls, earth floor, zero climate control. Nature does the work, we guide the results
- Green Power: 100 percent wind credits cover all electricity; spent grain feeds local cattle
The Liquid Ladder
- Gold Reserve: core blend, six-year barrels, 90 proof
- Apex Strength: One 1,200-gallon Vendome copper pot still and a 500-gallon hybrid column for small-batch experiments.
- XI Imperium: Released once every ten years, finished in fine cognac oak; only 1,111 bottles each run
Each barrel must earn eleven unanimous thumbs-up from our sensory panel before it sees a label. If any taster says “nah,” that barrel hits the blending bench or gets sold off to a hot-sauce maker.
Why It’s Worth Your Glass
- Grain-to-glass traceability: We can tell you the GPS plot for every kernel of corn
- No shortcuts: No chill-filtration, no flavor “adjusters,” no synthetic corks
- Scarcity with purpose: Fewer than 5,000 bottles per year keeps quality high and collectors happy
How to Get Involved
Want in on the action? Book a Friday or Saturday tour and tasting by reservation, jump on our email collector’s list for first dibs on every Apex Strength release, or fire trade inquiries to distributors. We reply within 48 hours. We craft spirits that make you pause, breathe, and say “worth it,” because eleven battered dollars sparked this whole ride and every sip still proves why the story matters.
