Since high school, I always knew John McKee would go on to great things. He was always wicked smart with a great sense of right and wrong. He had a lot of fun, too.

He calls himself a nerd, but a nerd with calluses. 

John is a fellow member of Butte High’s Class of 1993, which science tells us is the greatest in school history. Who are we to argue with science?

Today, John is the owner of Headframe Spirits in Butte. He employes 33 people, making whiskey in the Kelley Mine yard and selling it his taste room on Montana Street in Uptown Butte.

They also ship that whiskey and the stills they produce all around the world.

When he is not perfecting the taste of whiskey, John is looking for ways to better his community. Recently, he could have sold out for more money than he could have ever hoped for. That, however, would have meant his employees would have all lost jobs as he parachuted to Easy Street.

If you know John, you know that was not an option. Instead, he has plans to take Headrame Spirits well into the future, keeping the interest of his employees at heart. More business owners should be like John.

Listen in to hear just how much money John turned down. It will probably shock you.

Listen in as we talk about our high school and college days and how he ended up getting in the whiskey business. Listen to hear how we share some grand plans for the Kelley Mine yard.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by another great Butte business, Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Talk about a restaurant that is always looking out for the community. Eat where the locals eat.

This podcast is labeled explicit because of a few swearwords.