Rev. Ben Reece was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. For generations, his family has lived in central Kentucky where they have done two things: preached the gospel and made spirits. 
 On his mother's side, his 6th great-grandfather was Watti Boone who is often considered the first person to distill what we now call bourbon. From his father's side, he comes from a long line of Christian preachers with his great-grandfather being a prominent minister in the Louisville area. 
 The only time Ben lived outside of the bourbon heartland was in seminary when he studied at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Ben enjoys bourbon, but he isn’t a bourbon purist. He'll drink it neat, on the rocks, or with soda.