Investor’s Shot at Pre-Retirement Hobby is Award-Winning Business

Liberty Pole Spirits Named SBA Western Pa Small Business of the Year

Financial industry veteran James Hough said cheers to an early retirement by taking a shot transitioning his 10-year-old porch-distilled whiskey-making hobby into a small business.

Today, he and his family have good reason to toast that decision. Liberty Pole Spirits now is a Pennsylvania small-batch favorite pour, a thriving enterprise and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Western Pa. Small Business of the Year.

SBA Western Pa. District Director Dr. Kelly Hunt will present the Hough Family with an award during a special May 7 ceremony at their distillery and tasting room, marking the 61st annual celebration of National Small Business Week.

Hough began honing pastime learning on-the-job and by visiting other distilleries. When craft distilleries started gaining traction, he decided to quit his job and convinced his wife, Ellen, that opening a distillery would be a perfect second-act. The husband-wife duo and their two sons, Rob and Kevin officially launched Liberty Pole Spirits in 2016.

“The name Liberty Pole is significant because in the 18th century, Liberty Poles were erected to voice opposition to English Rule,” Hough explained. “After gaining independence from England, they were used again during the Whiskey Rebellion opposing our new county’s first tax on a domestic product…which was whiskey.”

Today, it’s not so taxing for fans to enjoy the Hough Family’s aged whiskeys, thanks to an SBA 504 Loan. The loan, a combination of funds from the Hough Family, Pursuit, and the Washington Financial Corporation, enabled the family to purchase a two-acre lot and build a whiskey campus housing a production facility, barrel warehouse and an 18th-century tasting room.

The 504 Loan Program is an economic development program that supports small business growth and helps communities, like Washington, through business expansion and job creation. The SBA’s 504 loans provide long-term, fixed-rate financing. Last year, the SBA’s Western Pennsylvania District Office disbursed 32 of these loans totaling more than $32 million.

“Since July 2023, we’ve served about 23,000 people, Hough said. “We offer tours and an in-depth total immersion experience in making and tasting whiskey. Since our inception, we’ve always thought if we give everyone that walks in here a great experience, they’ll tell 10 people and they’ll 10 people and so on.”

Pouring that strategy into their business has paid dividends. Employment increased from the original four family founders to 33 team members. Whiskey capacity has more than tripled too. The distillation equipment was upgraded from the existing 600 -gallon batch size to a 1,000-gallon system, tripling its production capacity from about  11,000  gallons per year to an expected 30,000 gallons in 2024. 

Hough credits the community for Liberty Pole’s success.

“People like to support local businesses,” he said. “ People are happy to buy that first bottle to support you, but the real goal is to have them buy the second and third bottle and for that to occur, you have to make a quality product.”

Hunt said it’s gratifying watching a hobby mushroom into a successful small business that’s now a community asset. “It’s an amazing accomplishment, because when James Hough started distilling whiskey, he never dreamed it would become a viable, yet alone, an award-winning business,” she added. “This award is a testament to his passion and vision. I’m pleased the family is using the SBA to carefully map out Liberty Pole’s future growth in the state and beyond.”

“It’s been an organic journey taking on a life of its own,” Hough added. “Be willing to work more than you expect and remember if you love what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.”