Whiskey House of Kentucky Earns A2LA Accreditation for Lab Testing
Whiskey House of Kentucky announced it achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation through A2LA for laboratory testing, marking the fourth ISO certification in just two years since the start of production — a first in the distilling industry.
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for testing and calibration laboratories. Accreditation to the standard demonstrates that a laboratory operates with strong technical controls, qualified personnel, validated methods, reliable equipment, proper measurement traceability, and a management system capable of producing accurate, consistent, and defensible test results.
“Achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is a significant step forward for Whiskey House and reinforces the technical strength of our systems,” Whiskey House co-founder and CEO David Mandell, said in a news release. “For our customers, this provides the highest level of confidence in the data, controls, and decision-making that support their products. For our team, it reflects the discipline, ownership, and attention to detail that define how we operate every day.”
The accreditation also reflects the leadership of Whiskey House Senior Chemist Alexandra Martin, who oversees the Whiskey House laboratory team and daily laboratory operations. Martin played a key role in building the laboratory’s technical foundation, supporting method execution, strengthening recordkeeping practices, and helping ensure the lab operates with the structure, consistency, and discipline expected under ISO/IEC 17025.
“Our lab team has put tremendous effort into building a system that supports accurate, reliable, and defensible results,” Martin said. “This accreditation is a proud moment because it reflects the technical discipline, teamwork, and attention to detail that go into our work every day. We are committed to supporting Whiskey House and our customers with laboratory practices that are consistent, credible, and continually improving.”
The accreditation follows Whiskey House of Kentucky’s recent achievement in January of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, further expanding the company’s integrated approach to quality, environmental responsibility, occupational health and safety, laboratory competence, and continual improvement.
Whiskey House was designed from the ground up as a fully integrated, end-to-end custom whiskey production facility. The company’s investment in laboratory accreditation strengthens its ability to support customers with reliable testing, transparent process control, and high-confidence technical data throughout production.
“Laboratory data plays a critical role in quality, consistency, and production decisions,” Food Safety Quality Assurance Senior Manager Justin Dixon said. “This accreditation demonstrates that our laboratory system is not only documented, but technically sound, well-controlled, and built to support reliable results. It is a proud moment for our lab team and for Whiskey House as a whole.”
ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is especially meaningful for a new laboratory because it requires the organization to demonstrate both technical competence and system maturity. For Whiskey House, the achievement reflects a culture focused on precision, accountability, improvement, and customer trust.
“This accreditation is another example of Whiskey House raising expectations for what contract whiskey production can look like,” president, COO & Co-founder John Hargrove said. “We are combining advanced manufacturing practices, strong quality systems, technical expertise, and a customer-first mindset to support some of the best spirits companies in the world.”
Whiskey House is scheduled for its next NSF ISO certification audit at the end of November for FSSC 22000, a globally recognized food safety management system certification. If achieved, FSSC 22000 would become the distillery’s fifth ISO-based certification and further strengthen Whiskey House’s integrated approach to food safety, product quality, customer confidence, operational control and continual improvement.
Read more: Whiskey House Completes First K-RAX Rickhouse
About Whiskey House of Kentucky
Whiskey House of Kentucky is designed from the ground up to create high quality, customized American whiskey. By incorporating best practices, programs, and state-of-the art technology from advanced food manufacturing, and applying them to distilling, Whiskey House delivers quality, flexibility in customization, and the ability to test and scale innovation projects for spirits companies around the world. Whiskey House has no brands of its own and a campus closed to the public, removing potential conflicts of interest between the company and its customers. For more information, visit WhiskeyHouse.com.
