Steam billowed off the warm liquid grain mixture, carrying a sweet fermented smell into the February air as it poured from the feed pickup into the cattle trough below.

Cattle crowded the line to eat, a familiar sight in northwest Oklahoma, but what filled this trough told a different story.

Before it became cattle feed, the grain served another purpose: bourbon production.

When Jason Swanson opened 8aees Distilling Co., pronounced “eights,” in Shattuck, Oklahoma, in 2017, he never expected to run a cattle operation. But with nearly a ton of bourbon mash going to waste daily, he knew he needed a plan.

At first, he planned to sell the mash, or distillers' grain, as deer and cattle feed to nearby farmers and ranchers, but no one would take it, Jason Swanson said.

Jason Swanson’s daughter, Emily Swanson, and her fiancé, Eric Quisenberry, both Ferguson College of Agriculture seniors, inspired him to purchase his own cattle to solve the problem, he said.

By January 2025, 8aees Distilling Co. owned 63 high-percentage black Angus cattle.

“Eric played a big role in purchasing the right cattle,” Jason Swanson said. “If we want prime meat, we have to buy the right cattle to get it.”

Quisenberry helped determine the safest way to feed the mash, Jason Swanson said.

“The biggest concern I had was the cattle were going to bloat,” Quisenberry said, adding he was surprised to discover the herd had no issues with bloating from the mash.

“I realized the distillation process takes all the starches out of the grain,” Quisenberry said. “The starches are what make cattle bloat because of the carbohydrates in them. There is essentially no starch or carbs left in the distiller's grain.”

During bourbon production, the starch in the grain is converted to sugar, which is then mixed with yeast. The yeast consumes the sugar and converts it into alcohol, leaving behind the proteins and fats in the mash, Jason Swanson said.

“I ran some tests on the mash,” Quisenberry said. “It was right around 21% to 23% protein, which is good.”

After overcoming some obstacles such as high acidity levels and perfecting the ration, the family conducted a trial run, he said.

The herd adjusted to the mash and performed well on the ration, Quisenberry added.

Even on winter pasture, the cattle gained “feedlot-style weight,” which Jason Swanson believes comes from feeding the mash while still warm.

“They looked really good,” Jason Swanson said. “We had a few butchered, and they were all prime – just exceptional meat.”

When Adison Roman, Jason Swanson’s oldest daughter, heard about his plan to feed the bourbon mash to cattle, she asked one burning question: “How are they not going to be drunk?”

The distillation process removes most of the alcohol, leaving only a minuscule amount in the bourbon mash, Jason Swanson said. The residual alcohol is not enough to intoxicate the cattle, he added.

What started as a solution for leftover mash evolved into Bourbon Beef, a business venture connecting the family’s distilling company to their growing cattle operation.

What makes the operation unique, Emily Swanson said, is that, unlike most producers who feed distiller's grain, the family owns the distilling company and then feeds the mash to their cattle.

“Most distilleries sell the mash to farmers,” Emily Swanson said. “We are using our own. It’s kind of a full circle.”

Bourbon Beef also stands out in how the beef is sold, Jason Swanson said.

“I still sell a quarter, half or full beef, but they do not have to take it all at once,” Jason Swanson said. “You can come into the store, like a grocery store, and pick up your beef when you want it, and we keep a rolling stock so you always get fresh beef.”

Reflecting a time when families bought a quarter, half or full beef straight from a farmer to live on, Jason Swanson said he came up with the idea to give customers the same farm-raised quality without requiring extra freezer space.

Just a year after purchasing their first cattle, the family opened a Bourbon Beef store in Woodward, Oklahoma, allowing them to sell beef and promote their 8aees Distilling Co. at the same time, Jason Swanson said.

The concept allows customers to buy high-quality beef and learn about where their food and beverages come from, something Jason Swanson said he believes the younger generations value more than ever.

“Our target audience is people who care about what they are eating and where it comes from,” Jason Swanson said. “The younger generations care where their dollars go and want something better.”

Jason Swanson sees the business as something built for the next generation within his own family, he said.

Between 8aees Distilling Co. and Bourbon Beef, Jason Swanson created a place where each member of his family has a role.

Roman, who his also an OSU graduate, handles marketing for the businesses. Emily Swanson helps with distilling and bottling and plans to work at the distillery full time after graduating from OSU.

“We’ve always worked together,” Roman said. “It’s kind of natural for us, and we each have our own strengths. I also like that it brings us all back here so nobody is moving away.”

The opportunity to work alongside her dad and carry on the family business is what excites her most, Emily Swanson said.

“I’m excited to get to work with him,” Emily Swanson said, adding that she looks forward to helping both businesses grow.

Growth is on the horizon for both of the family’s businesses, Jason Swanson said. Within the next decade, he expects production to increase from six barrels of bourbon a day to 150, he added. The additional production will create more bourbon mash, he said, allowing room for growth on the Bourbon Beef side as well.

From bourbon barrels to cattle troughs, the Swanson family has created a legacy built on necessity, creativity and innovation by turning a simple bourbon byproduct into a thriving family business.

Story by Trinity White | Cowboy Journal