Company: Bully Boy Distillers
Role: Founders & Owners
Website: www.bullyboydistillers.com
Twitter: @bullyboybooze
Dave and Will Willis founded Bully Boy Distillers, Boston’s first craft distillery, in 2010. The two were inspired by Charlescote Farm, their family’s fourth-generation farm in Sherborn, Mass. During Prohibition, the Willis brothers’ grandfather housed an enviable collection of artisanal spirits in the farmhouse’s basement vault, which also served as an underground speakeasy. Having been raised on Charlescote, Dave and Will are proud to honor their family’s tradition of local agriculture, helping to run the farm in addition to managing the distillery.
Before making the decision to pursue their true passion for farming and craft distilling, the Willis brothers were both working successfully towards established careers in corporate America.
Will was a Division I athlete and graduate of University of Richmond. Earning an MBA in Real Estate Finance from George Washington University, he worked for global real estate investment firms such as Jones Lang LaSalle and Concord Partners. Dave, a graduate of Colby College, holds his Masters of Taxation from Georgetown University Law School and Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. He previously managed commercial real estate negotiations and acquisitions for Chardon Property, LLC.
The brothers’ combined business education and training has served them well in successfully establishing the distillery.
On a personal level, both Dave and Will share an enthusiasm for athletics and music. Dave is an avid downhill skier and Will is a competitive tennis player and runner. Both guitarists, Dave and Will lived in Burlington, Vt. for a year playing in a local band with their brother Chris. Today, Dave resides in Jamaica Plain with his wife and baby girl, and Will lives with his wife and two boys in Sherborn. Both travel frequently between the city and the family farm.