DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS & EVENTS | Stephanie Sadri, stephanie@americancraftspirits.org
ACSA ADVISORS
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS | Alexandra S. Clough, GATHER PR LEGAL | Ryan Malkin, Malkin Law, P.A.
PUBLIC POLICY | Jim Hyland, The Pennsylvania Avenue Group STATE POLICY | Michael Walker, The Walker Group, LLC
ACSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2024-2025 PRESIDENT | Kelly Woodcock, Westward Whiskey (OR) VICE PRESIDENT | Amber Pollock, Backwards Distilling Co. (WY) SECRETARY/TREASURER | Jeff Kanof, Copperworks Distilling Co. (WA)
EAST
Jordan Cotton, Cotton & Reed (DC)
Greg Eidam, Sugarlands Distilling Co. (TN)
Becky Harris, Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. (VA)
Adam Polonski, Lost Lantern Whiskey (VT)
Colin Spoelman, Kings County Distillery (NY)
Jaime Windon, Windon Distilling Co. (MD)
EX OFFICIO
Jessica J. Lemmon, Cart/Horse Distilling (PA)
CENTRAL & MOUNTAIN
Tom Bard, The Bard Distillery (KY)
Amber Pollock, Backwards Distilling Co. (WY)
Phil Steger, Brother Justus Whiskey Co. (MN)
Olivia Stewart, Oxbow Rum Distillery (LA)
Mark A. Vierthaler, Whiskey Del Bac (AZ)
Thomas Williams, Delta Dirt Distillery (AR)
ACSA PAST PRESIDENTS
2023-2024 | Gina Holman, J. Carver Distillery 2020-2023 | Becky Harris, Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. 2018-2020 | Chris Montana, Du Nord Craft Spirits 2017-2018 | Mark Shilling, Genius Liquids/Big Thirst 2016-2017 | Paul Hletko, FEW Spirits 2014-2016 | Tom Mooney, House Spirits
CRAFT SPIRITS MAGAZINE EDITORIAL BOARD
PACIFIC
Lucy Farber, St. George Spirits (CA)
Jeff Kanof, Copperworks Distilling Co. (WA)
Kelly Woodcock, Westward Whiskey (OR)
ACSA PAC
Jordan Cotton, Cotton & Reed (DC)
Lew Bryson, Alexandra S. Clough, Sly Cosmopoulos, Kamilah Mahon, Prof. Dawn Maskell and Teri Quimby
For advertising inquiries, please contact sales@americancraftspirits.org For editorial inquiries or to send a news release, contact news@americancraftspirits.org
I’ve been thinking a lot about the summer of 2019 lately. Aside from the fact that it was the last time that the term “covid” would be absent from our vernacular, it was a key turning point both professionally and personally.
In August that year, we launched the first issue of the publication you see before you. This edition marks both CRAFT SPIRITS magazine’s 30th issue and its fifth anniversary. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this self-celebratory portion of the column brief. I just want to express my gratitude to all of our readers and everyone in the ACSA community for keeping us going for the past half-decade. And it’s rare for any publication to have such a consistent editorial team since the beginning. I’m especially grateful for the stellar work of Jon Page, who’s been my partner in crime for this madness since its inception, and art director Michelle Villas, who came up with the look of the magazine and has continued to make it one of the best-dressed pubs out there. I also want to raise a glass to media sales rep Annette Schnur for helping keep the lights on for the past couple of years and to all of our editorial and artistic contributors who continue to fill our pages with their expert words and images. Here’s to the next five years and beyond!
At the exact same time that we were putting Volume 1, Issue 1 to bed with final page proofs, I also bought the first record in what would turn into an ongoing vinyl obsession. It was a 7” from a surf rock quartet called the Surfrajettes; I had just watched them perform at Tiki Oasis in San Diego and I wanted to buy something for them to sign afterwards. They only had vinyl. I hadn’t bought anything on that format in 30 years; I didn’t even have a working turntable at that point. That soon changed and now I can’t go a week without adding to my collection and I can’t travel to any city in any part of the world without visiting the local independent vinyl shop.
And, in the time since August 2019, somehow these two elements of my life have converged. You may have noticed in recent installments of The Sipping Scene and in our May/ June Best Bars issue that vinyl listening cocktail bars are becoming a popular subgenre in many major cities here and across the globe (Japan gets most of the credit for popularizing them). This past June, while I was attending Bar Convent Brooklyn, I noticed that the trend has ascended to an entirely new level. For starters, Sazerac’s pavilion
was designed to look like a record store—with a live DJ— complete with racks of LPs that were yours for the taking.
The real indication, though, was an event the folks at Honkaku Spirits—marketers of artisanal Japanese spirits— invited me to at a Manhattan record bar called All Blues. The name of the event was pretty self-explanatory: “Shochu Frequency: A Shochu & Vinyl Pairing,”
Of course, there’s nothing new about music in bars. However, it’s the manner in which the music is presented in such establishments that’s the true novelty. Everyone at All Blues sits in a comfy chair in a dark “living room,” and faces an audio console with a mid-20th-century aesthetic. You just let the music wash over you as you’re served your drinks, replacing the chaos that’s typical of bar music with calm contemplation. I never thought I’d enjoy a single song by Steely Dan or the Eagles, but paired in such a context with shochu cocktails somehow it just worked. I’ve often written about escapism in drinking establishments (see this issue’s The Sipping Scene, for instance), but those have largely been about the marriage of the visual with the gustatory. Here, the auditory largely usurps the visual. There’s something almost meditative about it.
Five years ago, I cynically would have thought the concept was a bit shark-jumpy and Emperor’s New Clothes-y. But I may be becoming a believer in multisensory adventures where the glass is only the beginning.
And I’m a little more open-minded (and, dare I say, excited) about what new imbibing experiences the next five years may bring. ■
Jeff Cioletti Editor in Chief
Lew Bryson has been writing about beer and spirits full-time since 1995. He was the managing editor of Whisky Advocate from 1996 through 2015, where he also wrote the American Spirits column, and reviewed whiskeys. He is currently a Senior Drinks Writer for the Daily Beast, and also writes for WhiskeyWash.com, American Whiskey and Bourbon+. He is the author of “Tasting Whiskey” (Storey Publishing, 2014), a broad survey of the whiskeys of the world, their history and manufacture. He has also written four regional brewery guidebooks.
John Holl is a journalist covering the beer industry. He’s the author of several books including “Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint” and “The American Craft Beer Cookbook.” He is the co-host of the podcast Steal This Beer, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wine Enthusiast and more. John has lectured on the culture and history of beer and judged beer competitions around the world.
Devon Trevathan is a spirits writer and entrepreneur. She has been covering the distilling industry for eight years, with a particular focus on process and the stories of individuals who make up the independent side of the business. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Liba Spirits, a nomadic distilling company, as well as the co-founder, executive blender and executive sales manager of Trovador Inspirado Rum. Though she is based in Nashville, Devon travels as often as she can, distilling in faraway places, speaking on panels, and drinking in the world around her.
Teri Quimby, JD, LLM is an attorney, president of Quimby Consulting Group and a former state alcohol regulator. She is known for her outspoken position on the need to modernize alcohol laws and regulations. Writing on legal, compliance and alcohol issues, her work has appeared in places like USA Today, Detroit News, Governing, Reason and American Spectator. In 2017, Crain’s Detroit Business recognized Teri on its list of Most Notable Lawyers in Michigan.
Amy Salter has spent 17 years in the culinary industry, developing menus and designing kitchens for various distilleries and breweries across several states, as well as managing a deaf-owned pizzeria in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. With 15 years of homebrewing experience, the Oregon-based foodie took a distilling class at the local homebrew store and immediately fell in love. Amy then decided to immerse herself in a new and bold career path with the amazing support of the STEPUP Foundation.
Kaplan is a freelance writer based in New York City. He was managing editor of Beverage World magazine for 17 years and has worked for a variety of other food and beverage-related publications, and also newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @andrewkap.
Andrew
Ruvani de Silva (she/her) is a travel-loving beverage and food writer specializing in beer, spirits, sustainability and all things Texan, who is branching into cider writing. A British Sri Lankan living in Austin, Texas, Ruvani’s byline has appeared in The Washington Post, Good Beer Hunting, VinePair, Texas Highways, Texas Monthly, Pellicle, Cuisine Noir, Hop Culture, Modern Farmer and Beer is for Everyone. Ruvani is also a vocal advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion in the beverage and food industries, and much of her work highlights and showcases underrepresented groups and diversity-forward initiatives.
Michelle Villas is an art director with more than 25 years experience in publication design. After spending her career in New York, where she was the art director for Beverage World, and California, she now calls New Mexico home. She is the creative director on a range of lifestyle publications for The Golden State Company and also serves as the art director for BeachLife magazine.
Thank You , Sponsors !
The American Craft Spirits Association would like to thank all of our annual sponsors and our key supporters of education. We are grateful for all of your support throughout the year. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Visit americancraftspirits.org/sponsors or contact membership@americancraftspirits.org.
Cask Strength Sponsors
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ITALIAN CATEGORY, LOS ANGELES SPIRIT, CANADIAN HEART
Festif Society bottles a bit of north-of-the-border culture in the heart of Southern California.
BY JEFF CIOLETTI
When David Bly was creating what would become Festif Amaro—as well as its sister product, Festif Choux—he drew a great deal upon his two decades of experience crafting cocktails at bars in New York and his current home city, Los Angeles. But the real inspiration came from a bit farther north.
“I really wanted to create a Canadian spirit in the amaro category that uses some of the Canadian botanicals and terrain,” says Festif Society founder Bly, a native of Montreal. “At that point there really weren’t many commercial Canadian amaro producers.
“One of the places that I worked in New York had a bunch of bottles that would sit gathering dust on the bottom shelf and I would just take bottles that no one was using and no one would miss,” Bly recalls. “I started to develop a palate for amaro. It started off as a loose fascination, having experimented with dusty bottles.”
After he and his now-wife, Leah Rudick, relocated to Los Angeles, the initial aim was to create a bespoke spirit to serve at their own dinner parties as Bly was already juggling two careers as a bartender and filmmaker. Then 2020 hap-
pened and covid forced those two industries to grind to a halt for most of that year. During the pandemic, Bly leaned into his amaro hobby, experimented with tinctures of more than 100 botanicals, fine-tuned recipes and ultimately incorporated Festif in September 2021, with the first bottles selling in 2023.
He’d visit his home city frequently, buying ingredients at Montreal’s famous public markets like Jean-Talon and Atwater, and dialing in his recipes.
For Festif Amaro, Bly eventually locked in a blend of 20 botanicals, including dandelion root, gentian root, damiana and calendula.
Meanwhile, Festif Choux has more of a Canadian accent with botanicals like balsam fir and spruce tips from northern Quebec and white cedar from Northern Ontario, combined with classic fernet ingredients like rhubarb root, mint and aloe ferox. But the spirit’s signature character, as well as its name, comes from a not-so-commonly used (in spirits) botanical: Brussels sprouts. In French, Brussels sprouts are known as Choux de Bruxelles—literally, “cabbage of Brussels.”
Part of the inspiration for a vegetable-forward amaro came from carciofo—the popular Italian artichoke aperitivos.
Bly uses both raw and dehydrated Brussels sprouts in the recipe.
The raw ones bring a vegetal quality to the batch, with a subtle hint of pepperiness. “The dehydrated [Brussels sprouts] bring a caramelized nuttiness to it,” he adds.
All of the flavor and aroma components from the 25-plus botanicals evoke, Bly says, very Quebecois memories.
“[It’s like] being at a friend’s cabin in Quebec, cooking and drinking Molson and Labatt when I was younger—it’s just a hearty, nice style of post-dinner digestive,” he notes.
Both Festif Choux and Festif Amaro further their maple leaf cred with an NGS base made from Canadian winter wheat.
“The Choux is what I call a Canadian fernet,” he reveals. “Festif Amaro is a more classic style, more floral—more ‘tea-like’ is a term I’ve heard a lot—very sippable, citrusy, with some baking spice … and a little bit of nuttiness.”
The Festif team contracts with Los Angeles craft vodka distiller Loft & Bear to produce the amari.
“We came to them with the finished recipe, we just needed the equipment and space and we came at a great time,” he remembers. “They were aware that I had a lot more amaro experience than they did and allowed me to be extremely hands-on with the process. Someone like me really appreciates being tactile. I’m a very serious perfectionist.”
Festif Amaro and Festif Choux are available on- and off-premise in California. The company also just launched its e-commerce shop, with all three-tiercompliant purchases fulfilled by licensed, third-party retailers in the AccelPay network.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel Neuhaus
For the second summer in a row, Vergennes, Vermontbased Lost Lantern is introducing a collection of carefully curated bottles from some of the most exciting bourbon distilleries in the country. This release features nine whiskies from 12 states and includes the second edition of Lost Lantern’s multi-distillery blend, Far-Flung Bourbon II (Starlight Distillery, Kings County Distillery, Rich Grain Distilling Co., Smooth Ambler and Wollersheim Distillery); their Single Distillery Series, Mississippi Memory (a blend of multiple barrels from ghost distillery Rich Grain Distilling Co., a closed Mississippi distillery); and seven single cask releases from Corbin Cash, Boulder Spirits, Woodinville Whiskey Co., Union Horse Distilling Co., High Wire Distilling Co., Leiper’s Fork Distillery and Rock Town Distillery
Traverse City Whiskey Co. (TCWC) of Traverse City, Michigan, has launched two ready-to-serve Old Fashioned Cocktails in a portable bottle: The Original (37% ABV) and Cherry (27% ABV). The Original features the company’s premium, award-winning sixyear-old bourbon whiskey, while the Cherry’s base spirit is American Cherry Edition, the company’s bestselling whiskey. Both expressions contain homemade simple syrup and bitters, and citrus expression. The new readyto-serve Old Fashioned Cocktails are meant to be chilled and served neat or over ice and garnished with a TCWC Premium Cocktail Cherry, which is sold separately.
Keyport, New Jerseybased 3BR Distillery launched 70-proof 011 PEC ON EVERYTHING, a liqueur that captures the essence of New Jersey’s beloved pork roll sandwich (or Taylor Ham, as it’s called in North Jersey). It combines distilled everything bagel seasoning, a touch of malt rye extract and distilled pork roll. To complete the flavor profile, lactose sugar is added to achieve the creamy texture reminiscent of melted American cheese.
Brooklyn, New York-based Widow Jane Distillery introduces the 91-proof Baby Jane, the brand’s newest, small-batch, hand-assembled blend of bourbons distilled at Widow Jane’s home in historic Red Hook, Brooklyn and in Kentucky. It is made using Widow Jane’s own, unique Baby Jane, Widow Jane’s proprietary heirloom corn.
CRAFT SPIRITS COMPETITION
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
Enter your spirits today into ACSA’s annual American Craft Spirits Competition — the only craft judging competition assembled, organized and overseen by you, the distilling community. Results will be announced at the 2025 ACSA Convention & Expo next March in Tucson, Arizona!
Kirby, Wyoming-based Wyoming Whiskey launched Independence Rock, a Wyoming-exclusive limitededition bourbon that honors the pioneers of the West and their journeys. The 98-proof whiskey is made from grains farmed in Wyoming soil, distilled in Kirby by traditional means and created with select barrels from Wyoming Whiskey rickhouses.
Evanston, Illinois-based FEW Spirits and rock band The Smashing Pumpkins announced the release of FEW Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon. The 93-proof bottling is FEW’s signature straight bourbon, aged four years, and cut to bottling strength using Midnight Rose black tea from Madame Zuzu’s Emporium, the independent, boutique tea shop run by The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and his wife, entrepreneur Chloé Mendel Corgan.
Owensboro, Kentuckybased Green River Distilling Co. is expanding its offerings with Green River Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which takes the brand’s flagship bourbon and presents it with full-bodied, full proof flavor. The 117.3-proof spirit is a blend of five-toseven-year barrels selected from curated areas of Green River’s warehouses and features the same mash bill as Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Milam & Greene Whiskey is releasing its annual grainto-glass bourbon, Distillery Edition Batch 5, Five-YearOld Straight Bourbon Whiskey, created in Blanco, Texas. Only 171 bottles of this extremely rare, limitededition bourbon were produced. The 119.6-proof whiskey was pot-distilled in a 300-gallon copper still. It is made with a mash bill of 70% corn, 22% malted rye and 8% malted barley along with the distillery’s proprietary yeast recipe which has remained consistent for each of the five batches.
Quench your thirst for knowledge in ACSA’s Craft Spirits Classroom. For more information or to register, visit our website at americancraftspirits.org/education/webinars.
St. George Spirits of Alameda, California, introduced Valley Gin to its gin lineup. Made with 25 botanical ingredients, the 90-proof gin is an ode to a perfect spring day in a California citrus grove. It is made from 25 botanical ingredients. Fresh California orange blossoms lead the way, supported by angelica root, bergamot, caraway, fresh cilantro, California bay laurel, cardamom, coriander, fresh cucumber, fresh dill, dill seed, fennel seed, fresh ginger, grapefruit, juniper, lemon, lime, Malabar black pepper, nutmeg, orris root, pink peppercorn, Saigon cinnamon, Seville orange, star anise and Valencia orange.
Bear Fight, a whiskey brand made by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Next Century Spirits, is extending its whiskey portfolio with the launch of the 90-proof Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve, a bourbon finished in reposado tequila barrels. Crafted with precision in Zebulon, North Carolina, Bear Fight leveraged bourbon distillate aged for a minimum of three years and then finished it in ex-reposado tequila casks.
Swisher, Iowa-based Cedar Ridge Distillery has released the third in a series of limited-edition expressions of its awardwinning American single malt whiskey—The QuintEssential: The Untitled Cigar Malt Project. “The vision for this release was a whiskey evoking the rich experience of a cigar,” says master distiller Murphy Quint. “It features bold notes of tobacco, a subtle hint of smoke, a balanced character and a lengthy finish.” The 114.9-proof release is a blend of single malts first aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Cedar Ridge V (a Madeira-inspired dessert wine), first fill Amontillado sherry, new French oak, new American oak (Char No. 3), and peated malt finished in ruby port.
Distillery 291 of Colorado Springs, Colorado, announced the newest addition to its whiskey lineup–291 Good Guy Colorado 4-Grain Rye Whiskey. Showcasing the continued efforts to expand the boundaries of American whiskey, the 122.8-proof Good Guy is a four-grain, wheated rye whiskey. Conceived as an innovative counterpart to the acclaimed Bad Guy Bourbon, the Good Guy Rye flips the mash bill of the Bad Guy on its head, swapping the percentages of rye and corn to produce a wholly distinctive expression of rye whiskey, carefully distilled from a mash of malted rye, malted wheat, corn and malted barley.
GlenPharmer
Distillery of Franklin, Massachusetts, announced the release of Doli, a vodka infused with real pineapple. The 60-proof spirit is crafted from GlenPharmer’s Vodka, distilled grain-toglass from wheat for a sweeter and smoother taste. Doli is infused with real pineapple, bringing a bright aroma to every sip. The vodka offers a rich taste of caramelized fruit and a luxuriously smooth finish.
Sugarlands Distilling Co. of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, announced the latest addition to its award-winning lineup of craft spirits—Sour Watermelon Moonshine. The new flavor is bursting with one of summertime’s favorite flavors—the juicy sweetness of ripe watermelon with a hint of tang. Sour Watermelon Moonshine is available in 750-mL jars and checks in at 60 proof, packing a bold kick and refreshing flavor that embodies the spirit of summer adventures no matter the time of year.
Columbus, Ohio-based Watershed Distillery announced the return of its annual seasonal summer gin: Four Peel Strawberry Gin (88 proof). Watershed starts with its citrusforward Four Peel Gin and infuses it with sun-ripened Ohio strawberries harvested at the peak of freshness. The pairing of red summer strawberries and crisp, bright citrus peels makes for an unparalleled cocktail or sipping experience.
Milwaukee-based Central Standard Craft Distillery and Leinenkugel’s of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, announced new additions to their collaborative line of ready-to-drink cocktails: Cherry Vodka Lemonade and Bourbon Old Fashioned. The new RTDs build off the momentum of the recently released canned Brandy Old Fashioned. Each release is 8% ABV.
Cocktails and Consoles
Author: Elias Eells
Publisher: Running Press Adult
Release Date: Sept. 10
With 75 unique and easy-toprepare recipes inspired by some of the most popular video games in history, “Cocktails and Consoles” makes it easy to level up your cocktail and mocktail skills. The book is the ultimate cocktail book for gamers of all skills—whether they are level 1 or a boss-level mixologist. With vibrant illustrations, a tutorial section with information on equipment, your components (spirits), and additional buffs (syrups and cordials) plus Bar Byte tips to help you get started on your adventure, this book is the perfect 1up to the mixology routine.
Freezer Door Cocktails
Author: J.M. Hirsch
Publisher: Voracious
Release Date: July 2
Freezer door cocktails are perfectly crafted and always ready when you are in this collection of 75 drinks made directly inside the liquor bottle to store on the freezer door. You build these drinks in batches right in the liquor bottle, then keep them on call in the freezer for whenever the mood strikes. The collection includes versions of Margaritas, Manhattans, Cosmopolitans, Espresso Martinis and beyond.
Flavor Lab Creations
Author: Logan Richardson
Publisher: Yellow Pear Press
Release Date: June 24
In this book, Logan Richardson combines cooking with science in a fun and accessible way. Richardson takes a mixologist approach and shares detailed recipes with scientific facts. This book explains the origins of unique drinks and the yummy nontraditional ingredients. The book also goes beyond spirit and mixed drinks options, with Richardson taking readers to unique options like a soda drink called Oleo Saccharum and a fermented cocoa bean chocolate tea.
Rum A Tasting Course
Author: Ian Burrell
Publisher: DK
Release Date: Sept. 24
Open the bottle on this comprehensive tasting course to discover the variety, complex history, and distinct flavors that rum has to offer. Ian Burrell, a passionate advocate for all things rum, reveals the spirit’s long and complex history; the production, distillation, and aging process; and the myriad flavors of this delicious drink available today. Discover who we have to thank for inventing rum, exactly how it is created from sugarcane, and how best to enjoy the different varieties before exploring tasting notes for more than 100 global rums and recipes for more than 30 cocktails—both classic favorites and those with a modern twist.
KENTUCKY BOURBON HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT FIVE NEW MEMBERS
The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame’s 2024 class includes the first Black chemist at BrownForman, a veteran visitor center manager who elevated Bourbon tourism, two distinctive distillery founders and a trailblazing retailer who later created his own craft distillery. That retail guru is Ken Lewis, retired Founder and CEO of New Riff Distilling, and this year’s recipient of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award. As a retailer, Lewis created The Party Source megastore and drove legal and legislative changes to allow Sunday and credit card sales of alcohol.
A fearless entrepreneur, in 2014 Lewis launched New Riff Distilling in Northern Kentucky, with the goal of creating one of the world’s great small distilleries based on innovation and collaboration to “riff” on the old ways and redefine new benchmarks of whiskey making.
Eric Gregory, longtime president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association that created and operates the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, lauded this year’s visionary class and said, “Our signature bourbon industry would not be what it is today without these distinguished honorees.
“Each put the industry before self, helping Kentucky cement its place in history as the international and undisputed home of bourbon. And now we are honored to honor them. On behalf of our signature industry, we offer congratulations – and a heartfelt thank you – to these bourbon heroes.”
This year’s class, in alphabetic order, will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame in September:
Elmer Lucille Allen, 93, Louisville. A pioneering activist, Allen broke barriers in the Bourbon industry as the first Black chemist at Brown-Forman—and possibly the entire American whiskey industry. Her work to bring opportunity to all Louisvillians didn’t stop when she left the company. Amongst her many accomplishments, she formed the Chickasaw Little League and led efforts to bring African American art and artists to the mainstream.
Dee Ford, 59, Louisville. An international beacon of Bourbon hospitality. Ford’s vision, experience and leadership have catapulted Angel’s Envy and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail into an international, bucket-list tourism attraction. Since 2014, she’s served as Chair of the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail Committee, earning the respect of her
peers and sharing best practices that have leveraged hospitality to elevate Kentucky Bourbon on the global stage.
Ken Lewis, 71, Cincinnati. A spirits expert and groundbreaking policy leader, Lewis graduated college as a trained English teacher, but left shortly into his young career for the world of spirits retail. He championed efforts for Sunday sales and initiated litigation that allowed retailers to use credit cards for sales, eventually building The Party Source megastore, the first of its kind in the country. Learning the industry from the bottom up, Lewis brought innovation and entrepreneurship as the founder of New Riff Distilling in Northern Kentucky, paving the way for the craft Bourbon boom that now counts dozens of Kentucky distilleries.
The late Peter T. Loftin, 61, Miami. A preeminent innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Loftin founded the Bardstown Bourbon Co. that transformed the landscape of custom whiskey production in 2014. He was among the first to take advantage of modernized Bourbon tourism laws in Kentucky, creating a world-class restaurant and bar that graciously features every distillery’s brand on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour as well as an enviable vintage spirits lounge. Along with the state-of-the-art distillery, this high-value Napa Valley-style experience greatly raised the bar for Bourbon tourism and collaborative distilling. He died peacefully at his home in 2019.
R.M. Corky Taylor, 75, Henderson. A respected businessman throughout the country, Taylor retired from an accomplished career in financial services and focused on a lifelong dream—to resurrect his greatgrandfather’s whiskey company. Taylor and his son spent countless hours poring over family history to bring back the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., originally owned by Henry Kraver in Henderson. He built back the family legacy in Louisville along historic Whiskey Row, gaining national recognition—and national awards—by patiently waiting for his whiskey to age, living up to the original quality bourbon standards his ancestor first set in 1889.
The invitation-only ceremony will be held Sept. 10 at The Legacy at Log Still in Nelson County. The intimate event, known for attracting the industry’s most revered legends and champions, is held annually in conjunction with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown.
Ken Lewis
GARRISON BROTHERS RAISES OVER $100,000 FOR PANHANDLE PROUD
In June, Hye, Texas-based Garrison Brothers Distillery hosted Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, an annual fundraiser that takes place after the Stonewall Peach Parade. This year, the sold-out, bourbon-fueled event benefitted Panhandle Proud, an organization uniting Texans to provide urgent relief and sustained support for farmers and ranchers devastated by this year’s wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. More than $100,000 in much-needed funds were raised. This was a record-setting amount raised for any Garrison Brothers Distillery fundraiser to date. Garrison Brothers then extended their fundraising efforts for the entire month post-event with special limited-edition bourbon bottles for sale.
Hosted at Garrison Brothers Distillery, the fundraiser attracted more than 500 attendees to partake in a fried chicken dinner and auction. The occasion also featured guest speaker, Ken King, a state representative and chairman of licensing and administrative committee.
Guests enjoyed live music from local musician Noah Kurtis Band and auction items
included 16 beautiful painted barrels donated by local Austin artists along with more than 70 items donated by local Hill Country businesses. US Foods donated more than 1,000 pounds of chicken for the fried chicken dinner while Alstadt Brewery donated dozens of cases of beer.
“The Texas Panhandle is the great breadbasket of American agriculture,” said Dan Garrison, founder of Garrison Brothers Distillery and Panhandle Proud. “Garrison Brothers and authentic Texas whiskey producers purchase their grain from producers, coops and malting houses located there. Panhandle residents are tough as nails. They keep coming back after semi-annual fires, tornadoes and drought. Bless them for their resilience, faith and determination, and let’s help them rebuild.”
The distillery will continue to raise money for Panhandle Proud at The Whiskey Shack restaurant and Garrison Brothers gift shop with a month-long campaign featuring special cocktails, menu items and promotional items with all proceeds benefiting the cause.
GOLDEN MOON DISTILLERY ANNOUNCES CLOSURE
In late May, Golden Moon Distillery of Golden, Colorado, announced it was ceasing operations.
Founded in 2008, Golden Moon Distillery became one of the highest awarded distilleries in the craft spirit industry. Golden Moon Speakeasy, Golden Moon Distillery’s tasting room and cocktail lounge, has also received numerous awards and accolades.
The various events of the last several years, including the trade wars, covid, the war in Ukraine and more all negatively affected both the company’s operations and its ability to raise the funds necessary to continue to pursue its business plan in the current economic environment.
“This is all very sad,” said Stephen Gould, founder of Golden Moon. “... we thought we had a buyer/investor that would have allowed the company to continue to grow and prosper, but they unfortunately were unable to deliver the investment and resources they promised.”
FOLEY FAMILY WINES OFFICIALLY ADDS ‘SPIRITS’ TO NAME
Family-owned Foley Family Wines of Santa Rosa, California, announced that the company has changed its name and corporate identity to reflect its ongoing expansion into the distilled spirits business while it continues to grow the luxury and estate wine business that began nearly three decades ago. The new name is Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS).
Bill and Carol Foley founded Foley Family Wines in 1996 after purchasing their first winery and vineyards in 1995, named Lincourt Vineyards after daughters Lindsay and Courtney. The company grew its holdings in Santa Barbara County and began to gain visibility and global distribution as it expanded into Napa and Sonoma. Foley made some of the industry’s most significant luxury estate acquisitions, such as Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery in 2010, Banshee Wines in 2018, Ferrari-Carano in 2020, Chateau St. Jean in 2021, and Napa Valley’s Silverado Vineyards in 2022.
Through strategic acquisitions and new product development, the company grew into a global portfolio of more than 20 wine brands and luxury estates in wine regions across California, Oregon, Washington, New Zealand, France and Argentina. FFWS is the second fastestgrowing wine company in the $15+ category in the US, at +11%.
In 2023, the company expanded into distilled spirits to diversify its consumer base and complement its ultra-premium and luxury wine business, re-launching legacy spirits brands Charles Goodnight Texas Straight Bourbon and Lighthouse Gin from New Zealand. In May 2023, Foley began operating Minden Mill Distilling in Nevada, where FFWS produces High Ground Estate Vodka from grain to glass with estate-grown rye.
In April 2024, Foley was appointed the exclusive agent to import and sell family owned El Mexicano Tequila in the U.S. and globally outside Mexico. The same month, the company formed an agency partnership with The Loch Lomond Group in Scotland, an independent distiller, and blender of some of the finest and oldest Scotch whiskies in the world, as well as Champagne Piaff of Epernay. In May, FFWS added Irish craft whiskey brands Two Stacks and Killowen to the portfolio.
“We are committed to continuing to build a portfolio of spirits consistent with the quality of our ultra-premium and luxury wines and our network of estate wineries,” noted Jason Daniel, CMO. “As a natural next step, our corporate identity now reflects the breadth of our platform. We are excited about the pace of Foley’s strategic expansion and the exceptional quality and credibility of our growing portfolio of award-winning spirits.”
COPPERWORKS ACQUIRING FORMER PIKE BREWING BREWHOUSE
After decades of professional brewing and distilling, Copperworks Distilling Co. cofounder and president Jason Parker now has the opportunity to bring his brewing story full circle, with Seattle-based Copperworks acquiring the Pike Brewing brewhouse on Post Alley.
“Copperworks had always aimed to establish our own brewing facility. However, the high costs of building a new brewery and the innovative contract partnerships we have in place with local breweries have continuously postponed this plan for the future,” says Parker. “When Pike Brewing relocated its production in October 2023, the opportunity arose for us to finally have our own brewing facility.”
The year was 1989. Seattle’s craft beer scene was really starting to boom, and Charles Finkel, founder of Pike Brewing, now a beloved Seattle icon, hired Parker to
be its first brewer. Thirty-five years later, Parker is returning to the brewery that launched his career in Seattle’s craft beverage industry—but this time, he’s turning beer into Copperworks spirits: whiskey, gin and vodka.
Copperworks takes a brewer’s approach to crafting its award-winning spirits. It begins by crafting a high-quality beer without hops from a base of locally grown malted barley. For the past 10 years, this process has taken place at local breweries (including Pike Brewing and, more recently, Talking Cedar). Then, Copperworks distills the beer in custom-built copper stills at its waterfront distillery.
“We’ve always believed that from great brewing comes great spirits, so much so that we have that tag-line on the top of every bottle we produce.” says Parker. “It’s a ‘coming home’ story, and an incredible opportunity to work with the brewery I
helped start so many years ago. We believe this turnkey 30-barrel brew house is ready to begin production immediately, meaning we don’t have to spend the time and money to build a production facility.”
The new location will also serve as a barrel storage warehouse in addition to the brewing center, said Parker.
“Our team is already trained and available to do the brewing without any additional hires necessary,” says Copperworks Distilling Co. co-owner and vice president Jeff Kanof. “Increased production can allow us to make more product. We can make more vodka, more gin and put up more whiskey for aging. This can be an opportunity for us to immediately be a leader in the industry as an independent craft American Single Malt Whiskey producer.”
Read more about Copperworks in this issue’s Member Spotlights section.
FLAVIAR LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
Flaviar, Inc. has announced the launch of Flaviar Checkout, its new solution to compliantly sell alcohol beverages for Shopify-powered stores, and Flaviar Pay, the only approved solution for processing multi-retailer alcohol payments available to Shopify merchants. This announcement follows its 2023 acquisitions of WineSearcher and Barcart.
Flaviar Checkout marries Flaviar’s nationwide retailer fulfillment network, an industry-leading order management system, full-service shipping and customer order support. Flaviar Checkout seamlessly integrates with Shopify’s industryleading checkout. Flaviar Checkout can
be implemented on alternative commerce platforms as well with just a few lines of code, and select plans now include Shopify Plus.
“What excites me the most,” says Flaviar co-founder and CEO Jugoslav Petkovic, “is that we’re really changing how anyone can sell spirits online. Let’s say you’re a whiskey brand who wants to sell your product online; Flaviar Checkout makes it really easy for you to become a Shopify merchant and get your store up and running without having to worry about all the tricky compliance and operational complexities. More importantly, our services don’t stop there; we’ll also plug you in on our own marketplaces, making sure your product is listed on Flaviar.com
and Caskers.com and offering dedicated marketing programs. And, as your brand grows, you have access to our full suite of advertising and insights solutions as well.”
“In the rapidly expanding alcohol industry, merchants face unique challenges that require flexible strategies and seamless integration. Flaviar’s offering equips businesses with what they need to scale, enhance their reach, and connect with more customers, while delivering exceptional value through its comprehensive digital platform,” says Ritu Khanna, VP of global partnerships, Shopify.
Flaviar’s strategic partner, Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC), also plays a key role in bringing this collaboration to market.
GLASS PACKAGING INSTITUTE BEGINS ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR 2025 CLEAR CHOICE AWARDS
The Glass Packaging Institute has announced that submissions are now being accepted for the 2025 Clear Choice Awards, an awards program that recognizes the contributions North American glass makes to the image, success, aesthetic appeal and recyclability of a variety of glass products.
Winners will be announced in 2025 and showcased in a variety of digital and print media.
Qualifying products must be packaged in glass containers manufactured in North America, and have been newly introduced into the North American marketplace between 2023 and 2024. This year’s program includes a total of nine categories, seven of which are products: Beer, Cider & Malt Based Beverages; Food; Wine; Non-Alcoholic Beverages; Cosmetics, Fragrances & Pharmaceutical; Spirits; and the newly added Spirits-Based RTD (Ready To Drink) category.
Brands are invited to submit their product in one of the above listed categories and may also be eligible to compete in the Sustainability & Innovation category, which has been combined into one category, and non-North American manufacturers can enter the Global Member Container categories. Clear Choice Award category winners are automatically entered into the People’s Choice Glass awards, held on GPI’s social media channels after all CCA winners have been announced.
Winners will be picked by an independent panel of judges hailing from the food and beverage media and industry, including lifestyle writers and design and packing professionals. Submissions will be judged based on criteria including storytelling strength of the brand or product, package design, shelf impact, and innovation.
“We’re excited for the 2025 installment of the Clear Choice Awards,” said GPI president Scott DeFife. “The North American glass industry has so much to offer in terms of innovation, consumer appeal and creativity. We have noticed many new products in glass the past year and The Clear Choice Awards have always been of the best way to recognize North American glass containers. We eagerly anticipate this year’s submissions.”
Visit gpi.org to learn more.
GRAIN NEUTRAL SPIRITS A
Our GNS gives a superior base that will never impede your product’s taste profile.
We allow our customers to focus on what they genuinely do best — creating unique craft spirits that make their brand stand out.
NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER BILL
In June, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that will allow members of the New York State Distillers Guild and the New York Cider Association to safely ship products to adult consumers. If enacted, the bill will authorize intrastate shipping as well as interstate shipping to states where directto-consumer (DtC) shipping is legal and that have equivalent license classes. The bill awaits a signature by the governor before it can be enacted into law.
In a survey of NYS Distillers Guild members in April of this year, only half of respondents said they were confident they would still be in business at the end of 2025 absent regulatory or economic changes. The ability to ship their products directly to consumers is overwhelmingly what they said they need. Distilleries and cideries both had temporary authority to ship DtC during the pandemic, and it allowed both sectors to show it could be done safely. That authority to ship to consumers helped many small craft beverage
businesses survive the pandemic.
The vast majority of New York’s distilleries and cideries are too small to be represented in retail stores beyond their immediate vicinity and DtC will help them sell to out-of-town visitors who may not be able to carry a purchase home with them. It will also help those visitors buy more of the products once they return home.
The bill requires several consumer protections, including packaging that clearly identifies the contents, and mandatory adult signature and identification check by the driver upon delivery. There are already systems in place with the national common carriers to facilitate compliance with this and other rules.
New York wineries have had the ability to ship DtC since 2005, prior to the establishment of the farm distillery and cidery licenses that have enabled the development of those craft beverages in the state.
If Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the bill, the
State Liquor Authority will issue regulations guaranteeing the safe delivery of these products to consumers through the use of a common carrier like UPS. Amazon will not be involved with the delivery of these products.
THE FAMILY JONES LAUNCHES DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DISTRIBUTION
The Family Jones of Denver proudly announces the launch of its direct-to-consumer distribution platform with Cask & Barrel Club, offering a curated selection of its award-winning portfolio for nationwide delivery. This initiative marks a significant milestone in the distillery’s expansion strategy, providing spirit enthusiasts across the continental United States exclusive access to their spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails.
Recognized by Westword as the Best Colorado Distillery and boasting over 25 international awards, The Family Jones is proud to collaborate with local farmers and suppliers to craft uniquely Colorado spirits.
“We are thrilled to introduce our direct-toconsumer distribution model that allows us to connect with customers nationwide and share our passion for craft spirits,” said CEO Paul Tamburello. “Our commitment to quality, traceability, and connectivity remains at the heart of every bottle we produce. We are excited to share our spirits directly from our family to yours.”
Each bottle comes with a recipe card from the team, showcasing how customers can create classic cocktails using their spirits.
Distribution is available across the continental U.S. excluding shipping to Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Louisiana.
SAVERGLASS LAUNCHES SO TONIC BOTTLE, REINVENTS SOLO LINE
Saverglass has announced the launch of its newest spirits product, SO TONICl, along with a reinvented version of the classic OSLO bottle, SOLO. These innovations, the company says, exemplify Saverglass’ expertise in optimizing glass weight while maintaining uncompromising premium design and quality.
“Our goal was to push the boundaries with the lightweight versions of both our Oslo and Tonic bottle collections,” says Bruno de Botton, marketing director at Saverglass. “This initiative allowed Saverglass to demonstrate its ability to combine optimal lightness with superior quality, delivering an excellent visual impact without compromising consumer safety.”
The SOLO is the modern edition of the iconic OSLO that preserves the original sillhouette’s timeless elegance. It is also the lightest model of the Oslo family boasting a weight of only 450g for a 700ml bottle. The SO TONIC is the latest addition to the Tonic Family, setting a new standard for premium glass bottle design. The new SO TONIC 700ml bottle, weighing an optimized 546 grams, exemplifies Saverglass’ commitment to reducing its carbon footprint without compromising the brand’s renowned quality and aesthetics.
Standing 260.7 mm tall, SO TONIC offers a fresh twist on the iconic silhouette of its predecessor, TONIC. Its distinct features include a slight bend, shapely shoulder, short neck, punt, and a rounded carnette finish, creating a visually striking and immediately recognizable bottle. With Tonic, design is playful and imaginative, leaving the rules to the talented distillers of bourbon, whiskey, rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and other spirits.
Distillers and spirit brands can choose innovative products like SO TONIC and SOLO, which offer 100% recyclable glass bottles. These bottles can be decorated using various techniques such as organic screen printing, coating, acid-etching, metallization and sandblasting, all of which are available through Saverglass’ comprehensive packaging services and 100% recyclable.
FIVE YEARS TOGETHER
BY LEW BRYSON
When I agreed to write this column five years ago, I wasn’t sure how long it would run. I did a beer column for 12 years, one of the first writing jobs I landed. But this? How much did I really know about how the craft spirits industry worked?
Judging from the responses to the column over the past five years, I guess I knew more than I thought. Enough that I kept writing, and you kept writing back. Thanks for that.
One thing I knew right from the start, the topic of my first column, and most of my good ones, is that we go farther when we go together. “Gung ho” was the old U.S. Marines concept that I told you about.
Gung ho, my friends. Work together, even when you’re competing. There is more that unites you than divides you. Work together on cultural issues like underage drinking, overserving in tasting rooms and bars, and the negative image of “hard” liquor. Work together to achieve together.
I encouraged you to work with each other, but also with your natural partners: farmers.
Do you have a local grain program with farmers? The right heirloom grain can mean a new flavor for your whiskey, but it can also mean a great opening for a discussion with visitors about grain, and what they might smell that’s different. And once they get hooked on ‘different,’ well … smarter drinker; better customer.
When the pandemic came, my first column was about what we were going to do after it was over. Kinda proud of that, in retrospect.
What are you going to do with your lives now, going forward? Are you going to plan every financial decision much more defensively? Or maybe you’re going to become much more involved in mutual assistance in your community. There was a lot more cooperative effort. It worked pretty well, didn’t it? That’s the way to go moving forward. Many of you made a lot of friends during the crisis. Don’t leave them behind. Stick with that program, and you’ll all be stronger together.
I got a bit blunt at times.
Why are you doing this?
What led you to think you could do this, that you
wanted to do it? If you’re doing this because you love it, it’s time to put down the magazine and pick up the wrench. Let’s make some spirit. Let’s do what we have to do. Tie a knot in it, hang on, and make good drink. I’m counting on you.
There was the New Year’s resolutions column, with this memorable suggestion: Stop lying. Check your labels, your marketing, your tour script, your story and wring every bit of bullshit out of them. You don’t need it. Make good booze with good ingredients and processes and people, and tell that story. Be serious, be funny, but damn it, be honest. It’s always best. Always.
We talked about the dark side of drinking. Taking care of your customers is a day-to-day responsibility. They are your business, after all. Taking care of your employees is every bit as important. Your customers are your business, but your employees are your company.
I spilled the secrets on how to keep the press, us chattering types, interested.
We writers talk about you all the time. ‘This one’s always late, that one makes up quotes, this one never sends the right stuff, that one never sends anything … but this one’s the best.’ Guess which company gets better coverage, more often?
I told you to taste other distillers’ products regularly … and then reminded you to stay on your toes.
Chances are, another distiller is drinking your stuff right now, and thinking about how to do it better. That’s not a bad thing. It’s how we all get better.
Of course, there was aquavit. I hope you’ve all tried aquavit by now.
Aquavit is outside most people’s experience. It’s not something everyone else is making. It doesn’t have built-in competition. What else can you make that fits that description? Why … lots of things. People really do want something different. Give it to them.
I even got to write a fairy tale.
The square bottle found a new home, on the back bar. She was delighted! Everyone loved the square bottle, and the gin she held, and the bartender
…the topic of my first column, and most of my good ones, is that we go farther when we go together.
slung her around so happily that she was empty in two shifts. She was tossed in the dumpster, and the bartender went back to the store to find more of her sisters. The End.
And because, honestly, I love you for doing this, I urged you to be proud of what you do.
And you vodka makers! If you’re going to the effort to make vodka from your chosen, special feedstock—heirloom grain, a certain type of potato, raw honey—and I can taste or feel that in the spirit? You’re a damned hero-genius, no matter what Fred Minnick says.
Make spirits with care, skill and ingenuity. If you can do that every day your doors are open, I think you’ve earned the right to call what you put in the bottle “craft spirits.”
I don’t know if I’ll still be doing this in five more years, but I hope you are. I hope you continue to make spirits with care, skill and ingenuity, and that you continue to work together to make this industry the best it can be. Cheers! ■
has
and
full-time since 1995. He is the author of
Whiskey” and “Whiskey Master Class.”
Lew Bryson
been writing about beer
spirits
“Tasting
TIME IS RUNNING OUT: COMPLETE THE CRAFT SPIRITS DATA PROJECT SURVEY TODAY
Your participation in our Craft Spirits Data Project survey is essential for generating the comprehensive data that supports our collective story and strengthens our advocacy efforts.
This annual study, in partnership with Park Street, helps us share your achievements and struggles with key decision-makers.
The report gives:
• Lawmakers at state and federal levels data to support market access legislation
• Policymakers facts on our small businesses
• Financial institutions evidence of growth (and/or decline) to create a full picture of our industry
• Investors a snapshot of climate to allow better forecasting
• The media economic history to help build our case for greater market access
Please take 15 minutes to complete the survey or forward it to someone in your business who can provide the necessary data. Your privacy is ensured as all information will be reported in aggregate, and ACSA membership is not required to participate.
Please visit americancraftspirits.org and complete the survey as soon as possible but no later than July 31.
NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE AMERICAN CRAFT SPIRITS COMPETITION
ACSA is now accepting entries for the American Craft Spirits Competition. Enter today, and maybe we’ll call you on stage to accept medals or a Best of Class honor when we announce the results at our convention next March in Tucson, Arizona!
This blind-tasting competition is the only craft judging competition assembled, organized and overseen by you, the distilling community. The competition recognizes the best craft spirits in the following categories: brandy, gin, RTD, rum, specialty, vodka & grain, and whiskey. Enter by Aug. 1 to take advantage of early-bird rates, and no later than Sept. 13.
JOIN US ON CAPITOL HILL AND SPEAK WITH LAWMAKERS AND REGULATORS
Please RSVP to join us on September 17-18 in Washington, D.C., at our Legislative Fly-In. Together, we’ll educate Congress on the issues facing our small businesses. Let’s teach them about the hardships we have with market access and share your story with those on Capitol Hill.
This is your opportunity to speak directly with lawmakers and regulators, discussing issues that directly impact the craft spirits industry. No experience is necessary—we will provide a full briefing and get you up to speed on issues that can change our economic landscape.
Please RSVP now and book your room with our hotel block at Hyatt Place by Aug. 17.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR THE LEGISLATIVE FLY-IN.
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR CONVENTION AND SUBMIT PRESENTATION IDEAS
BY AUG. 9
Join us next year in Arizona, March 10-12, 2025, for yet another unparalleled opportunity to connect, learn, and lead the future of craft spirits—together. We can’t wait for this upcoming ACSA 2025 Convention & Expo. Look for exhibitor registration details and other updates coming soon.
We place great importance on delivering top-notch professional education and enriching learning opportunities. To ensure the highest standards, each Call for Presentations submission undergoes a thorough evaluation by our esteemed ACSA Education Committee.
The committee has identified a list of high priority topics but we are also looking for fresh ideas based on your expertise. Submit your proposal by Aug. 9.
REGISTER FOR UPCOMING WEBINARS
ACSA’s webinar series Craft Spirits Classroom: Quenching Your Thirst for Knowledge includes a wide range of topics. All webinars are free to ACSA members (you must be logged in on our site to receive the member price) and $59 for non-members.
Innovations in Gin
When: July 31 from 3-4 p.m. ET
Cost: Free to ACSA members; $59 for non-members
What: Our panel of craft gin producers will explore new flavor and ingredient sensations, botanical innovation and the state of the American gin market. From new twists on venerable classics to adventurous journeys into non-traditional territories, we’ll discover how distillers are reinventing and redefining the gin category.
Who: Kristina Hansen, Round Turn Distilling/Bimini Gin; Aaron Selya, Philadelphia Distilling; and Jason Parker, Copperworks Distilling
Turning Cocktail Sales into Bottle Sales
When: Thursday, Aug. 8 from 3-4 p.m. ET
Cost: Free to ACSA members; $59 for non-members
What: In this webinar, we will discuss efficient ways to produce delicious cocktails in your tasting rooms that will not only make you more money during customer visits but also help you drive more bottle sales.
Who: Chris LeBeau of Decoding Cocktails
OLIVIA STEWART OF OXBOW RUM DISTILLERY
Olivia Stewart is the president of Oxbow Rum Distillery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She grew up running through rows of sugarcane on her family’s farm in Pointe Coupée Parish. After a decade of pursuing an art world career around the globe, she went back to her roots to run her family’s rum distillery.
ACSA: Someone else nominated you for a board seat—why were you eager to run?
Stewart: I love ACSA. I think the first conference I did was in Louisville. I went into that first conference so intimidated, so scared. But the reception I felt there was so warm, and by the end of it I felt like part of the industry, like a member of the community. Just three short years later to be on the board of that organization that welcomed me into the industry—it’s very meaningful and impactful and I feel very proud.
Who are some people or other distilleries that inspire you?
They’ve changed a great deal as I’ve gotten to know the industry more. I’ve become much more authenticity- and story-focused. Honestly, it used to be the ones who I thought had a good Instagram. I didn’t know any better. Now that I’ve learned so much more about process, quality and provenance, we’re looking to distilleries like Foursquare and Renegade. Those are rum distilleries I really respect and revere. And the non-rum distilleries, just the fellow small guys like me, with quality people behind quality product. I love Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Arkansas. That family, they’re fifth-generation and their focus is farm-to-table. When we met at an ACSA convention it was just a sense of connection of camaraderie and sharing similar paths and histories while also being very different at the same time.
What’s the most important thing you’d want people to know about Oxbow Rum Distillery?
Our vision has changed over the years, but now it’s simply about staying true to ourselves and the ingredients we’re using. I grew up on that farm, watching my dad toil through the ’90s when the going was really tough. We’ve been at it for 165 years now, and to this day, every day, I wake up and see the people that put in the work to keep it going into the next century. I see the cane get planted. I literally watch it grow. I see
the 24/7 grind every harvest, the fermentations and late-night distillations my team puts in at the distillery. Right down to the bottling days and pouring it for our tasting room guests. Our mission at Oxbow is to honor all that hard work by putting out the best product we possibly can. Anything less would forsake the people putting in the work and dedication at every single step.
What’s currently going on and coming up at Oxbow Rum Distillery that you’re excited to share?
We recently received two double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. We were nominated for best in class for both White and Agricole rum categories. I think it’s such a testament to the work that every single employee here has put into it. I’m beaming with pride.
And this year I’m very excited to be launching a classic, Caribbean-style dark rum under our False River brand. While Oxbow is additive-free, sugar-free, and caramelcoloring-free, the False River brand is our flavored rums—and we’re launching that classic dark style later this summer—aged in bourbon barrels with that rich, dark caramel color and all! Almost all “dark” rums are adding that, we’re just being honest about it. We’ve also got a fun cane syrup project we’re working on, so stay tuned for that. We’re really just embracing all of the different products that sugarcane makes and educating people about it.
Any advice or words of wisdom for your peers in the distilling community?
Never, ever, ever, ever give up. The other big thing that my dad would say to help push me through is from Theodore Roosevelt’s The Man in the Arena speech. Essentially the premise is to be the man or woman in the arena. Never mind what the critics say. They’re not the ones in the arena trying. They’re just on the sidelines, in the audience, in the stands. You can’t know failure if you’ve never tried. It’s ok to fail. Learn from it and keep fighting.
LISTEN TO A CONVERSATION WITH OLIVIA STEWART ON THE CRAFT SPIRITS PODCAST.
GREG EIDAM OF SUGARLANDS DISTILLING CO.
Greg Eidam is the master distiller for Gatlinburg, Tennessee-based Sugarlands Distilling Co. In addition to leading research and development and engineering projects, he oversees the production of Sugarlands Shine, Appalachian Sippin’ Cream, High Rock Vodka and Roaming Man Whiskey.
Citing the craft spirits community’s collaborative nature and driven by a motivation to give back, Greg was recently elected to ACSA’s Board of Directors.
Who are some people or other distilleries that inspire you?
Eidam: I’ve probably visited 80-plus distilleries, from large operations to tiny mom-and-pop start-ups. I’ve also attended industry conferences for more than 10 years, so that list is extensive. I don’t think I’ve ever left a distillery or conference without being inspired by something I learned or leaving with a new friendship within our industry. I like to say, “The more we know, the less we know, or the more we recognize how little we know.” We can’t be experts at everything, so the most inspiring thing I’ve taken away from the people I’ve met and the distilleries I’ve visited is the brotherhood and shared passion within our industry.
What’s the most important thing you’d want people to know about Sugarlands? Our people, family values and culture are a priority. We’ve got really good people from production to retail, which shines through in everything we do. We strive to connect personally with our suppliers,
vendors, partners and, most importantly, our consumers. That is particularly evident in our tasting room. Our retail staff and tastemakers make everyone who enters our doors feel like part of our family.
The other thing I’d like to brag about our Sugarlands family is our passion for creating great products, whether that is getting serious about our Roaming Man whiskey and our transparency in sharing everything we do and learn as we grow this brand or in having fun with all our moonshine and cream flavors. It is hard not to have fun with moonshine. The thing I like most about it is that it’s the only alcohol that is just accepted to be shared. You don’t share a cocktail. You don’t share a beer. You don’t share a glass of wine or a whiskey. However, when you pull out a jar of moonshine and crack the lid, it’s just a given you’re going to pass it around, and that is where stories are shared and friendships develop.
What’s currently going on or coming up at Sugarlands that you’re excited to share? Our Sugarlands family has been blessed to work with some fantastic partners, like the Moonshiners, Master Distiller, NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the PGA Championship, and most recently, Eggo, among many others. We’re excited to grow some of these relationships further and introduce new partnerships and collaborations in the coming months. I should probably leave it at that or risk getting in trouble with our marketing team. LOL.
However, for me, it is all about the whiskey.
Until the last couple of years, our Roaming Man Straight Rye Whiskey has been a labor of love that we’ve only been able to share with our closest super fans. Roaming Man had always taken a back seat because we lacked the still capacity to meet demand. Now, with our new distillery and the largest whiskey pot still in the country, whiskey gets to take the front seat as we look to grow the brand and followers and take them on the ride with us. To date, we’ve only released rye whiskey, but we’ve got bourbon and Tennessee whiskey aging, and it will be released when it tells us it is ready. We are also playing with some finishes, which I’ve come to realize I’ve got a lot to learn about, so that’s exciting!
Any advice or words of wisdom for your peers in the distilling community?
Have a goal, have a vision and work your butt off to get there and figure out a way. For newer distilleries right now, I feel like it’s a struggle. It was a struggle for us and everyone else who started 10-12 years ago. But as the market gets increasingly saturated, it’s more challenging. So, I would say, find your niche and own your local area. Surround yourself with good people. Get out there, work it, push it, be your own salesman. Be passionate about everything you do, and people will follow. Passion is contagious!
LISTEN TO A CONVERSATION WITH GREG EIDAM ON THE CRAFT SPIRITS PODCAST.
COOKING UP A DREAM
A
STEPUP intern overcomes deafness and pursues a culinary journey in craft spirits.
BY AMY SALTER
Despite being hard of hearing, I possess an unwavering resilience that fuels my pursuit of a lifelong dream. I set off on a quaffable odyssey, each new experience a refreshing surprise. Since I began navigating the exciting world of spirits, I have discovered hidden talents and proven that with determination, even the most ambitious culinary dreams can be achieved.
My culinary experience began long before I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in 2007. Prior to Cordon Bleu, I explored diverse regional cuisines, eventually landing in the restaurant industry, and homebrewing for over 10 years. Consulting for brewpubs with restaurants allowed me to hone my skills and gain valuable experience and relationships. The pinnacle of this period was managing a deafowned pizzeria. Working alongside a team who communicated seamlessly in American Sign Language (ASL) was not only liberating, but also an affirmation of my capabilities.
Deafness has undoubtedly presented hurdles. During the pandemic, the mask mandate made applying for management
positions a frustrating experience. The reliance on written communication and the ineffectiveness of lip-reading created a significant barrier. Undeterred, I continued my consulting work, my sights firmly set on my ultimate goal.
My interest in spirits blossomed after a European brew tour with a brewer friend. This trip led me to a pivotal moment in Bologna, Italy, where I encountered L’Altro Spazio. Experiencing a thriving deaf-owned business fueled my determination. Witnessing a bartender with a disability comfortably navigate her work environment, thanks to thoughtfully designed ramps, ignited a fire within me. Another key influence was a friend’s distillery collaboration project. Consulting for a distillery and restaurant from the ground up provided invaluable insights into the industry’s inner workings. The decision-making process, the importance of branding, and the intricacies of spirit production all piqued my curiosity.
Further inspiration arose from a visit to a bar in Mexico City specializing in
Not all distilleries are equally accessible by default, but I do acknowledge and appreciate the positive strides many distilleries are making towards greater inclusivity for people with disabilities in all aspects.
tableside gin and tonic service. Observing the meticulous attention to detail and the variety of botanicals sparked a new chapter in my exploration. I delved deeper into various spirits, taking a distillery class and visiting a small-batch operation. The process of making cuts and blending spirits revealed the artistry involved, further solidifying my desire to enter this world.
An internship with the STEPUP Foundation presented a golden opportunity. I yearned to learn from seasoned professionals and bridge the gap between my culinary background and the world of craft spirits. Being a STEPUP intern not only exceeded my expectations but also opened my eyes to new possibilities. I discovered a passion for sales, brand and recipe development, a path I never imagined myself pursuing before. My unique perspective, fueled by knowledge and passion, makes this field both challenging and incredibly fulfilling.
The journey hasn’t been without its obstacles. However, there were many small victories. To name a few, during my internship at Glacier Distilling in Coram, Montana, I was tasked with creating an amaro recipe. I experimented with various botanicals and herbs to develop the recipe. I’m very proud to say it will roll out very very soon. During my time at New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky, I created comprehensive sales dossiers for potential new markets for the company. Throughout the process, I had unwavering support from my mentor, Dr. Nicole Shriner of Michigan State University, and the craft spirits community, which motivated me to persevere.
I am a constant advocate for inclusivity within the craft spirits industry. Based on my experience of visiting several distilleries before, during and after the internship program, I have noticed that inclusivity is an ongoing process. Not all distilleries are equally accessible by default, but I do acknowledge and appreciate the positive
Amy Salter at New Riff Distilling Co.
strides many distilleries are making towards greater inclusivity for people with disabilities in all aspects. There are various aspects that need improvement, such as hiring practices, accessibility of physical spaces, and inclusivity in all areas.
Some distilleries have adopted forwardthinking approaches to promote inclusivity and accessibility. For instance, Westward Whiskey of Portland, Oregon, has created an internship program specifically for people with disabilities and has partnered with local organizations to identify qualified candidates. High Wire Distilling Co. in Charleston, South Carolina, provides sensory-friendly tours for individuals with autism, modifying lighting and noise levels to create a comfortable experience. Denver-based Leopold Bros. has partnered with a local nonprofit organization to provide employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
There’s still a long way to go in terms of inclusivity, but progress is being made. Simple solutions like closed captions on videos and offering flexible tours for autistic individuals can create a more welcoming environment. In addition, these efforts can help raise brand awareness and demonstrate our commitment to making a positive impact.
My journey, perfectly captured by the phrase “STEPUP had me at ‘Rye’ (why),” has led me to discover my true calling. The STEPUP program equipped me with the tools to excel in sales, brand and recipe development. I’m eager to absorb everything, embrace the challenges, and contribute to the vibrant world of craft spirits. This isn’t just about achieving a dream; it’s about defying limitations, inspiring inclusivity and leaving a lasting impact within the industry I love. ■
Amy Salter has been in the culinary industry since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in 2007. Her experience includes everything from managing a pizzeria owned and operated by people with hearing loss to consulting with several restaurants and breweries. She was part of the STEPUP Foundation’s class of 2023.
At the STEPUP graduation ceremony at The Family Jones in Denver with mentor Dr. Nicole Shriner
With former and current STEPUP interns Yakntoro “Yaki” Udoumoh, Erin Lee, Ashley Grayson, Alexcia Pugh, Erica Paul, and STEPUP program manager Sharlí Ward
With Mac Harris of New Riff Distilling
An internship experience that is a STEP above the rest.
Partnering with member distilleries and wholesalers throughout the United States, we provide a comprehensive training program and provide job exposure for those of different races, color, national origins, genders, and sexual orientations.
Appetizing Adventures Appetizing Adventures
Distillers detail their foodservice journeys. Should you be saying, “yes, chef!” to such opportunities?
BY JEFF CIOLETTI
Driftless Glen Distillery filled its first barrel in November 2014. A mere five months later it was serving its first meal. It’s been nearly a decade since then and founders Reneé and Brian Bemis have never looked back.
“We’re all in on the food,” says Reneé Bemis, who’s also CEO of the Baraboo, Wisconsin, distillery.
And don’t expect run-of-the-mill pub fare. Driftless Glen serves what it’s dubbed “distillery cuisine,” elevated eats that often tie in to the spirits made in-house. Sure there are wings and burgers on the menu, but both feature barbeque sauce made with Driftless Glen bourbon. The chicken on the Driftless Chicken sandwich is brined in the distillery’s WisconGin and the smoked salmon dip’s not-so-secret ingredient is its lemon vodka. Meanwhile, the shrimp and grits showcases a Driftless Glen bourbon red chili glaze; the mango braised pork shank has a gin mango glaze; and the
ribeye comes with bourbon porcini butter. The desserts, too, have their share of spirited elements. The French custard in the crème brulée is infused with the distillery’s 5-year brandy; Driftless Glen rye is a signature component of the double chocolate brownie (served with bourbon vanilla ice cream); and bourbon’s not the only spirit in the bourbon bread pudding, as the raisins and cherries are soaked in 5-year brandy.
If the dish doesn’t have a Driftless Glen spirit in it, chances are it’s got something from the distillery’s own line of oils and vinegars. The creative menu is the work of staff chef David Ziegler, the second chef to head Driftless Glen’s kitchen since it opened.
“We made the right decision to begin with to do high-end food,” Bemis says. “We felt a distillery was a higher-end product. I can see beer being pizza and burgers, stuff like that, but with whiskey, we’re thinking fine dining.”
That chosen model has worked well
for Driftless Glen, as Bemis notes that the foodservice component has been consistently profitable.
“We don’t have a huge kitchen, we don’t have a deep fryer, but we make it work,” she notes. “I don’t think we ever expected our kitchen to do as much. Last week, on one day we had 560 people come through. The restaurant can seat 160 people inside and out. “
Craft distilleries that offer food on site are in the minority and Driftless Glen’s approach is certainly among the more upscale and involved efforts among those. Tasting room dining can come in many forms with varying levels of success—from hosting food trucks and partnering with local restaurants, to a full-service on-site kitchen with dedicated restaurant staff. It can be a lucrative separate revenue stream in its own right, or it can simply keep folks at your distillery longer to sample and engage with your brand more than they otherwise would have.
“Listen to your customers. If you have some dish that you’re really attached to on the menu but it’s not moving, you’ve got to move on. Keep your menu flexible.”
—Aaron Selya of Philadelphia Distilling Co.
From an operational standpoint, regardless of how “all-in” a distillery is, it always means additional costs to consider, whether it be staffing in the kitchen and front of house, proper equipment (you’re not likely going to be able to get away with just a toaster oven and a microwave), compliance and licensing, or insurance-related issues.
“People have to understand that now you’re running a little restaurant and that comes with its own complications,” says Jason Barrett, founder and CEO of Black Button Distilling in Rochester, New York. “We had 11 years to think about how we wanted to do the food because at our first location, there wasn’t space.”
Black Button still was offering some food at its initial location, but it was limited primarily to charcuterie boards where the servers could go directly from refrigerator to plating.
“And, in fact,” Barrett adds, “the refrigerators were just three dorm fridges behind the bar.”
The new facility, which opened in July 2023 and started serving food about six months later, has a 200-square-foot purpose-built kitchen, a large walk-in fridge, professional dishwashing equipment, proper prep tables and two industrial freezers (though not walk-in freezers, which, in hindsight, Barrett wishes he had installed since he’s now faced with refrigerator space to spare, but a crunch on freezer space).
“Now we have a real food program,” Barrett says.
Black Button continues to serve charcuterie boards, but it’s added dishes like flatbreads and open-faced sandwiches. On weekends the distillery serves brunch with items like bourbon-soaked French toast.
Like Driftless Glen, there’s no deep fryer in the kitchen. Black Button opted, instead, for an industrial air fryer—which, ultimately, helps the operation save a little money since it doesn’t require the installation of a ventilation hood.
“We’re able to do a program with our food vendors, where we can go from frozen to air fryer to plated in eight minutes,” he says. “We do chicken wings with eight different sauce options. All I’ve got to do is keep eight bottles of sauces and a bag of chicken wings.”
Keep on Truckin’
Painted Stave Distilling decided to go the food truck route, but the Smyrna, Delawarebased producer’s initial attempt didn’t pan out quite the way co-founder/partner Mike Rasmussen had hoped.
“We tried to partner with outside food trucks for a number of years,” recalls Rasmussen. “What we found was that they
ended up being pretty unreliable. We found that we would have lots of cancellations, we’d have trucks that just ghosted us, and we’d be left with no food options for folks coming into our cocktail bar.”
It proved to be even more of a problem when the distillery was hosting special events and promoted the presence of food trucks that ultimately would be no-shows. Rasmussen estimates that 40% of the time the trucks were either ghosting or canceling at the last minute, with little or no time to find replacements.
“That makes it very very hard to promote and meet the needs of your customers,” Rasmussen laments.
Some would say they’d broken down and couldn’t make it, but then Rasmussen would discover the truck operators had found other opportunities that they thought would be more lucrative.
“It’s a tough business, it’s a hustle, especially for a small truck trying to find the best bang for their buck [on a given] night,” Rasmussen says. “On occasion, the trucks do break down for real, but more often than not I think they find somewhere else where they think they could make more money.”
Eventually, the Painted Stave team had to change course. Having food available for guests remained a priority for the distillery, but there had to be another option somewhere between working with third-party wheeled eateries and opening a restaurant on site. At the end of 2019, the distillery team decided to buy and operate its own food truck.
By fall 2020, about six months into the pandemic, Painted Stave opened its first, a trailer, on the distillery property. It proved an immediate success. Not an easy feat during a time when there aren’t any public events.
“It was a hit,” Rasmussen reveals, “not just [for] people here at the distillery, but we had people from the community coming in and grabbing food and bringing it home.”
As the world started to reopen, it wasn’t long before the distillery started fielding requests to send the vehicle to other events. And that came as a bit of a surprise.
“The goal was to have food here at the distillery, whenever we were open, Thursday to Sunday,” he notes. “After a year and a half or so of operations, we decided to build a second one. We were fortunate enough to get a grant from the state to cover the cost of that.”
In March 2022, Painted Stave launched the second vehicle, a truck designated to sell food at off-site, third-party events and festivals. The first would remain stationary on the
distillery grounds.
Tacos are the main event on Painted Staves’s trucks.
“Tacos were the plan from the beginning,” Rasmussen says. “My business partner Ron [Gomes] and I both grew up in California and spent time in Texas. Taco trucks were part of life for us 30 years ago, 40 years ago and we thought it was a good fit because they’re so approachable.”
Additionally, tacos tend to be lighter alternatives to the heavy, barbeque-centric menus that many other food trucks often offer. There’s also the portability factor.
“[Tacos are] are something easy to eat by hand,” Rasmussen explains. “We try to keep the menu small and have enough options and add-ons that people can customize it pretty easily for themselves.”
Keeping it Simple
Simplicity is also the name of the game for Finger Lakes Distilling in Burdett, New York. The distillery in the western region of the state invites outside food trucks to its onsite events, but it also has operated for the past five years, a small, licensed kitchen to offer easy bites for visitors—toasted pimento sandwiches, soft pretzels, sausage rolls and the like.
When the moment calls for something a bit more elaborate or celebratory, that’s when the distillery turns to the trucks. The distillery tries to have some thematic tie-ins for whatever is being celebrated.
“For instance, for the release of our 10 year rum, we have a food truck called Taste of Jamaica, serving Caribbean-style food,” explains Finger Lakes Distilling president Brian McKenzie. “When we do have the food trucks come in we look at them as a nice extra for the customers, we don’t really look to make money with what they’re doing, we just hope to make money from the event … we don’t charge for [them to be there].”
It’s a lot easier from a licensing standpoint in his area. As long as the truck owner is fully permitted with the health department, they’re able to sell food at the distillery.
“They’re really operating on their own,” he says, “just on our property.”
When Finger Lakes first opened its own kitchen for day-to-day foodservice, it initially took a less simple approach.
“We started with some pretty complex items and retreated quickly from that,” recalls McKenzie.
Items like meat pies, reflecting the distillery’s Scottish heritage, were among
In 2020, Painted Stave Distilling opened its first food truck.
“People have to understand that now you’re running a little restaurant and that comes with its own complications.”
—Jason Barrett of Black Button Distilling
the more involved offerings on the original menu. But the logistics of greater culinary complexity began to resemble those of a fullon restaurant. And while taking that further step is certainly an option for many that are looking for food to take a more central role in their operations, it wasn’t the direction Finger Lakes wanted to go.
“You either go that route,” McKenzie says, “or you try to find someone who really knows what they’re doing and almost operates a separate business on site as a restaurant.”
The simpler approach has enabled the Finger Lakes team to do nearly all of the prep work on the food once a week, with the final preparation taking only a couple of minutes at serving time.
Limited, But Complex
“Simple,” however, doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as “limited,” as Philadelphia Distilling Co. has demonstrated with its culinary menu. What’s more, it’s proved that “limited” doesn’t have to preclude “eclectic.”
About seven years ago the distillery moved into its current location in Philly’s hip Fishtown neighborhood, a facility that was purposely designed to accommodate a full kitchen. Since then, the menu has evolved through a succession of four chefs who’ve all left their creative marks on the dishes served. The menu, in its present iteration, features only nine items, but, among them a diverse range of influences.
“We’ve played around with the number [of] items, it’s gone down pretty low at some points,” notes Philadelphia Distilling Co. director of operations Aaron Selya. “Especially when we opened up there were fewer, more limited options, but the eight to 15 range is where we’ve been sticking to and I don’t think we’ve gone too much higher than that.”
That contrasts with the roughly 20 options that tend to be on the distillery’s cocktail menu at any given time.
“Part of that is it’s a pretty limited kitchen, often with one person working in the kitchen, sometimes two or two and a half, with someone washing dishes and doing prep work,” Selya says. “Part of it is a functional thing, to allow the chef to really execute those nine dishes well. It’s not meant to be the focus of the establishment, it’s meant to be a complement to the cocktails.”
Among the selections on its most recent menu are tuna poke; a grilled chicken sandwich with achiote rub, lettuce, tomato, peach chutney and mayo; and gougères (French savory puff pastries) with goat cheese mousse,
Allegheny Distilling Co./Maggie’s Farm serves “basic American flair with a little bit of a Caribbean twist on it” at its location in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.
lavender honey and marcona almonds.
“We also have wings on the menu, but we try to change up the set for them,” Selya notes. “We do dry wings with seasoning and then sauces—we had Carolina white sauce at one point.”
The most recent version featured dry rubbed wings with aji Amarillo pepper, mustard seed, cumin and mint yogurt sauce.
There’s usually a burger on the menu, as well, which Selya describes as “a pretty standard set burger.”
It also may be standard for restaurants that serve burgers to also offer fries, but you won’t find those on the distillery’s menu.
“A lot of what we’ve been trying to stay away from is going too simple,” Selya explains. “We just don’t do French fries. We’ve done them a handful of times, but we try to be a little more creative than that.”
What you will find are the distillery’s signature crispy potatoes, with Za’atar spice, buttermilk, chive oil and celery.
It’s all about giving the people what they want—and what they want is often dictated by a distillery’s immediate neighborhood. Gentrification of Fishtown began in earnest more than 20 years ago, with the gradual influx of professionals and artists and what was previously predominantly a blue-collar neighborhood. With that came new nightlife establishments and restaurants that cater to younger creatives and white-collar careerists.
For instance, the demographic makeup of the neighborhood demanded that there be a vegan version of its burger.
“Listen to your customers,” Selya advises. “If you have some dish that you’re really attached to on the menu but it’s not moving, you’ve got to move on. Keep your menu flexible.”
Location, Location, Location
Listening to your customers isn’t just about what they might want to eat. Quite often it can determine whether or not your distilleries should be feeding visitors at all.
An often overlooked part of that decision-making process is the role that the idiosyncratic dynamics of your local market plays. What works in one city may not work in another. Caley Shoemaker, founder and master distiller of As Above, So Below Distillery (AASB) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, learned that reality first hand.
“I’ve been working in distilleries since 2008 and I’d never seen a need for food in distillery tasting room spaces,” Shoemaker admits. “At the end of the day, we own a factory that we have a brand experience attached to. It’s not
a restaurant. I don’t want to run a kitchen and all that goes with that.”
Shoemaker had previously worked in larger markets—including at Stranahan’s in Denver and Hangar 1 in Alameda, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area—where she observed that a visit to a distillery tasting room was often one stop among many during a single consumer outing. It could be before or after a meal at a restaurant, with another bar visit possibly thrown into the mix.
That lifestyle contrasted greatly with what she discovered as she was opening AASB in the lower-key environs of Santa Fe.
“I think there’s more of a culture in bigger cities of going to a bar for cocktails and then going to a restaurant for a separate experience,” she posits. “In smaller communities, that’s not a thing. Quite frankly, people have come in and been upset … ’Oh you don’t have any food on your menu.’ And it’s like, ‘Yes, but you did not come to a restaurant.’ So, to mitigate those challenges and also sort of augment a safe service approach, we want to offer some food.”
The ”to feed or not to feed” dilemma is also a suburban-versus-urban question. Allegheny Distilling Co./Maggie’s Farm has experienced both sides of that divide. When it began producing Maggie’s Farm Rum in 2013, it was doing so from its distillery in Pittsburgh’s vibrant Strip District. In 2023 it opened a second location in the more suburban Upper St. Clair neighborhood about eight miles south of the Steel City’s downtown. Long before it opened, founder Tim Russell knew that the new, 22,000-square-foot facility was going to serve food of some kind.
“The [first] location being in the city of Pittsburgh made it convenient for us not having food,” Russell says. “There’s steady traffic, people are on their way to dinner or leaving [dinner].
That’s not the case in Upper St. Clair, which doesn’t have a significant number of properties zoned for commercial restaurants. So there aren’t many other places to grab a bite in the immediate vicinity, beyond the distillery. “There’s not a lot of bar-hopping there,” Russell points out.
Russell describes the menu as “just basic American fare with a little bit of a Caribbean twist on it.” Burgers, mac and cheese, hummus and pretzel bites are among the familiar options. Heartier selections include entrees like Caribbean shrimp with coconut rice and a sauteed bell pepper and onion medley, as well as Maggie’s Farm Spiced Rum slow-braised short ribs.
As a control state, Pennsylvania’s known for its restrictions, but the on-premise license that Maggie’s Farm possesses enables it to sell what it makes, as well as other products made within the Commonwealth’s borders.
“We have craft beer on draught from local brewers; even though we make rum, we also have vodka, gin and whiskey from our distiller friends in the area as well,” Russell says. “So it actually gives us the opportunity to have a full bar menu, as well as doing a full restaurant menu.”
By contrast, having a restaurant with a full kitchen has never been a part of AASB’s plan.
“Honestly, the consumer-facing part of this business is not the biggest part of the business,” Shoemaker says. “It’s cool that we can have an opportunity to showcase our brands to people in a way that we can control, but putting all the time and effort and capital into creating a restaurant doesn’t make a ton of sense for us.”
AASB opted instead to partner with local culinary establishments, including a butcher shop/restaurant that supplies charcuterie boards, wraps and sandwiches.
“We’ve [also] worked with an Italian deli and boutique cheese shop,” Shoemaker adds. “We’ve worked with a variety of partners— kind of finding the right one, finding a partner that’s going to be able to consistently provide quality stuff on a weekly basis definitely has been a challenge.”
Then, of course, there are the compliance/ permitting challenges associated with getting into foodservice. When AASB opened, Shoemaker recalls having to go back and forth with the local health department to determine how to legally sell food at the distillery.
“And the health department basically told us ‘[You’re] a distillery, we don’t care’ and that we should stop calling them,” she reveals. “Obviously, now that we’re getting bigger, the health department showed up and said, ‘I really think you need to get a permit for all of this.’”
The distillery is now in the process of obtaining an expanded permit, which will give AASB a bit more flexibility. At the time of this interview, AASB was still operating with its initial permit, which forbids staff from directly handling food. The purveyors actually deliver items like charcuterie pre-plated and wrapped in plastic. Sandwiches, wraps and the like also arrive swaddled in Saran.
“It’s been really funny. I’ve been sitting here reading all of the health codes that [tell us] we’ve been fully health code compliant this whole time … as if we had a restaurant permit,”
Shoemaker notes. “The spirits industry is a high-compliance industry and for me it’s really important to be on the up-and-up. … We’ve been really careful that we’ve not been handling any food or anything. But I’ve decided to crack the door open a little bit for us to actually do those things going forward.”
It may not sound like a huge deal, but being able to plate the food that the restaurants deliver is a bit of a game-changer for a distillery that wants to be able offer the same kind of upscale aesthetics for its food that it does for its cocktails.
“We’re giving customers a plate with food on it that’s basically Saran-wrapped, which doesn’t look super-classy,” she says. “I’m excited about [the expanded permit] because that’s going to allow our team to … adjust our presentation upwards a little in a way that I think will match our cocktails.”
And that’s what the objective should be, whether you’re operating an industrial kitchen with a full-service restaurant, food trucks or teaming with local dining establishments to facilitate your gastronomic endeavors: the quality of the food experience should always be in service to growing your raison d’etre, your spirits business.
“As a standalone, we lose money on the food—not a lot, maybe $1,000 a month, once you pay labor,” admits Black Button’s Barrett. “The reason we do it is we believe it helps people stick around longer, have that second cocktail because they’ve got something to munch on. It allows us to do more events where we can upcharge on those events by providing the food ourselves, rather than bring in a caterer. It’s worth doing. It’s a whole other business, so I don’t recommend that people [go into] it lightly. But overall, I think it adds more than it takes away.”
It goes without saying that, just like any other business, it comes down to the people you hire.
“I would say [it involves] finding the right chef, finding somebody who wants to execute this style of service,” offers Philadelphia Distilling’s Selya. “It may be a little more niche because it’s a lot different than other restaurants in the city.”
More importantly, always go into it with both eyes open.
“Be prepared,” says Maggie’s Farm’s Russell. “Make sure you have experienced management if you don’t have the experience yourself because the wrong person could bankrupt you really fast when you’re looking at food costs and things like that.” ■
“I think there’s more of a culture in bigger cities of going to a bar for cocktails and then going to a restaurant for a separate experience. In smaller communities, that’s not a thing.”
—Caley Shoemaker of As Above, So Below Distillery
Foraged Flavors
Distillers are embracing hand-foraged ingredients to create unique, regionally-inspired spirits.
BY RUVANI DE SILVA
Acombination of increased environmental awareness, a desire to source locally, and an emphasis on quality and smallbatch production are becoming increasingly important to consumers and producers across the beverage and food sectors. This is leading a new trend in spirits production: the use of foraged ingredients. While terroir has always been important in the spirits world, the incorporation of hyper-local, hand-foraged ingredients in spirits as varied as gin, whiskey, vodka, amaro and absinthe is bringing a new dimension to regionally focused small-batch distilling. Distillers are using their love of the outdoors and passion for nature to create new, experimental recipes using wild hand-picked plants to offer drinkers a taste of local land and differentiate their product and identity.
In the remote Davis Mountains of West Texas, biologist and gin maker Molly Cummings spends seasonal weekends foraging rare alligator and red berry junipers, native only to this region, to make the two varieties of her WildGins brand, WildBark and WildJune. A professor at the University of Texas, Cummings became intrigued when she learned that 98% of gins are made solely from the common European juniper, but that Texas boasts eight varieties all of its own, and made it her mission to find the ones that made the best gin. “I was on a quest to see what Texas had to offer,” she says. Cummings’ knowledge and perseverance paid off, and her unique, flavorsome gins are now staples at bars and restaurants around the Lone Star State and sold at most major Texas liquor stores. Cummings says she’s the only gin maker in the world to use these berries, all of which she forages by hand on private land whose owners she has formed close relationships with in her 10-plus years of visiting the Davis Mountains in search of juniper.
“The attraction of foraging is that it really brings a local tie to what you’re eating and drinking,” says Cummings. “By foraging local juniper varietals, I really get to Texify the heart of my gin—to take something that’s typically European and transform it to something Texan, highlighting our regional terroir.” While many Texans might not make it out to the wilds of the Davis Mountains, whose dramatic peaks and crags were formed by 35-million-year-old volcanic magma, they can sip on a bright, sweet-tart cranberrypomegranate-esque WildJune or dry, earthy aromatic piney-herb WildBark and imbibe the rich, varied landscape of rural West Texas.
In Coram, Montana, nestled between Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park, Glacier Distilling Co. has been making small-batch foraged spirits and liqueurs since 2012. “Most everyone at Glacier Distilling was a forager in some manner before they started [here],” says Nate Conners, director of sales and marketing. “From picking wild huckleberries on hikes to foraging for morel mushrooms in the springtime, foraging is embedded into the Montana ethos and the experience of spending time outdoors in the mountains.”
Glacier uses wild, hand picked huckleberries in its Bearproof Huckleberry Whiskey, Huckleberry Liqueur and Huckleberry Gin; foraged wormwood in its Trail of the Cedars absinthe; and foraged wild spruce tips in its gin. “We are lucky to have so many resources that are quite literally just outside our back door,” says Conners, “Being able to incorporate these local ingredients in a sustainable manner really helps to set our products apart from other, mass-produced spirits.”
Two time zones to the east in Asheville, North Carolina, Eda Rhyne Distilling Co. applies a holistic philosophy to its production
process and uses heirloom grains to make some of the most innovative American herbbased spirits. Appalachian Fernet, Amaro Oscura, Amaro Flora and Pinnix Gin all include locally foraged ingredients, including spicebush leaves and berries, angelica root, mountain mint, chicory, dandelion root, bee balm, sumac and spruce and hemlock tips. “Everything that we make is chosen because we really like the flavor, the history, and the process. There is also a mystery and almost mysticism of these products that we think is really cool,” says president Rett Murphy.
Combining farming experience, folk knowledge and relationships with local landowners, Murphy and co-owner Chris Bowen have crafted a range of liqueurs that riff off traditional Italian styles but capture the essence of the Appalachian Mountains. Murphy is keen to highlight the roots of many of Eda Rhyne’s ingredients in folk medicine and culture.
“Dandelion root is really good for increasing liver function, aiding in digestion and fighting general inflammation, while chicory root is anti-diabetic, antioxidant and prebiotic,” he says. “Sumac is good for blood sugar and general heart health, also very high in
“We are lucky to have so many resources that are quite literally just outside our back door. Being able to incorporate these local ingredients in a sustainable manner really helps to set our products apart from other, mass-produced spirits.”
—Nate Connors of Glacier Distilling Co.
vitamins A and C, while bee balm is good for indigestion, and for combatting infections and cold and flu symptoms.”
This in-depth knowledge of local ingredients is key to Eda Rhyne’s identity. “Our use of these plants is one way that we are connecting with this place that is our home,” says Murphy.
Portland’s Freeland Spirits is a womanowned company whose gin includes oxalis, salal berries, chanterelle mushrooms and nettle, all foraged locally. “Our Forest Gin is inspired by a walk in the woods, and we wanted to highlight ingredients from the woods as much as possible,” says master distiller and partner Molly Troupe, “And anytime you can get a team together and field trip into the woods is a mental health day win.”
This consciousness of escape and mental space is a major driver for distillers to forage. At WildGins, Cummings makes a similar point. “There is an undeniable satisfaction of being connected with nature and making the connection between the plant and the bottle— there’s a thrill to it—especially when compared to a typical day job stuck with a computer— this is the antithesis. We can be connected to trees and fresh air.” ■
“The attraction of foraging is that it really brings a local tie to what you’re eating and drinking. By foraging local juniper varietals, I really get to Texify the heart of my gin—to take something that’s typically European and transform it to something Texan, highlighting our regional terroir.”
—Molly
Cummings of WildGins
WHO’S WHO IN CRAFT SPIRITS
Getting to know ACSA member producers in their own words
Middle West Spirits
Founded in 2008, Columbus, Ohio-based Middle West Spirits combines a reverence for traditional whiskey-making techniques with innovative practices. The distillery sources Ohio grains to craft award-winning spirits that reflect its meticulous journey and dedication to quality. Founding head distiller and CEO Ryan Lang shares a look at the growing distillery and some upcoming whiskey releases.
Distilled Down: When we decided to make whiskey, our team took several journeys. First, to several states in the U.S., then to Ireland and Scotland, in order to learn techniques from the makers and experience how different equipment and methods can vary the end product. The next part of the journey started from the ground up, because we knew how important grains are in making whiskeys. We considered various Ohio soils and seeds from different regions of the U.S. We also worked with The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in seed selection for growing our unique grains here. There are two types of Ohio soils (bedrock and basin) and they work in different ways that grow grains with unique characteristics. We work with farmers in Ohio, managing this soil as well as the seeds for our grains that are non-GMO and food grade. This experience and expertise ensure we deliver quality, consistency and scalability.
Vibe: Although we have been around for 16 years, we are still very nimble and have a balance of experienced and new team members. This means we are always balancing the need for consistency with the challenge of trying new things.
Playlist: Our playlist is like our team in that it varies greatly. If you were here for a full day, you would likely hear music from multiple decades and many genres.
Inspiration: I have a great reverence for the history of whiskey making from before it even started in the U.S., so some of the oldest distilleries in Europe like Bowmore and Glengoyne inspire me.
Flagship Spirit: Four Grain Bourbon
Additional Notable Spirits: Besides Bourbon, the other core whiskeys are Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey and Wheat Whiskey, but we also
make a line of vodkas (OYO) and two gins (Vim & Petal and Lux & Umbra).
Buzzworthy: Within this past year, we completed the expansion of Middle West Spirits with our new Alum Creek whiskey distillery in Columbus. We now have more capacity for both our branded and custom distilling so that our original distillery can be used for vodka and gin production and any small batches of whiskey.
In the Near Future: In September, we will have a Double Cask Vino de Naranja, which is a double cask whiskey made with our Wheat Whiskey and Dark Pumpernickel Rye that has been aged in a secondary vino de naranja cask from Spain. This will be bottled at cask strength as a single barrel, so it will be very limited. In October, we will have another new Double Cask Collection offering: Napoleon Calvados Whiskey. This is also a blend of our Wheat Whiskey and Dark Pumpernickel Rye that has been aged in a secondary Calvados cask and bottled at cask strength.
Lastly, in October, we will be launching a Cask Strength Series of our core whiskeys (Four Grain Bourbon, Wheat Whiskey and Dark Pumpernickel Rye Whiskey) at cask strength.
The Distant Future: Since Middle West Spirits was founded, we have been very focused on taking our time and determining our own pace of growth so we stay true to the things that started us on this journey. We are honored to be a part of the fellowship of whiskey making and proud of the awards and accolades we have won along the way. We hope that 10 years from now, we will have turned our journey into a piece of whiskey history that is more than a cocktail but becomes a memorable experience for whiskey drinkers and anyone who appreciates craftsmanship.
Advice for Anyone Thinking About Starting a Distillery: We were determined to distill our own whiskey and know from experience that you have to cultivate great mentors and partners along the way in order to get a distillery built and running. Making whiskey is a long-game proposition, so having trusted partners who can help you with the many pieces of the puzzle is a good way to build a strong foundation.
Learn more at middlewestspirits.com
Copperworks Distilling Co.
Seattle-based Copperworks Distilling Co. creates craft spirits while prioritizing sustainable farming and a collaborative, community-focused atmosphere. The distillery was founded by brewers Jason Parker and Micah Nutt in 2011, and Jeff Kanof, ACSA’s secretary/treasurer, joined as vice president and co-owner a few years later. Parker, the distillery’s president, shares details on a shift in Copperworks’s whiskey offerings and more.
Distilled Down: We are founded by brewers and make all of our products from a beer with no hops. This means we boil our wash to sanitize, concentrate and drive off undesirable volatiles. We ferment with ale brewing yeast for seven days, then cold-condition the beer for 14 days to allow the flavors to mature into what tastes like a delicious, malty beer without any bitterness or sourness. Everything that comes after (distilling, maturing, blending and proofing) are all
modified from traditional methods to highlight the malt and beer flavors.
We source all of our barley from Washington, and feature single variety, single farm, and single vintage barley crops, with the intent of showcasing a diversity of flavors possible based on crop, soil, farm location and techniques.
Last year, over 30% of our barley came from Salmon Safe Certified farms. We intend to increase that percentage every year.
Vibe: At both our Seattle waterfront production facility/tasting room and our new Kenmore bar/tasting room/event space, the vibe is a combination of pride, education and team, team, team! Everyone is involved in multiple aspects of the business: distillers hold bar shifts, give tours and teach. Bartenders attend classes we teach, give tours and help with construction. Office workers give tours, work the tasting room and help with production. People go out after work
and have dinners together on weekends. It’s a family that gets great work done.
Playlist: We don’t have music playing in the production area. There’s too much to listen to—pumps, forklifts, FedEx drivers knocking on the door with deliveries, each other’s conversation, and folks visiting—to have music playing publicly. Our head distiller, Thomas, likes to listen to tracks of music he’s working on, audio books, or podcasts in one ear while keeping the other open for all the things mentioned prior.
The tasting room folks working each day decide what they want the customer playlist to be, based on their personal preference and how their customers are feeling that day. Literally anything goes that’s not too distracting to customers learning about our products.
Inspiration: I’m constantly inspired by St. George Spirits, especially Lance Winters, Dave Smith, and Christopher Jordan;
Westland Distillery, especially Matt Hofmann; Joe O’Sullivan anywhere he is; all of the Good Guy Distillers; Charles Finkel (my mentor); Wendell Berry; and all farmers, but especially those dedicating their lives and eking out a living without compromising their commitment to improving soil quality and community. And finally, literally everyone who is following their passion and living a full life, no matter what it may be.
Flagship Spirit: Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey
Additional Notable Spirits: We’re also super proud of and amazed by the public enthusiasm for our Plum Gin and our dozens of caskfinished gins we experiment with.
Buzzworthy: After eight years of releasing a different whiskey every time, Copperworks will be committing to three lines of whiskey starting this July: Maltsmith, based on
our original five-malt recipe; Farmsmith, always a single variety expression exploring the effects of terroir; and Peatsmith, our peated whiskey produced with peat from Washington State.
In the Near Future: We recently announced plans to take over the brewing facilities of Pike Brewing Co. in the Pike Place Market district of Seattle. I was the first brewer at Pike (helping open that brewery in 1989) and am happy to take over the old brewhouse (new in 1996) now that Pike Brewing has built a new brewhouse three miles south. Note that Pike Pub and Fish Bar will remain open as they have been for almost 35 years.
The Distant Future: In 10 years, we’ll be encouraging and supporting even more farmers to commit to bioregenerative farming, Salmon Safe certification and sustainable practices as we pay them living wages to farm the right way for the planet and their
community and help them get out of the commodity market downward spiral. We’ll measure success by how much we can donate to our community while staying profitable and supporting our team and partners, and we’ll be paying dividends to our 3,000-plus investors and making them even more proud to be a part owner of the company.
Advice for Anyone Thinking About Starting a Distillery: Develop your personal philosophy of what you wish to accomplish before you die, plan how to accomplish your vision, then enjoy working your entire life developing that vision. It won’t actually be work. It’ll be a privilege and an honor. Be kind to everyone you meet and don’t bother to keep score, just give whatever you can and the community you create will support you. Oh, and be prepared to spend all of your money. All of it. Forever.
Jason Parker
Jeff Kanof
Michah Nutt
Whiskey Del Bac
Founded by the daughter and father team of Amanda Paul and Stephen Paul in 2011, Tucson, Arizona-baed Whiskey Del Bac is named after a 17th century Spanish mission, San Xavier del Bac. “Whiskey Del Bac” is a combination of English, Spanish and the native Tohono O’Odham tongue meaning “Whiskey of the Place Where the River Reappears in the Sand.” While it may be tempting to call it Del Bac Whiskey, it is definitely Whiskey Del Bac.
Distilled Down: We started as a father/ daughter duo with a strong sense of place—a love of the Sonoran Desert—and a love of single malt whiskey. We wanted to manifest the character of the desert in a whiskey.
We malt our own barley for our mesquite smoked expressions which is a rare undertaking on a national and global level. Malting is labor intensive, but we find the mesquited (not peated) malt we produce exceeds anything we can purchase commercially.
We also distill in such an extreme climate. We know terroir in spirits can be a much debated topic but we find that our climate, water and regional fuel source have a great impact on our end result. Our extreme diurnal shift, often in excess of 35 degrees, also plays a huge role in our maturation rate.
Vibe: Very much a family atmosphere. Maybe too many dad jokes, many of which come from our CEO Kent Cheeseman. Our staff is a creative, fun bunch. During the day in the office we’ll hear peals of laughter coming from the production crew. Our distillery cat, Two-Row, just celebrated her retirement and is now living with our head distiller (and ACSA board member) Mark A. Vierthaler, so he and distiller Abbey Fife are currently interviewing applicants to be the next generation of mousers for Whiskey Del Bac. Stephen’s dog Ada, the Aussie, is always here to greet customers in the retail shop and generally manage everyone in the building.
Playlist: Our production crew is in charge of the tunes and is an eclectic bunch. So there’s a little bit of everything, depending on the mood and who’s playing DJ for the day, although typically our lead distiller Dustin Cox controls the tunes. We’ve got everything from hardcore to Emo to old school rap to
opera to fusion jazz to alternative to classical to EDM on the speakers at any given time.
Inspiration: There are so many but we’ll stick to American single malt producers here, though other craft producers paved roads we now travel. After about 2015 we became aware that there were other distillers producing American single malts. We visited Colin Spoelman at Kings County Distillery in their early days which was such a treat. We very much admired Matt Hofmann at Westland Distillery and Christian Krogstad. Their sense of regionalism resonated with us. And Jared Himstedt at Balcones Distilling is a true sage. A couple of years later Tommy Erwin and Ty Phelphs at Andalusia Whiskey Co. started doing great work. After the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was founded in 2016, we realized we were members of this community that to this day remains so special. The American single malt producers are scrappy, adventurous, brave and fun to be around, and it is a real honor to be in the company of such visionaries.
Flagship Spirit: The mesquited Dorado is the reason we started the distillery. We wanted to see if we could make an American single malt whiskey that is truly from the Sonoran Desert where we live. Mesquite smoke is a compelling aroma that pervades our region, from neighbors burning it in their fireplaces on winter nights, our many festivals where purveyors are cooking over it for carne asada, or a desert campfire. One thing we were happy to find with the Dorado is that the mesquite smoke is softer on the palate than peat. Stephen was never fond of the heavily peated Islay Scotches because of the medicinal, iodine note they have. We know there are millions of people around the world that love that note, but the mesquite offers a different smoked experience, and evokes the Desert Southwest so strikingly.
Additional Notable Spirits: Our Global Cask Collection is a series of three annual special (broad market) releases that grew out of our Distillers’ Cuts program. The Whiskey Del Bac Frontera is our Classic finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks. Released every spring, it is followed in the fall by our Normandie, which is also our Classic, but finished in ex-Calvados casks. Then in
Stephen Paul Amanda Paul
December we release our Ode to Islay, which is extra mesquited beyond the smokeyness of our core Dorado..
Buzzworthy: A very cool addition over the last year and a half is our new brand Sentinel of the Desert that currently offers a Straight Rye whiskey with a Straight Bourbon planned for 2025. We source two- and three-year-old rye from MGP and finish it in ex-Dorado barrels to let it take on some of the mesquite character. And then before bottling, we filter it through mesquite charcoal to round off the spice notes a bit. During our malting, we generate quite a lot of mesquite charcoal, similar to the Lincoln County Process for Tennessee Whiskey where they use maple charcoal. We’re in Pima County down here in Baja Arizona, so we’re calling it the Pima County Process.
In the Near Future: In September we have our annual Whiskey Del Bac Normandie release. This is one of our favorite expressions we produce, finished in ex-Calvados casks. We release about 1,400 bottles a year nationwide and it tends to go fast. It’s one of our highest rated and most award-winning offerings.
The Distant Future: The dream is to eventually build a destination distillery in the Tucson area to celebrate the amazing heritage of our community and our whiskeys. The dynamic is so fluid regarding growth trajectory, attracting strategic partners, and more so when this happens is anyone’s guess. What we know is that, under the leadership of our CEO, we’ve recruited an amazing team, improved the quality of our whiskeys, launched a new brand, are growing market share locally and expanding into new markets, all of which is garnering us a bunch of national and international recognition—all good things.
Advice for Anyone Thinking About Starting a Distillery: Think long and hard about how much work you’re willing to put in and how much money you can spend or raise. Getting the system up and running is just the start. Employing talented people, marketing, sales, refining your product mix and expanding your reach are all incredibly expensive. You’ll need five times what you think you need to survive and 10 times that to expand your market. Look around at the success rate of small distilleries and examine the resources and drive you have to beat the odds. Make sure you have something special to offer the marketplace and that you can be exceptional in differentiating your distillery from everyone else. Definitely recognize your own personal weaknesses and bring people in who are stronger than you in those areas. We had an idea and enough fortitude to execute it to a certain level in the first years despite having no background in spirits production. We were both designers and craftspeople with no experience in the alcohol industry. The level of talent in our team now is phenomenal in so many ways—way beyond our own.
Learn more at whiskeydelbac.com
SPIRIT OF THE GREEN MOUNTAINS
Vermont’s rich history and agricultural bounty inspire its renowned craft spirits, blending tradition with innovation.
BY JOHN HOLL
Ask just about any Vermonter and they’ll give you an example of a local product of which they are proud: from maple syrups to beer, ice cream, cheeses, furniture, and more. Of course, this connects to spirits.
Besides the obvious geographic advantage of being a vacation destination, Vermont has a distilling history that stretches back more than 200 years, says Mimi Buttenheim, president of Mad River Distillers in Waitsfield.
“At its peak in the 1830s, most every town in Vermont had a local distillery,” says Buttenheim, who is also the president of the Distilled Spirits Council of Vermont. “Because of the success and recognition of Vermont’s craft beer industry, we have strong support from the state legislature and governor’s office, as well as access to those excellent local and regional organic ingredients, including the highest quality corns, barley and ryes.”
This has led to the small and largely rural state to be a leader in craft spirits.
“Thanks in large part to that connection with the land and agriculture, Vermont is home to some of the best spirits, beer and dairy producers in the world and has a well-deserved reputation for quality and craftsmanship when it comes to food and beverages,” says Ryan Christiansen, the president and head distiller at Caledonia Spirits in Montpelier, which produces the line of Barr Hill Gin and Vodka. “For us, Vermont is not only the source of inspiration for all that we do, but it also informs our understanding of the fragile web of interconnectedness between people and planet and pollinators.”
Time and time again in conversations with craft distillers, the topic of farming comes up.
Christiansen says the company’s gin and vodka are made with regional raw honey. For their whiskey, the grains are grown on local, small farms. From learning how oak
“Thanks in large part to that connection with the land and agriculture, Vermont is home to some of the best spirits, beer and dairy producers in the world and has a welldeserved reputation for quality and craftsmanship when it comes to food and beverages.”
—Ryan Christiansen of Caledonia Spirits
Alex Hilton of Mad River Distillers
Mimi Buttenheim of Mad River Distillers
is harvested to create the barrels used for aging, to how the lands are rested between growing seasons impacts the soil quality, Christiansen says that connection has helped grow customer support.
Caledonia was founded 12 years ago and Christiansen said that as the distillery has grown it hasn’t veered from its process “or our mission to reconnect cocktail culture with agriculture.” In 2024 Caledonia was a finalist for Outstanding Bar at the James Beard Awards.
Other state staples make it into bottles. The founder of Vermont Spirits Distilling Co. developed a process and unique glass column still to ferment maple sap to help create the brand’s Vermont Gold Vodka.
“All of our brands pay homage to Vermont, using local ingredients is distinctive ways to craft our amazing spirits,” says Randy Carlson the CEO, of Vermont Spirits in Quechee.
Mad River Distillers’ Revolution Rye, for example, uses three different types of Northeastern rye, which has a distinct flavor profile compared to the pepper of Midwestern rye or the bite on the finish of a Canadian rye, says Buttenheim.
“While it can be confusing on first sip, particularly to a blind tasting panel unaware of the composition, it is unique and makes for an exceptional Manhattan,” she says.
Local aquifers provide ideal water for distilling, and many of the distilleries are also members of the Northeast Grainshed
Alliance, a group committed to creating a regional food chain.
Tourism is an undeniable part of the business models for in-state craft distilleries. The Distilled Spirits Council of Vermont offers a tasting tour and there is an active appeal to the residents of surrounding states to visit Vermont.
“The Boston metro area is our biggest marketplace, both off and on-premise,” says Buttenheim. “If a visitor comes to Vermont and has a good experience with our whiskey and rum, be it in a restaurant or at our Burlington tasting room, we want them to bring that experience back home with them and share it with their friends.”
For Carlson, location matters as well. He says that the distillery’s location is also home to attractions like the Quechee Gorge, Simon Pearce glass, the Vermont Antique Mall and hosts the Quechee BalloonFest. Located on the state’s main east-to-west thoroughfare, nearly four million cars pass through each year.
“Being part of our local community and Vermont connects our brand to our place,” he says.
Lost Lantern Whiskey takes a different tack than others. It calls itself a “fully transparent independent bottler, modeled on a long Scotch tradition.”
Co-founder Adam Polonski says rather than distilling its own whiskey, Lost Lantern buys casks from distilleries across the country and
releases them either whole or as a blend.
“It’s our way of helping whiskey lovers discover and get their hands on whiskey from the best distilleries across the country,” says Polonski, who was recently elected to the American Craft Spirits Association’s Board of Directors. He says that visitors to the tasting room in Vergennes can experience a wide range of flavors and get a sense of place from different distilleries.
“We are a great destination both for whiskey geeks and for people who are new to whiskey and want to learn more. In fact, [we offer] our Intro to Whiskey flight, which focuses on introducing people to the core styles of American whiskey and how they are different,” he says.
Even though Lost Lantern showcases outof-state whiskies, Polonski says the company also focuses on Vermont and highlights the craft production all around them.
“Vermont is the second smallest state in the country by population, but we punch well above our weight culturally, he says.”
From the changing leaves in autumn, to the perfect pancake topping, to those can-do spirits, the craft distillers of Vermont know that the state is part of their story, but that is not simply enough to rely on.
“The local narrative helps to sell a bottle once, but that doesn’t matter unless as a brand you’re good enough to compel a customer to buy it a second and third time,” says Buttenheim. ■
Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski of Lost Lantern
“Being part of our local community and Vermont connects our brand to our place.”
—Randy Carlson of Vermont Spirits Distilling
Co
Harry Gorman and Randy Carlson of Vermont Spirits
DRINKS TO SAVOR FROM ACSA MEMBERS
Cute-cumber
Mixing the freshness of mint and cucumber with the botanical flavors of New Richmond, Wisconsin-based 45th Parallel Distillery’s Midwest Gin, this cocktail brings a welcomed yet unexpected twist to your classic gimlet. It is a delightful refreshment to escape the summer heat.
Ingredients
1 2/3 ounces 45th Parallel Midwest Gin
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
3 slices cucumber
4-5 mint leaves
Directions
In a cocktail shaker, muddle mint, cucumber and simple syrup. Add lime juice and gin with ice and shake until chilled. Strain the contents of the shaker into a lowball glass and add ice from the shaker until full. Garnish with frozen cucumber balls and a mint sprig.
MIA
Krobar Craft Distillery of San Luis Obispo, California, crafted this cocktail to celebrate the deliciousness of caramelized bananas while also satisfying the front, middle and back of the palate.
Ingredients
2 ounces KROBAR bourbon
1/2 ounce banana syrup
3 dashes house bitters
Directions
Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a rocks glass that has been smoked on cedar and has a large ice cube. Garnish with a caramelized slice of banana.
Wildfire
Inspired by summer evenings spent around bonfires in the woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin’s North Shore, this Old Fashioned will start a fire in your heart for rye whiskey. In this cocktail, 45th Parallel Distillery’s R100 Rye Whiskey, made with 100% rye, is complemented by the aroma of smoked rosemary and sweetness of honey, finished with a refreshing brightness from the citrus garnish.
Ingredients
2 ounces 45th Parallel R100 Rye Whiskey
1/4 ounce honey syrup
1/4 ounce demerara
5 dashes Angostura bitters
Sprig of rosemary
Directions
Using a lighter or match, burn one sprig of rosemary until it is smoking; upend your lowball glass and cover the burning sprig for one minute. Flip your glass and add one large ice cube. Add the remaining ingredients to the glass and stir gently until combined. Garnish with an orange peel.
The Trick Dog
Furnace Street Distillery and its cocktail bar are located in the former Trick Dog Art Gallery and Coffee House in Elberta, Michigan. This cocktail is a tribute to the former business and the great mosaic tile work that is now a part of the distillery.
Ingredients
2 ounces Furnace Street Distillery Vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce fresh strawberry puree
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes rhubarb bitters
3 small sprigs of fresh parsley
Directions
Add the simple syrup and parsley to a shaker and muddle for 10 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into a glass over fresh ice and garnish with a parsley sprig.
Whiskey Mango Tango
Before coming to Big Machine Distillery in Tennessee, Devin Walden was the master distiller at Tropical Distillers in Miami. This cocktail is inspired by her time in Florida where tropical fruits, especially mangos, were abundant and used in an array of different cocktails and cuisines. With the strong Latin American influence present in Miami, it was a very common thing to see fruit carts on the streets selling cups full of fresh mangos with Tajín. Many bars in the area used this popular combination in their cocktails and Big Machine has brought the flavors to Tennessee for a fun whiskey cocktail perfect for summer.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey
4 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces mango puree
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
6 dashes Tajín
Directions
Using lime juice, rim a tall cocktail glass with salt and Tajín. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a tall cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with a fresh lime.
Hanky Panky
This bittersweet martini variation dates back to 1898 from Ada Coleman at the Savoy Hotel in London. This version from Montpelier, Vermont-based Caledonia Spirits features Barr Hill Gin.
Ingredients
2 ounces Barr Hill Gin
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
Directions
Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with an orange twist.
THE SIPPING SCENE
Exploring the wide world of bars and tasting rooms
Stray Pirate—Tropical Cocktails & Effects
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Tip: Leave The Strip and the tourists behind and escape to this place.
The Scene: Pirate/nautical-themed bar that would make Captain Jack Sparrow proud
The Vibe: Like Brooklyn’s Sunken Harbor Club and Alexandria, Virginia’s Captain Gregory’s, Stray Pirate is the latest to reinvent the tropical cocktail bar with a more nautical and swashbuckling aesthetic, moving away from the Polynesian influences of the tiki genre. Designed to evoke the interior of a ship that has long since descended to the ocean floor, Stray Pirate offers all of the dimly-lit, skull-enhanced escapism you’d expect from such venues, with some modern mixological flourishes from celebrated downtown Las Vegas bar pro Chris “Tater” Gutierrez. You might notice all of the portraits on the walls are of canines in pirate garb. The story Gutierrez and team like to tell is that the crew of the ship were cursed and turned into dogs (which, in some ways, could be more of a blessing).
The menu is organized from a whisper to a scream, starting with lower-key sippers under the heading of “Gentle Swells” (“Smooth sailing spirits and cocktails to relax with”), moving on to “Unbridled Sea” (“Earn your sea legs!”), followed by “Brave the Deep” (“Caveat emptor”), the strongest of the lot. The selection finishes with “Cannon” (“Ship shape standards”), the classic, familiar tropical drinks of the bunch, including Mai Tai, Painkiller, Three Dots & a Dash, et al.
—Jeff Cioletti
GETTING BACK ON THE ROAD TO GROWTH
Distributors weigh in on spirits market volatility and returning overall sales to positive territory.
BY JEFF CIOLETTI
It’s not news to anyone that the spirits industry has had some sales struggles over the past couple of years. That can be attributed to a number of factors, from a change in consumer habits as more of Gen Z reaches legal drinking age to the lingering cloud of inflation.
“2023 was a reset year for us,” said Ray Lombard, executive vice president and general manager of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits’s Craft Collection Luxury Spirits Division, during a panel titled “Delivering Performance at Distribution” at Bar Convent Brooklyn in June. “Our industry hasn’t had a down industry since 1991.”
Lombard was among four distribution executives on the panel, moderated by Park Street’s Emily Pennington and part of the company’s Park Street University education track.
“Interest rates started going up, the cost of living is going up, and people started scaling back,” Lombard continued.
Additionally, many consumers who had been working from home since the start of the pandemic began to return to offices. Lombard argued that going back to commuting cut into a lot of people’s social time. “That’s an hour, hour and a half less of having drinks with friends,” he explained. “Then add ‘California sober,’ cannabis … where [new generations] find marijuana to be healthier than alcohol and much more acceptable than in previous generations. … All of these things were coming together in a six- to eight-month period in a perfect storm.”
However, one factor that often gets overlooked is the fact that inventories have been out of whack thanks to covid and that wholesalers in 2023 drastically pulled back on ordering to level things off on the supply/ demand equation.
“During the pandemic we had supply chain issues … access to containers and so forth, and all of that’s gone away,” Lombard pointed out. “Where distributors were used to 30 to
45-day lead time, ports were shutting down and we had to bring product in at abnormally higher levels because it was do or die. Within two weeks it was gone and you were out of stock for two or three months.”
So, instead of the typical four to six weeks worth of inventory, distributors were stocking for 90 to 120 days. Once the supply chain went back to some semblance of normal, wholesalers slowed down on restocking to deplete an overabundance of SKUs and return to the 30 to 45-day inventory window.
“It’s been a weird few years [and] when the history books get written, the years of the pandemic have to get thrown out,” noted Adam Schumann, spirits portfolio manager at Skurnik Wines. “A lot of producers produced more than they could have afforded to and it’s our fiduciary responsibility to ourselves to be careful how we manage our inventory. We want to do right by our suppliers, but there are limitations to what that means.”
Most of the market headwinds have been due to external factors beyond the industry’s control—which is why distributors are focusing on inventory.
“The one control a distributor has is their inventory,” said Mark Harmann, national sales director at Independent Distributor Network. “Everything else is a set cost: warehousing, trucking, payroll. The more you can lower the days of inventory you have, the better.”
But even before the market felt covid’s effects on the supply chain, the pandemic spurred atypically high sales growth, in the high single digits and, by some measures, the low double digits—driven almost entirely by the off-premise as most on-premise establishments were shuttered or open at
“If you are a new brand, new to the market, new to us, you have to show proof of concept to us,” Oliver said. “We have to know that not only is a brand going to get sold into an account … but that it’s going to drive velocity.”
—John Oliver of Breakthru Beverage
diminished capacity through most of 2020 and part of 2021. And most knew such yearon-year spikes would be unsustainable for such a mature industry that normally grows in the low single digits in the best years.
“2024 still relates to 2020 and 2021 and there were insane years of growth during 2020 and 2021,” noted John Oliver, senior director of business development at Breakthru Beverage.
As the market is digesting the volatility of the past few years, the panelists expressed cautious optimism about the remainder of 2024 and that the spirits business could be clawing its way out of the rut. As that happens, the distributors offered some insights for small brands on the types of partnerships they’re looking for that ultimately benefit all three tiers.
“If you are a new brand, new to the market,
new to us, you have to show proof of concept to us,” Oliver said. “We have to know that not only is a brand going to get sold into an account … but that it’s going to drive velocity. If you’re in 10 accounts and you have high velocity, you probably have a reason to be in 10 more accounts.”
Some questions new brand producers need to answer, Oliver added, are “Why did you create the brand? Is it bringing something new to the table? What is its reason for being.”
Oliver also wants to know what kind of team the owner has behind the brand, as the onus will be on the producer, not the distributor, to promote and support their SKUs in a given market.
“How are they going to take you from bottle one,” he said, “to whatever you view as your one, three- or five-year plan.”
Oliver also identified one significant red flag.
“If somebody says, ‘I want to be in all states,’ that’s a hard ‘no’ right away,” Oliver offered.
A producer must first win the hearts, minds and palates in their own backyard before entertaining the idea of expansion.
“Go deep, not wide,” Oliver said, “unless you have an insane amount of money to spend on people and put them in every market you want to be in. But that’s a hard maybe.”
And your bottle must effectively communicate what’s inside.
“What’s the package?” Lombard asked. “Is it an offensive name?”
Even if it’s not offensive, per se, Oliver advised that the brand owner must still make sure it’s not hard to pronounce. That right there could be a velocity killer.
It goes without saying that you’ve got to do your homework. But Schumann cautioned that you don’t want to be over-reliant on data presentations when pitching to a distributor.
“I’m a junkie for data, but I don’t recommend rolling in hot with bar charts,” Schumann said. “We are more interested in things like your content, your provenance, how you plan to help build. [Don’t] roll in with pie charts and graphs, expectations through numbers. Granted, we’re going to get there, but perhaps lead with what and who you are.”
‘Who you are’ can be a lot of things, but there’s one definite thing it should not be:
“Number one rule,” Harmann warned, “don’t be a dick.” ■
WILD, WILD YEAST
Distillers are boldly exploring the untamed side of fermentation.
BY DEVON TREVATHAN
The entire beverage industry, including beer, wine and spirits—as well as sourdough, yogurt, buttermilk and countless other edible goodies—lives and dies on the function of single-celled fungi called yeast and what they happen to produce as a byproduct of their consumption. We now have multiple suppliers offering a wide range of cultivated yeast, but the idea of fermenting with ambient yeast has spread, evolving into a dominant trend, especially in the brewing and winemaking worlds. Inevitably, distillers are exploring—and in some cases rediscovering—the wide world of wild yeasts.
Contrary to what some might think, wild yeast is not a simple matter. It’s a complex approach to distilling that requires a healthy dose of experience and scientific prowess on the part of the producer if they hope to use it as part of a functional distillery. “After 20 years of added yeast fermentation, I thought I knew about fermentation,” said Richard Seale, master distiller and master blender at Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados. “But wild yeast fermentation showed me how little I knew.”
For a new distillery, using a cultivated yeast strain can offer one constant variable, as well as a history of data points related to that step of production. An established distillery may choose cultivated yeast strains so that it can ensure consistency in a larger volume of overall production.
And, of course, there’s something appealing about the amount of control that a yeast strain from one of the big suppliers offers: You’re selecting the yeast most likely to give you your desired outcome.
“Generally speaking you know what characteristics you’re going to get, and then when you get into using wild strains, that’s kind of when you go the opposite direction where you control all your other factors so you can see how the yeast specifically behaves in
the system,” says Faye Johnson, distiller at Bellemara Distillery in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey. Johnson has also worked at Bootleg Biology, managing projects that worked with wild yeast. “The odds of someone working with local yeast, the odds of that being a pure culture where it’s just that one yeast, are going to be very low unless they’ve already taken the steps to isolate the culture themselves or they bought that pure culture from someone.”
In some parts of the world, wild yeast is nothing new. Rum has been fermenting with native yeast since before it was a trend. Producers throughout the Caribbean cultivate their yeast for its specific flavor offerings and unique character marks, like in Jamaica, where production is intimately tied to its diverse microbiome–the practice of dunder, muck and cane vinegar are all related to that history.
According to Jamaica’s Geographical Indication (GI) for rum, “Fermenting agents are limited to Saccharomyces-type yeasts. Inoculation of the wash may only be carried out by cultured yeast, commercial yeast or naturally occurring yeast in the environment.”
So of the roughly 1,500 species of yeast currently recognized, a producer of Jamaican rum can only use the eight species in the Saccharomyces genus, but that hardly limits the character of the final product. It’s also not uncommon for Jamaican producers to use wooden fermenters, which offer a more yeast-friendly fermentation vessel compared to stainless steel because of the porous and textured nature of the material.
Other rum-making regions are also using wild yeast, like Mexico. Spontaneous fermentation is an active practice in the production of agave-based distillates, and some rum producers there are following suit. “Once the fermentation ends they’ll process about half of it in the still and then they’ll top it up with fresh cane juice,” says Brett Steigerwaldt,
“After 20 years of added yeast fermentation, I thought I knew about fermentation. But wild yeast fermentation showed me how little I knew.” —Richard Seale of Foursquare Rum Distillery
head distiller of Saint Michaels, Marylandbased Lyon Rum, who received a distilling research grant in 2022 to study the administration of bacteria to rum fermentations.
“When they do that, what’s probably going to happen is you’re going to have genetic drift over the course of that fermentation.”
During her time at Bootleg, Johnson became acquainted with this phenomenon. She spoke about one of their biggest jobs, which concerned a brewery in the Midwest that had experienced a type of genetic drift related to flavor in one of their most popular beers, an annual sour release made with Brettanomyces. How exactly the brewery had gotten their house culture was unclear, but over the five-plus years that they had been brewing this annual sour, they noted a distinct evolution in flavor, even though they hadn’t actively changed any step in the process. Unfortunately, during that time they lost a sensory characteristic they loved from earlier iterations of the beer. Johnson received samples of the original, which she looked at in the lab, and found eight individual morphologies present. She was able to isolate and send
back each so that the brewery could find what, exactly, was responsible for the taste they’d coveted.
Speaking of his experiences using wild yeast, Seale notes that, “it’s very simple to execute by comparison. More tricky to manage. My advice would be to maintain an even higher level of sterility in your fermentation environment. It is obviously more vulnerable to runaway exogenous contamination.”
Unintended effects like flavor drift may not happen in distilleries with immaculate wild yeast areas, but they don’t necessarily have to be a negative. Shifting character notes as a result of wild yeast application can create nuanced elements that are useful in a blend, something Jamaican rum producers are very adept at managing.
It could also create an environment for distillers to begin playing around with specific annual releases, with the clear understanding that the next year could be different, treating them like vintages in wine.
“I think there’s a really interesting place for this, specifically in rum but also in the industry, because you can’t really get more local than the yeast literally in your
backyard,” Steigerwaldt says. In an era where concepts of terroir still attract keen interest, the application of wild yeast offers distillers an opportunity to connect to the earth on a microscopic level.
Whether or not distillers will adopt wild yeast into their programs in the same way as other alcohol producers remains a mystery. It’s also hard to tell how, if that did happen, it
would affect the industry overall. “I would say that if we only knew wild fermentation and along came a yeast salesman and delivered the massive boost in consistency and efficiency that comes with pitching cultured yeast, you would think he is a god,” Seale says. “And you would know your business will be revolutionized. Which of course is what happened a little over 100 years ago.” ■
TRANSFORMING THE MARKET
Navigating the challenges and opportunities of direct-to-consumer shipping
BY TERI QUIMBY
E-commerce has transformed the market for consumer goods. And when manufacturers sell products directly to consumers, bypassing retail or other channels, the direct sale is referred to as direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping. Key elements of the DtC retail model for any industry include selfmanagement of product stock levels, non-reliance on third parties for sourcing or delivery, and direct customer communication.
Many industries have seen an increased use of this model, although the alcohol industry runs into challenges with the three-tier system: a manufacturer sells to a distributor, then that distributor sells to a retailer. Consumers are “expected” to purchase alcohol products from retailers, after it reaches that tier.
While much has been written about the legalities of DtC, this article aims to provide context for educating decision-makers about modernizing regulations.
DtC Importance to Craft Spirits
For members of the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), DtC continues to be a hot topic. Getting your unique products directly from the point of manufacture to consumers is critical. Many consumers may never visit a craft spirits location or find these products in local stores for purchase. The wine industry has long benefitted from DtC sales and consumer relationships. It’s time for craft spirits to enjoy similar opportunities.
The DtC disparity between wine and spirits is partly due to the historically placed distinctions between them—spirits have been referred to as “hard” liquor. While the three-tier system has been a distribution system used since the end of Prohibition and has plenty of political power in place to resist any changes to its market control, the wine industry has managed to make strides through its long-standing and consistent advocacy efforts. Notably, these efforts
include fact-based information to educate decision-makers.
Educating Decision-Makers
When you get the opportunity to provide information to consumers, media or government officials in your area, make the most of these situations by preparing for the conversations that you know are coming up. Participating in events like the ASCA Legislative Fly-In to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17-18, is an excellent opportunity to discuss these issue.
When we talk about DtC, a few focus areas for government regulation come to mind, such as product distinctions (differences between wine, beer and spirits); shipping origins (manufacturer vs. retailer); shipping carriers (approved carriers and extra regulations involved with those companies); and sales and delivery (preventing sales to minors, ensuring compliance).
A significant concern is the potential for alcohol to reach minors. Government has an interest in preventing this, not only for DtC, since similar risks exist for on- and off-premise sales and service of alcohol. The question is how to regulate DtC sales (and retail sales) to address these risks. Where DtC is allowed, one common requirement is the use of approved common carriers.
Common Carriers & Comparisons
FedEx and UPS are known as approved carriers for alcohol shipments. After years of dialogue and discussion, these companies have achieved this status by having stringent agreements in place. They now commonly ship wine, for example, directly from the manufacturer to a consumer. Government agencies have worked very closely with these businesses to instill a good working relationship on this important DtC issue, and maybe some fear as well about possible violations.
Setting aside politics, if these common carriers are approved to handle wine, then why not allow for distilled spirits in the same states? It seems feasible to do on a broader scale through the services of the approved common carriers.
Additionally, federal legislation has again been introduced this session with the proposed United States Postal Service Shipping Equity Act, H.R. 3721. Given the access by the USPS for its “last mile” routes to reach all addresses, this seems to make a lot of sense from a logistics perspective. On a side note, while the USPS is currently prohibited from mailing alcohol, it can handle certain hazardous materials for mailing. If specific guidance for toxic and infectious substances can be implemented, logic would seem to imply that guidance for mailing alcohol could also be implemented. The topic of prescription medications mailed through the UPSP could also be mentioned here.
Different States, Different Regulations
States regulate alcohol in different ways, even for the same product. Take wine, for example, which has enjoyed DtC benefits longer than spirits. In general, some states may allow in-state shipping from a manufacturer to a consumer but prohibit out-of-state shipments from coming in; others may permit in-person orders while consumers are physically on-site but ban e-commerce sales. Some states may allow retailer shipments but not direct from manufacturer shipments. Further, some may limit quantity or size. The point here is that alcohol regulation in general is not a one-size fit for all states, especially with DtC; nuances exist between them.
While the part about getting products “to the consumer” is relatively clear, other details are debatable. Directly from where? Will it come from a manufacturer? Or a retailer? How will it travel to consumers, and will it cross a state line? Controversy is created
with any potential disruption to the three-tier distribution system. All these topics are on the minds of decision-makers.
Challenges and Opportunities
Changing alcohol regulations involves politics, lobbying and dialogue between interest groups. Education is crucial to inform decision-makers about the benefits and safety of DtC sales. It can be done, as shown by the states that allow for greater market access through DtC shipment of spirits. This demonstrates that regulation can meet state objectives without a prohibition on DtC sales. Dialogue between interest groups and decision-makers provides education, which is a key component in making better decisions. Education (to inform on an issue) is different than lobbying (to persuade to take a specific action on an issue). Some groups like the status quo of alcohol regulations and prefer to limit changes. One of the best ways to fuel change, though, is to initiate factbased dialogue on the issue. Unsupported
statements can easily take hold, absent the provision of fact-based information.
Whether we’re talking about old or new regulations, an important point to understand is the government’s interest in regulating alcohol (or anything else). Basically, the government needs a good reason to regulate, which could involve an interest such as health, safety, and welfare, or the collection of taxes. Without getting into the legal layers of differentiation between terms like legitimate, compelling, or rational state interests, the takeaway here is that government regulations must be based on a state interest and only be as restrictive as needed to reach the government objective. With DtC, the question to be asked is: What is the state interest and what is reasonable regulation?
Clarity in Laws and Rules
Did you know that an unconstitutional law can be enacted and be presumed valid for years? The same for promulgated rules or guidance. Laws and regulations are presumed
valid once enacted or promulgated, unless or until invalidated later. We have seen alcohol laws and regulations ruled unconstitutional or otherwise unenforceable by courts, although these challenges are few and far between. This is at least partly attributable to the time, effort and cost that goes into these cases. By far, it is best to have clear language in place. However, changes to the age-old alcohol regulatory structure are not easy to get politically. But leaving these regulations “the way they have always been” doesn’t account for marketplace innovation like e-commerce and DtC.
Final and Future Thoughts About DtC
You’re thinking about a craft spirits product you enjoyed on a trip. Something you can’t get at your local store or can’t get shipped to you. You may still be in luck because we are quickly entering a new (alcohol) world of innovation. Imagine this: You pay for your choice of craft product online, a code is emailed to you or a local establishment by the craft spirits manufacturer, and a machine in your area
When you get the opportunity to provide information to consumers, media or government officials in your area, make the most of these situations by preparing for the conversations that you know are coming up.
uses the code to make the desired product right before your eyes. Yes, right then and there. Could this be possible?
It may not be too far-fetched, given the news about a Belgian machine doing something like this for beer. “Proximity” is the new name of the game for many things in our lives, which can include alcohol. Innovation is here, and more is quickly coming to give us what we want, when we want it, where and more. It is forward looking and fast-paced.
For now, let’s focus on the rapidly evolving DtC model to get craft spirits directly from the manufacturer to consumers. Driven by consumer demand for convenience and choice, regulatory frameworks must adapt to keep pace with innovative changes in the marketplace. Important issues like sales to minors have been addressed for
on- and off-premise licensees, enabling those businesses to sell and serve alcohol. With dialogue and discussion, addressing this for DtC shipping should be achievable.
Many of us likely agree that alcohol regulations haven’t changed much through the years. And merely applying a few bandages here and there will likely leave regulations lagging far behind consumer choices or demands, and business innovation.
You can help educate decision-makers to make informed choices to modernize laws and regulations. Engaging in fact-based dialogue and education is essential to modernize regulations and expand DtC opportunities for craft spirits. By understanding and addressing these issues, stakeholders can help shape a responsible yet flexible and consumer-friendly regulatory environment. What upcoming
conversations do you have scheduled to help change this? ■
Teri Quimby is a former state alcohol regulator. Her work on legal and compliance issues is published regularly. Disclaimer:
This column is for education purposes only. It should not be construed as specific legal advice or establishment of any attorney client relationship.
JOIN US ON CAPITOL HILL
The craft spirits industry sluggishly moves forward. Economic headwinds continue to hit hard. But we can work — together — to change that! Join us as we educate Congress on the issues facing our small businesses. Let’s teach them about the hardships we have with market access. Come share your story with those on Capitol Hill. JOIN US THIS
Register now for the ACSA Fly-In, which includes a session with TTB executive leadership. Space is limited.
CRAFT SPIRIT LABELS THAT STAND OUT
Labels continue to evolve—both in their design and the technology behind them.
BY ANDREW KAPLAN
Craft distillers have unique needs when it comes to packaging. And as the industry has expanded, packaging companies are coming up with new ways to cater to those needs whether it is through new label design methods or easy-to-use label applicators.
One company, Huntsville, Alabama-based LSINC, says it has come up with a more affordable and sustainable digital printing solution that imitates labels and threedimensional embellishments using just ink with no paper or plastic required. Longtime Tennessee distiller, Phil Prichard, of Prichard’s Distillery, believes the technology holds so much promise he is putting together a separate business, Creative Glass, LLC, to offer the service to distilleries and wineries. “It is a beautiful technology
and it’s going to take labeling to another level,” Prichard says.
It’s not just about new labeling technology, however. Designers creating craft spirits labels are also moving beyond the traditional concept of what a spirit label should look like. Including local elements from the distillery’s hometown is one way, while another is adapting design ideas from other products, such as coffee, oat milk, even olive oil.
Explains Justin Page, who owns the eponymously named Justin Page Design Co. in northern California: “If two people have a very similar vodka, how do you convince the consumer that yours is the one they want? I think of the package like a sculpture. You have all these elements that you can play with to create an enticing object.”
New Technology Raises the Game
LSINC says its family of direct-toobject printers—the PeriOne, PeriQ and Perivallo360m—have several advantages for craft spirits companies. While they are slower than other printing methods, they can handle the smaller packaging runs of many craft distillers. In fact, because digital printing does not require long and expensive make-ready processes, the minimum order quantity can be as low as one item, making the printers a good fit for personalized and customized bottles, market testing and prototyping. Also, digital UV is a green technology without the inherent problems associated with adhesives and shrink material. And lastly, the printers can also achieve embellishments like simulated cartouche, embossing and tactile
effects by increasing the print resolution.
Brad Canfield, LSINC’s applications engineer, explains a craft distillery can use the printers on cheap glass bottles to make them look more premium. “So, when you start thinking about setting yourself apart, you can take this one piece of glass and completely transform it for anyone’s need without the expense and the lead times,” he says. “And as a decorator, I can click a mouse button and the design completely changes rather than doing seven or eight hours of set up on a screen print machine or a flexo printer.”
The downside is the price. The printers carry a price tag of $225,000 and up, making them more reasonable for a company like the one Pritchard is creating to service multiple craft distillery customers with the technology. Unless, that is, the distillery wants to take the
While label design and technology continue to change, one thing that has remained the same is their main purpose, and that is to quickly and easily help convey the craft spirit’s story.
plunge. LSINC says one has been sold to an upstate New York winery that wanted to bring its printing in-house, for instance.
Adds Canfield “So, what we have now is a sustainable option, virtually unlimited colors, seamless print, and embellishments like tactile effects, embossing and texture. It bridges all the gaps and limitations from screen printing to PSL to shrink sleeving. Digital will not be the answer for all bottle decorating due to speed, but it provides another tool that can be utilized where it fits best.”
Another packaging design company, Thomasville, North Carolina-based Wright Labels, uses a different technology capable of embellishing the bottles. It is called DomeTec, which it describes as cost effective and made in the U.S. DomeTec makes use of multiple layers of PVC and adhesive
impressed and fused together to create a three-dimensional label.
Don Wright, the company’s CEO, says he has noticed more craft spirits companies looking to add a variety of eye-catching effects to their labels. “Lots of companies are using additional add-on embellishments, including metallic badges and accent icons that emphasize the company logo,” he says. “They are usually made of plastic or actual metal applied with pressure sensitive adhesive.”
Taking Label Design in New Directions
When it comes to the label designs, California-based CF Napa Brand Design owner David Schuemann has seen more of what he calls ‘hometown hero’ labels— designs meant to appeal to consumers in the distillery’s town or city. He says it fits with the trend of more distillers focusing their energies on building stable businesses locally. “So rightsizing their distillery so they can make a living selling locally and not having a business plan or goal that requires them to scale up,” he says. “Some are doing destination distilleries which really build a pull to their site. The results are label designs that are really hyper-focused towards that local consumer.”
One example is the design he did for Bird Creek Distillery, a producer of whiskey out of Portland, Oregon. In this case the labels subtly differentiate the company’s whiskey offerings while the bottle itself contains visual reminders of place. The bottle’s punt is a replica of Mount Adams, the second highest mountain in Washington state, with the company’s name shown in elegantly simple white lettering. It is the colored neck labels that serve as visual differentiators for the whiskeys based on the rare northwest barleys
Labelmate USA’s Botlr can be connected directly to an Epson printer.
LSINC’s printers offer a variety of benefits for craft distillers.
“If two people have a very similar vodka, how do you convince the consumer that yours is the one they want? I think of the package like a sculpture. You have all these elements that you can play with to create an enticing object.”
—Justin Page
each uses. “Our whiskeys are named after all these barleys,” explains owner Mark Stell, pointing out that the name Bird Creek comes from his favorite hike on Mount Adams. “We were trying to design something that was really personal to us and our experience in the northwest here.”
Another example is the Arnold, Californiabased Hinterhaus Distilling packaging designed by Page. “With our packaging, just like our spirits, we always want every bottle to reflect in some way, shape or form, our home in the Sierra Nevadas,” says Hinterhaus owner Bonnie Boglioli-Randall. So, the labels Page designed include local imagery like wooden logs, Sequoia trees, flowers and birds. She says this appeals to many of the visitors the area gets from the Bay Area on weekends or for vacations. The packaging won a gold medal in the latest installment of the Craft Spirits Packaging Awards in the vodka category.
And for Regimental Spirits, the label designed by Berlin Packaging’s Studio
One Eleven speaks to the brand’s military heritage with a canvas texture, strong bold brand mark, battle flag graphic and patriotic colors. “It perfectly complements the custom
canteen-inspired bottle to tell a compelling and meaningful story,” says Moira Stein, Berlin Packaging’s insights and strategy Consultant.
Leading with bold fonts and slightly fresh takes on traditional designs are two label
trends Karen Locke, founder of High-Proof Creative, in Portland, has been noticing a lot. “Many of the newer brands like to celebrate the history of distilling so a lot of the labels and trends that we’re seeing are still kind of
reflecting pre-Prohibition looks, but maybe with a slight upgrade. So not completely old-school,” she says. This, she says, often includes elements on bourbon brands like gold foil and more traditional fonts.
But at the same time, she has recently also observed influences from other consumer products, such as coffee, oat milks and even olive oil. This can be seen in the use of hypercontrasting color blocking, including the use of bold colors in bold fonts, along with the use of characters on labels. “So, it might be a goat or some other kind of character that’s getting pulled into the brand in some way,” Locke says. “So, becoming a little more playful.”
Label Applicators Step Up Their Game
The changes in labels don’t stop there, however. There are also new label applicators being introduced to the market with advances designed to make life easier for the busy craft spirits producer.
For example, Henderson, Nevada-based Labelmate USA describes its new bottle applicator, Botlr, as an easy-to-operate automatic bottle label applicator that uses patented technology to measure the bottle’s diameter and automatically apply labels. This means no more having to manually enter label dimensions. The Botlr can handle labels of different sizes, shapes and thicknesses, and with variable gap sizes between labels, on the same label roll. It can also be connected directly to an Epson printer and apply labels to bottles in-line immediately as they are printed.
And Primera Technology, Inc., with headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota, recently launched a new semi-automatic label applicator for bottles and cans called the AP380. It applies labels at up to 1,500 per hour and is able to apply both a front and a back label. It also has a waste matrix rewinder which neatly handles the waste liner instead of it ending up tangled on the floor. Corey Wood, co-owner, of the recently launched Best Coast Distillers, located on Canada’s Vancouver Island, says he was looking for a simple and reliable applicator and is happy with his choice.
“Compared to the horror stories we heard,” he says, “it was a breeze with this machine. From the first bottle that we did until the end people from our team were just jumping on and bottling and the last thing we had to worry about was the application of the labels—every single one was perfectly aligned, absolutely no problem. The machine counted everything really well so we knew exactly
where we were at, and it’s compact so it packs up really nice and easily so we can put it away until our next bottling.”
Telling a Story
So, while label design and technology continue to change, one thing that has remained the same is their main purpose, and that is to quickly and easily help convey the craft spirit’s story.
“In an increasingly crowded market, it’s important for spirits brands to share their story through design,” says Berlin Packaging’s Stein. “Whether it’s focusing on brand origins, regionality, heritage, family
or something else that makes your distillery special, label design that tells an authentic story can differentiate from the competition and connect with consumers.”
Adds Page, “Spirit labels, wine labels, you name it, everything’s sort of a book cover trying to tell this unique story. I think that’s what you have to have now. It’s not just enough to be like, ‘Oh, hey we made this vodka with this unique ingredient.’ That’s cool, but you have to really entice us with that fact visually. You really have to lead with the best material. Visually, you have to really celebrate the uniqueness of each product and part of that is telling the story of it.” ■
SPICY SPIRITS
When working with spicy ingredients like peppers and cinnamon, craft distillers favor balanced flavor over extreme heat.
BY JON PAGE
In recent years, an obsession with extremely spicy foods has permeated popular culture. A standout example is “Hot Ones,” the YouTube show with “hot questions and even hotter wings.” Host Sean Evans and celebrities like Conan O’Brien and Paul Rudd have tallied more than a billion combined views by eating chicken wings slathered in increasingly fiery sauces that push the boundaries of taste and endurance, often inducing tears and memeworthy reactions.
But in the world of craft spirits, the approach to incorporating spicy ingredients is markedly different. Rather than focusing on sheer intensity, craft distillers emphasize balance, complexity and flavor enhancement. In most cases, they carefully select and blend spicy elements to create spirits that offer a nuanced heat, enriching the drinking experience without overwhelming the palate.
Such thinking guided the creation of St. George Green Chile Vodka from Alameda, California-based St. George Spirits and Mach 1 Chile Vodka from Salt Lake City-based Salt Flat Spirits, both of which are vodkas infused with a variety of fresh peppers. Meanwhile, the team at Flying Leap Vineyards & Distillery in Elgin, Arizona, spent years creating a moderate heat intensity for its Habanero Brandy Liqueur. Distillers like Sugarlands Distilling Co. in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, can also bring a little heat to their products with cinnamon; and companies like Amoretti and Flavorman can offer a wide range of other savory ingredients to round out a recipe.
Regardless of the ingredients, most craft spirits producers are looking to craft sippable spirits rather than shocking their customers’ palates.
“Do you want to sell multiple bottles or do you want to sell one bottle?” offers Tom Gibson, director of flavor development for Flavorman in Louisville, Kentucky. “If you want to blow someone up for shock value then they’re going to buy one bottle. But if you taste it and say, ‘Oh, that’s an interesting heat and I could pair that really nicely into a Bloody Mary; and I get some of the jalapeno, and I get some of the chipotle notes’—from a continuing sales point of view, something with a really nice flavor and some really nice heat to go along with it is more preferable.”
St. George master distiller Lance Winters says Green Chile Vodka is the antithesis of pepper vodkas created with an “I dare you to drink this, it’s so spicy” approach. The spirit— which is made with fresh jalapeno, serrano, habanero, red and yellow bell peppers—was first released in 2015, but Winters says its inspiration dates back to the 90s when he was working at a brewpub. “The kitchen team
there would make a fresh batch of salsa each day, and would drain off the excess liquid,” recalls Winters. “I started drinking that salsa juice, which was both sweet and savory, with a touch of spice in the finish.”
Fast forward to Winters’ time at St. George and he wanted to create a pepper vodka that wasn’t just about delivering heat. He says St. George experimented with many different types of peppers when creating the recipe. “The blend that we landed on—jalapenos in the still, and separate infusions of serrano, habanero, red and yellow bell peppers—gives complexity and some vegetal sweetness, with a balanced heat profile.”
According to Winters, all of the locally grown peppers are ground in a hammer mill. The jalapenos, lime peel and non-GMO grainneutral spirit is distilled through a botanical basket lined with fresh cilantro. St. George infuses the remaining peppers separately.
“The jalapeno distillate smells and tastes just like fresh jalapenos, with brightness from the lime peel, and additional freshness from the cilantro, all with absolutely no heat,” adds Winters. “Capsaicin stays behind in the still pot. The secondary infusion of the serranos and the habaneros allow us to adjust the heat a touch prior to bottling.”
Because of the multiple processes of both distillation and infusion at work, Winters says the distillery is able to showcase the aromatics of the jalapeno without a kick in the mouth.
“Think salsa fresca, with a touch of perceived salinity and a hint of vegetal sweetness,” he notes. “The result is a surprisingly versatile spirit. It’s no surprise that a Bloody Mary is elevated by the use of the Green Chile Vodka, but if you really want to showcase its versatility, make a Mule or a
Gimlet or mix it with any agua fresca.”
Cocktails were front of mind when Salt Flats began working on Mach 1 Chile Vodka in early 2023. Owner Steve Pruitt says the mission was to add a heat variant to the distillery’s 622 Vodka and make a spinoff that could be used as an alternative to tequila in a Margarita or add spice to a Bloody Mary.
Salt Flats landed on a combination of serrano and Fresno peppers. After destemming the peppers, Pruitt says many of them are de-seeded to control heat levels in relation to flavor, and then they are steeped in neutral spirits. All of the work is done by hand, and each batch includes roughly 70 pounds of peppers. Since peppers can vary from batch to batch, each chile vodka batch is compared to a control sample and blended with neutral spirits or peppers until the desired flavor profile is achieved. The end result earned a gold medal at the American Craft Spirits Association’s 10th Annual Judging of Craft Spirits.
“If a consumer is a spicy food fan, the introduction of pepper heat to the 622 Vodka provides a pleasant and refreshing heat with a spiciness flavor profile at the end—an unexpected kick,” Pruitt adds.
At Flying Leap, an “undrinkable hot” byproduct of the company’s habanero chili wine led to the creation of its Habanero Brandy Liqueur. To produce the wine, Flying Leap uses a house-made, high-proof neutral grape spirit to sterilize the habaneros before soaking them in a wine charge. Flying Leap used to discard the infused spirit, but a few years ago CEO and president Mark Beres was intrigued by the aroma of the infused spirit. “I first tried to make a Bloody Mary mix with it, but it was still too hot,” shares Beres. “Through dilution and sweetening, we were able to achieve a drinkable product that was unique and delicious.”
Specifically, the pepper-infused spirit goes on to be diluted into clear grape brandy and blended with a Cognac-style brandy and sweetened with cane simple syrup to make the liqueur. It was first released in 2022 and Beres says each annual release has sold out.
Like Pruitt at Salt Flats, Beres notes that the amount of heat in each infusion can vary. For a consistent approach, flavors from a company like Flavorman can offer distillers some peace of mind. Flavorman can work directly with capsaicin to deliver a consistent number on the Scoville scale, which measures the heat of peppers. And Gibson says the company can elevate specific aromas and avoid undesirable ones
to create a desired flavor. That could apply to peppers, or to various types of cinnamon and cassia bark from around the globe that go into concentrates used by Sugarlands in cinnamon-flavored moonshines. An added benefit there, notes Gibson, is that Sugarlands doesn’t need to procure dozens of pounds of cinnamon sticks. “You’re getting a concentrated liquid flavor that comes from these concentrated cinnamon extracts that deliver consistently every time,” says Gibson, “and the cost per use is much much lower.”
Using flavors instead of raw peppers would also be ideal to provide stability in low-proof, ready-to-drink canned cocktails.
“If we’re talking about a jalapeno extract, those green notes on the skin are inherently going to start breaking down over time,” says Gibson. “You’ll continue to get the heat but you’ll lose the balance.”
Regardless of how a distillery goes about creating a spirit with spicy ingredients, Winters of St. George believes one of the biggest hurdles will always be external, especially when it comes to pepper-infused spirits.
“The biggest challenge that we’ve faced in working with peppers has been in working past the consumer perception that because
it’s a pepper vodka, it’s going to be too spicy for them to drink,” says Winters. “The truth is, it’s too delicious not to.” ■
“The blend that we landed on—jalapenos in the still, and separate infusions of serrano, habanero, red and yellow bell peppers— gives complexity and some vegetal sweetness, with a balanced heat profile.”
—Lance Winters of St. George Spirits
BCB 2024
Bar Convent Brooklyn, the U.S. version of the bar industry event that was born in Berlin, returned in June to the New York borough’s Industry City complex for its third consecutive year at the venue—and the sixth edition of the Brooklyn conference and trade expo. The event has established itself as a major showcase for U.S. and international spirits brands, as well as insight and expertise for those in the worldwide drinks business.
