Written by RICH MANNING
A TIME TO
CELEBRATE Recognizing some of the distilling industry’s award winners from 2021
L
ast year was a weird one for the craft distilling industry. The pandemic’s rolling tide constantly changed the narrative about a return to relative normalcy, and this fluctuation caused an uneven dose of disruption. Some events and conferences cautiously returned to in-person gatherings, while others played it close to the vest and engaged virtually for one more year. For distilleries, shifting regulations on everything from distillery visits to DTC laws — not to mention labor shortages — made getting through COVID Year Two a challenging slog. Yet the show must go on in the face of these hurdles. This also means awards must be distributed, as they should. After all, awards recognize any combination of merit, talent, skill, and a desire to do good for the community. After two years of struggle, they are shining moments that produce bright pops of joy amid a difficult landscape. As 2022 rolls along and question marks persist about what the industry’s future will look like, it feels appropriate to look at those that earned hardware in 2021 for their efforts. Each award is more than just a cool medal, plaque, certificate, or obelisk that looks nifty on a tasting room shelf. After another year of unorthodox twists and THE ASCOT AWARDS Craft Distiller of the Year turns on top of the industry’s usual histrionics, they provide hope that excellence, and the happiness such excellence can inspire, is still possible even if the world feels like it’s falling apart. The inaugural ASCOT Awards
GARRISON BROTHERS DISTILLERY
(Awards listed in alphabetical order by organization)
MILAM & GREENE PORT FINISHED RYE AMERICAN CRAFT SPIRITS ASSOCIATION (ACSA)
Best in Show
Hauling in ACSA’s top prize is an exclamation point for this relatively young label, which officially launched in 2019. At the same time, the award feels like a coronation of sorts for Master Distiller Marlene Holmes and Master Blender Heather Greene, who reaped the rewards of a potentially risky move. Equipped with roughly 50 years of experience between them, the duo applied their knowledge and skills into the craft sector. The move paid off. The winning bottle itself is a multistate affair: Indiana rye is carefully batched in the distillery’s warehouse in Blanco, Texas before being finished in port wine casks. The result is a testimony to the supreme knowledge and skill of the hands involved. “What makes this whiskey special is both the Milam & Greene team and the wily Texas weather,” Greene stated. “Anyone who’s spent time in the [Texas] Hill Country knows the uncertainty of weather, and so creating a consistent flavor is tricky. Quite simply, this whiskey couldn’t exist anywhere else. It’s a real testament to a sense of place. I think that’s why it’s so wonderful.” 116
CHRIS MONTANA,
DU NORD SPIRITS ARTISAN SPIRIT MAGAZINE
Artisan Spirit of the Year That Chris Montana provided a beacon of hope during 2020’s tumultuous times speaks volumes about the excellence of his character. He could have easily turned inward after Du Nord’s warehouse was burned in the unrest following George Floyd’s murder. He did not. In fact, he continued to outwardly help those in the Twin Cities. This help continues through the actions of his Du Nord Foundation, an organization committed to stemming the local tide of racial inequality. Montana does these things not for personal glory, but simply because he’s a terrific — and terrifically modest — human being. “It is humbling beyond words to receive this honor from the very people I look up to and whose lead I hope to follow,” Montana said. “It is particularly impactful when I think of what the team at Du Nord had to fight through these past couple years. Du Nord is a small team of nine people, not one, so it is the whole team, and the mentors who helped us along the way, who got us here, so I will say on behalf of all of us: Thank you, we hope to live up to this honor.”
might be new to the awards circuit, but they carried instant clout. Their founder is Fred Minnick, a celebrated spirits writer and veteran tasting judge. The man knows his stuff, and so does his tasting panel. The pedigree involved makes Garrison Brothers Distillery hauling in Craft Distiller of the Year an impressive score. The win further solidifies the Texas distillery’s status as a beloved brand. It also helps keep the Lone Star State’s reputation for top-shelf craft spirits strong. “The ASCOTs are a blind competition, and our judges only assess the whiskey by its merits,” Minnick explained. “For Garrison Brothers to do so well, that's because our judges loved its flavor profile. That said, this brand consistently does well amongst the critics and in blind competitions. They've put Texas whiskey on the map and have garnered a cult following in the process. And that's all about the whiskey.” W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M
