Episodes

  • 17: Blender Jackie Zykan of Hidden Barn and Oduoak Debunks Lazy Assumptions about Whiskey Flavors, Blending, and Sensory

    17: Blender Jackie Zykan of Hidden Barn and Oduoak Debunks Lazy Assumptions about Whiskey Flavors, Blending, and Sensory
    Oct 15 2024
    Jackie Zykan of Hidden Barn (https://hiddenbarnwhiskey.com) and Oduoak (https://www.oduoak.com) can tell you what aromas and flavors she detects when she smells and tastes whiskey, but she’d rather not put it in terms that you can connect with. After all, if she tells you she gets almond, you’ll most likely perceive and focus on that almond. But as she says in the episode, “Who cares if you ... get almond or not? I don’t care. There is no wrong or right.” The spirited blender has strong opinions about the current state of whiskey- and bourbon-blending, education, and consumer feedback; in this episode, Zykan and Jones discuss: Lessons learned from working behind the bar Oak contributions to aged whiskey The industry’s manipulation of tasting descriptors to create generic experiences Finding workable and interesting permutations in bourbon blends Figuring barrel volumes when working into blends Using small bits of sometimes “flawed” whiskey to add character and an edge to a blend Moving the bourbon community to a better language around flavor and sensory Layering top, middle, and bass notes in whiskey-based perfume Focusing on intentionality and going full gas, no brakes And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • 16: Adam Spiegel of Corning & Company and Sonoma Distilling Takes a Reactive and Responsive Approach to an Evolving Spirits Market

    16: Adam Spiegel of Corning & Company and Sonoma Distilling Takes a Reactive and Responsive Approach to an Evolving Spirits Market
    Oct 2 2024
    Adam Spiegel is taking an approach akin to alchemy and applying it to distilling, turning something relatively worthless—excess capacity in the distillery—into gold. The result isn’t just contract distilling and business diversification—it’s room to continue pushing and learning with Corning & Company (https://www.corningandcompany.com), beyond the whiskey space that he pursued for the first decade of Sonoma Distilling (https://sonomadistillingcompany.com). In this episode, Spiegel touches on: finding efficiencies in a challenging craft-spirits business environment understanding the individual needs of a brands and speaking in its voice building a “craft distillery incubator of the future” distilling “California-style whiskey” the mechanics of making black truffle rye whiskey smoking malt for both bourbon and rye American single-malt whiskey And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs.
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    59 mins
  • 15: Maplewood Finds Creative Fermentation, Botanicals, and Finishing Opportunities at the Intersection of Brewing and Distilling

    15: Maplewood Finds Creative Fermentation, Botanicals, and Finishing Opportunities at the Intersection of Brewing and Distilling
    Sep 18 2024
    Chicago's Maplewood (https://maplewoodbrew.com) has made quite a name for themselves over the years in both the brewing and the distilling worlds. Four Great American Beer Festival medals, a couple of 99 ratings and one perfect 100 score (https://beerandbrewing.com/review/maplewood-brewing-company-barrel-aged-cuppa-vanilla-rye-1624047753) from the blind review panel at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®, and most recently a double gold for their Fat Pug single-malt whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (along with three additional silvers and a bronze). Producing thoughtful, interesting, and beautifully crafted beverages is in the company’s DNA. In this episode, host Sydney Jones leads cofounder Adam Cieslak and distiller Adam Smith through a ranging conversation that touches on: production scheduling between distillery and brewery using former wooden beer vessels as fermentation vessels for spirits cleaning and CIP from a brewer’s point of view, with dedicated equipment for certain mashes pushing low-pH fermentations for flavorful distillation fermenting with Brettanomyces strains before distillation brewery experiments for distilling that didn’t work building interesting approaches to gin with spruce, peppercorn, rooibos tea, barrel aging, and more making gin with non-neutral base spirit using finishing casks for spirits with unique character overcoming challenges of canned cocktails in formulas, homogenization, and packaging And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • 14: Nic Christiansen of Barrell Craft Spirits Pieces Together the Blended Whiskey Puzzle

    14: Nic Christiansen of Barrell Craft Spirits Pieces Together the Blended Whiskey Puzzle
    Sep 3 2024
    As blender and manager of blending operations for the blend-focused brand Barrell Craft Spirits, (https://www.barrellbourbon.com) Nic Christiansen’s job is to understand flavors, how they develop, and how they interact with each other to create harmonious wholes. In this episode, Christiansen and host Molly Troupe discuss: finding new avenues for flavor in blended whiskey building micro-blends that are then married through additional barrel conditioning the benefits and challenges of sourcing whiskey calculating derived mash bills from the component whiskeys taking a flavor-focused approach to blending aging in a variety of casks and the concurrent evaluation process designing whiskey blends around a creative brief that’s experience-based developing blends that push past typical whiskey guardrails protecting one’s palate working in threes And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    54 mins
  • 13: Widow Jane Head Distiller and Blender Sienna Jevremov Directs the Delicate Dance of Urban Distilling and Blending

    13: Widow Jane Head Distiller and Blender Sienna Jevremov Directs the Delicate Dance of Urban Distilling and Blending
    Aug 20 2024
    New York City’s Widow Jane Distillery (https://widowjane.com) may be one of the better known craft-spirits brands, with a relatively wide distribution footprint earned through the incredible reputation built by former distillers such as Lisa Wicker (hear her perspective on Episode 3 (https://spiritsanddistilling.com/cs-d-podcast-episode-3-lisa-wicker/)). Now, under the guidance of head distiller and blender Sienna Jevremov, the distillery continues to grow despite the functional challenge of producing spirits in tight urban spaces, and the results of their work capture a certain artful tension and energy. In this episode, Jevremov and host Sydney Jones explore the challenges Widow Jane faces and the creative solutions those necessitate. Along the way, they discuss: The challenges of distilling in an urban environment where the distilling and blending process takes place across five different addresses Predicting the future of white-dog whiskey flavors and testing predictions against aged batches Finding harmony in distillate from different sites Making bourbon with a hybrid of two heirloom corn varieties Articulating the hand of the distiller in column distillation Creative approaches to blending while identifying personalities within the blending team Using woods such as applewood and amburana for aging while testing and predicting its effects over time And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 12: Christian Krogstad, Founder of Aviation Gin and Westward Whiskey, Designs Spirits That Stand the Test of Time

    12: Christian Krogstad, Founder of Aviation Gin and Westward Whiskey, Designs Spirits That Stand the Test of Time
    Aug 7 2024
    Brewer-turned-distiller Christian Krogstad launched House Spirits in the mid-‘00s with a focus on artisanal gin, but he had no idea the botanical spirit they pursued with passion would become one of the larger celebrity-owned-and-endorsed spirits in this recent wave of high-profile acquisitions. Tinkering with two partners—one a prominent bartender, the other a fellow distiller—their goal was to create a pre-Prohibition-style gin perfect for classic cocktails. But no recipes existed for those earlier gins, so he set about reverse-engineering one from a recipe perspective. The result is now a modern classic and a favorite of bartenders everywhere—but in this episode, Krogstad takes us back to the roots of the creation process, tracks the Aviation’s evolution to the present day. In this episode, Krogstad and host Mollly Troupe discuss: building independent brands rather than a branded house, to address how many drinkers seek categories rather than brands designing gin to work in a classic cocktail context and appeal to bartenders, with no historical recipes to reference building botanical blends for nuance and character rather than intensity finding a signature ingredient that brings the botanical blend together articulating the power of flavor memories changes in gin flavor after bottling go-to-market strategy for a new gin brand, and the 2012 relaunch that changed its trajectory creating bartender-friendly packaging selling the Aviation Gin brand to Ryan Reynolds and an investment group distilling aquavit, the caraway or dill-seed spirit And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    59 mins
  • 11: Ken Klehm of 450 North Spirits Loves the Creative Challenge of Distilling an Array of Spirits

    11: Ken Klehm of 450 North Spirits Loves the Creative Challenge of Distilling an Array of Spirits
    Jul 25 2024
    The modes that distillers operate in can vary wildly based on the goals of the business and the avenues for sales. While at the helm of Ghost Coast in Savannah, Georgia, Ken Klehm did it all—a law change allowed the distillery to sell cocktails as long as all the spirits were produced in-house, so Klehm distilled a wide range of spirits and liqueurs to stock the entire bar. Now, at the helm of 450 North Spirits (https://450northspirits.com)—a family-owned distillery, adjacent to the family’s brewery, situated on a corner of the family’s Indiana farmland—he’s tackling new problems and finding opportunities in ingredients like estate corn, while creating spirits that feel at home next to the sweet and tart fruit beers the brewery is known for. In this episode, host Sydney Jones and Klehm discuss: making fernet based on spearmint testing ABV in liqueurs with significant sugar content unlocking the mystery of great chartreuse production logistics behind distilling a wide range of spirits conceptualizing a farm-based brewstillery program finding cohesion from disparate inputs mash and fermentation parameters including slow cooling in closed fermenters distilling agave nectar And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    58 mins
  • 10: Andy Nelson, Cofounder of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery and Belle Meade Bourbon, on the Life Cycle of a Modern Distillery

    10: Andy Nelson, Cofounder of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery and Belle Meade Bourbon, on the Life Cycle of a Modern Distillery
    Jul 9 2024
    The last decade and a half have been a whirlwind for Andy Nelson, as the discovery of a family distilling legacy led his brother Charlie and him to pursue and launch the Nelson's Green Brier Distillery to make Tennessee Whiskey the way his great-great-great grandfather did (with a few accomodations for modernity, of course). Along the way, they also launched Belle Meade Bourbon, sourcing and blending, with the requisite learning that that entailed. Now, after selling the majority stake in the distillery to Constellation Brands, Nelson has set an independent course, consulting and helping other would-be distillery founders and operators navigate the same go-to-market maze. In this episode, host Molly Troupe and Nelson discuss: Building a brand story from family history Developing and honing a solid base of blending skills before distilling and barreling whiskey Moving past assumptions and expectations to focus on the reality of flavor in the blending process The common misconception that smaller barrels age whiskey faster Tennessee whiskey history and terminology, and the charcoal mellowing process Updating a historic family recipe and process Striking the balance between founder/owner and maker Gaining confidence as a distiller without a background in science Leveling up on less natural skills like sales Bringing on a strategic distribution partner with all the benefits and challenges that entails And more. Brought to you by: G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com. ABS Commercial: (hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs. Brewery & Distillery Workshop: (https://www.breweryworkshop.com) IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.
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    1 hr