Sara Sergent is the co-owner and master botanical distiller of Alpine Distilling in Park City, Utah. Sara manages the distillery’s botanical production and gin portfolio, which includes Elevated Gin, while her husband and co-founder Rob oversees the whiskey portfolio. The distillery has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its spirits, and ea…

Bonnie Boglioli-Randall and Nate Randall are the co-founders of Hinterhaus Distilling in Arnold, California. They founded the distillery in 2020 and Hinterhaus reflects the rugged mountainscape of its Sierra Nevada perch and benefits from high-quality local ingredients and fresh Sierra water.In this episode, Bonnie and Nate discuss their background…

Tom Bard is the co-founder of The Bard Distillery in Graham, Kentucky. Together with his wife, Kim, Tom launched The Bard Distillery in 2019, repurposing a 100-year-old school campus—the very same school Tom attended as a child.With a degree from the University of Kentucky, Tom brings a strong background in industrial quality control and continuous…

Ryan Lang is the founding head distiller and CEO of Middle West Spirits in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 2008, Middle West Spirits combines a reverence for traditional whiskey-making techniques with innovative practices. In this episode, Ryan discusses his path to starting Middle West Spirits and how his grandfather and some Irish distilleries provide…

William Goldberg is the co-founder and head distiller of Oak and Grist Distilling Co. in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The distillery is located in the devastating path that Hurricane Helene charted across Western North Carolina in late September. Fortunately, Oak and Grist was in large part spared of damage and all of its employees are safe. Gol…

Mark McLaughlin is the co-founder of Baltimore-based Old Line Spirits. McLaughlin and distillery co-founder Arch Watkins met in the Navy flying EA-6B Prowlers. After more than a decade of service, they both happened to move to the same neighborhood in Baltimore and left their civilian careers to open Old Line Spirits in 2017.In this episode, McLaug…

Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski are the co-founders of Lost Lantern, an award-winning independent bottler of American whiskey based in Vergennes, Vermont. The company’s tagline and mission are one in the same: shining a light on the independent spirit.Ganley-Roper has a background in wine and spirits retail, as well as working in operations for…

Phil Steger is the founder and CEO of Minneapolis-based Brother Justus Whiskey Co., and a recently elected member of the American Craft Spirits Association’s Board of Directors. Before opening the distillery, Stegerl earned a law degree from the University of St. Thomas. He also has experience running humanitarian aid and preserving centuries-old m…

Olivia Stewart is the president of Oxbow Rum Distillery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a recently elected member of the American Craft Spirits Association’s Board of Directors. Stewart grew up running through rows of sugarcane on her family’s farm and later pursued a career in the art world. But during the pandemic, she went back to her roots to ru…

Greg Eidam is the master distiller for Gatlinburg, Tennessee-based Sugarlands Distilling Co. and a recently elected member of the American Craft Spirits Association’s Board of Directors. He oversees the production of Sugarlands Shine, Appalachian Sippin’ Cream, High Rock Vodka and Roaming Man Whiskey, as well as Sugarlands research and development,…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Aleks and Maks Zhdanov, twin brothers and co-founders of 3BR Distillery in Keyport, New Jersey. Drawing inspiration from their grandfather, who was a moonshiner in the Soviet Union, the distillery specializes in pea-based and other unusual spirits.In this episode, the brothers discuss the meaning b…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Megan Campbell, Renée Newton and Sean W. Richards—the new owners of Montanya Distillers in Crested Butte, Colorado. In this episode, the trio talks about how they came together to join a partnership; their plans to honor the distillery’s past while also asserting their vision for its future; the cu…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Kallyn Romero and Laura Walters of Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse of Denver. Romero is the co-founder and a Colorado native and Walters is a head distiller who studied winemaking at Oregon State University and got her start in the spirits industry at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey.In this episode, R…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Mollie Lewis and Hannah Lowen of New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky. In June, the distillery announced that next spring, founder and CEO Ken Lewis will retire, and Mollie (Ken’s daughter), Lowen and Denny Gorman will assume leadership. Lowen, who currently serves as vice president of operatio…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Murphy Quint of Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher, Iowa. As head distiller and director of operations, Murphy oversees the distillery, winery, vineyards, campus grounds and facilities. As Cedar Ridge is one of the few winery and distilleries in the United States, Murphy has gained a unique understand…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Donnis Todd, the master distiller for Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye, Texas. With Todd leading bourbon production and hand-selecting each barrel, Garrison Brothers has earned over 400 awards from around the world for its bourbon. That includes the distillery’s vaunted Cowboy Bourbon, an annual r…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Gina Holman, the president of the American Craft Spirits Association. She is also a founding partner of J. Carver Distillery in Waconia, Minnesota; an ISG certified sommelier; and the vice president of the Minnesota Distillers Guild.In this episode, Holman discusses her start in the spirits industry,…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Kelly Woodcock of Westward Whiskey in Portland, Oregon. She is a partner and serves as vice president, guest experiences & Whiskey Club, in which she oversees all direct-to-consumer sales programs for the state of Oregon while running Westward’s hospitality program and operations for the whiskey comp…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Bruce Tyler, the co-founder of Weldon Mills Distillery in Weldon, North Carolina. Tyler is a former active duty member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps who opened the distillery with his friend and business partner Michael Hinderliter at the start of the pandemic in 2020. One year late…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Jamie Hunt of Fast Penny Spirits, a Seattle-based company that makes amaro. In this episode, Hunt discusses her love of amaro and how her former experience as a vp of digital strategy helped her launch Fast Penny during the pandemic. She also shares details about the company’s Pretty Penny giveback p…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Lucy Farber, the operations manager for St. George Spirits in Alameda, California. She’s also a board member for the American Craft Spirits Association and one of the tri-chairs for ACSA's education committee. In March, Lucy chatted about her early days at the distillery; being a part of a reinventio…

This episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast is part of a special series of conversations with some of the founding members and first board members of the American Craft Spirits Association, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Our guest is Nicole Austin, general manager and distiller of Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., the maker of Tennessee’s Ge…

This episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast is part of a special series of conversations with some of the founding members and first board members of the American Craft Spirits Association, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Our guest is Paul Hletko, the founder of Evanston, Illinois-based FEW Spirits. Since FEW is part of Samson & Surrey, wh…

This episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast is part of a special series of conversations with some of the founding members and first board members of the American Craft Spirits Association, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Our guest is Thomas Mooney, ACSA’s inaugural president, and a founder and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based Westward Whiske…

This episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast is part of a special series of conversations with some of the founding members and first board members of the American Craft Spirits Association, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Our guest is ACSA’s first vice president Ted Huber. Ted is the president and co-owner of Huber’s Orchard, Winery and Vi…

Today’s episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast is part of a special series of conversations with some of the founding members and first board members of the American Craft Spirits Association, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Our guest is Ralph Erenzo, who co-founded Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery in 2003 with Brian Lee and his son Gable Er…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Mark A. Vierthaler, the head distiller at Tucson, Arizona-based Hamilton Distillers Group—producers of Whiskey Del Bac. He was also elected to ACSA’s board of directors in 2022, and he has experience working at Tenth Ward Distillery and Boot Hill Distillery. In this episode, Mark discusses his journe…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is David Weglarz, the owner and head distiller at St. Louis-based StilL 630, which celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year. In this episode, Weglarz discusses the genesis of the distillery; all of the hidden meaning in the name and logo for StilL 630; his claim to fame of likely being the firs…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Christian and Blake Huber of Starlight Distillery and Huber’s Orchard and Winery. The brothers are seventh-generation members of their family farm in Borden, Indiana. In July, the distillery’s Carl T. Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey earned best of whiskey and best in show at ACSA’s 9th annual judging…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Randy Prasse, the president and COO of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which is scheduled for September 16-18 in Bardstown, Kentucky. Prasse has more than 30 years of experience in festival production, destination marketing, and economic development. He recently joined editor in chief Jeff Cioletti to…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Matt Vogl, the executive director and co-founder of the National Mental Health Innovation Center at the University of Colorado, and the keynote speaker at ACSA’s 9th Annual Distillers’ Convention and Vendor Trade Show in New Orleans this July 21. The title for his keynote is Distilling Better Mental …

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Michael Myers, the founder and owner of 291 Colorado Whiskey in Colorado Springs.At ACSA’s convention in Louisville, Kentucky, last December, he joined Jeff Cioletti and Jon Page for a wide-ranging conversation about his path to making whiskey. A former fashion and beauty photographer who was in New …

In the latest episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast, we focus on the STEPUP Foundation, a nonprofit spirits training and entrepreneurship program for underrepresented professionals in the spirits industry. Our guests include Erin Lee and Yakntoro “Yaki” Udoumoh—the program’s inaugural interns—and Margie Lehrman, the CEO of the American Craft Spirits…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Heather Greene, CEO of Milam & Greene Whiskey in Blanco, Texas. She’s also a world-leading spirits expert and the author of “Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life.” She recently joined us to discuss her journey to Milam & Greene and how being a writer helps her as a CEO. But we sta…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman of Honkaku Spirits, which is devoted to bringing intensely artisanal Japanese spirits to discerning American customers with a particular focus on koji-based spirits. Pellegrini is Honkaku’s founder, Lyman is their ambassador, and both of them are writers. Pe…

Our latest guests are Johnny Jeffery of Bently Heritage Estate Distillery and John McKee of Headframe Spirits. They’re also a part of Good Deeds Spirits, a passionate collective of distillers and friends committed to supporting causes that lead to positive change. The group recently unveiled its first release, Good Deeds Malt Whiskey, which is avai…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Brian Facquet of Do Good Spirits."Do good everyday," was part of a toast in 2016 made by a friend of Facquet, who founded Prohibition Spirits in 2009. “Do good” was the last thing his friend ever said to him. Today, those words are the core mission of the Roscoe, New York-based distillery, which rece…

Our latest guests on The Craft Spirits Podcast are Chris Montana and Maria Kustritz of Minneapolis-based Du Nord Craft Spirits. Kustritz is the distillery’s production manager. Montana, who is also ACSA’s immediate past president, founded the distillery in 2013 with his wife, Shanelle.During the unrest of the George Floyd protests in late May of 20…

Our latest guest on The Craft Spirits Podcast is Ashby Marshall of Spirit Works Distillery. For more than a decade, Ashby and her husband, Timo, worked for environmental nonprofits, which included plenty of time at sea. But they eventually grounded themselves, and they later launched Spirit Works Distillery in Sebastopol, California, in 2012. With …

A growing number of American craft distillers are exploring a whiskey category that is not (yet) officially recognized by the federal government. The American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, which is more than 170 distilleries strong, hopes to change that. The group has proposed a standard of identity for the category, and the Alcohol and Tobacco T…

It’s fair to say that wine took Mississippi native Phillip Ladner around the world, but distilling brought him home. Just out of college, he worked in a wine shop in New York, which he parlayed into a production gig in New Zealand, followed by jobs at well-respected wineries in California. But he eventually found his way to distilling, and a chance…

Lew Bryson has been writing about beer and spirits full-time since 1995. He was the longtime managing editor of Whisky Advocate and he currently writes for outlets like the Daily Beast, WhiskeyWash.com and CRAFT SPIRITS magazine (check out his latest column here). He’s also the author of “Tasting Whiskey," “Whiskey Master Class" and four regional b…

After starting his career in production and manufacturing positions, Jason Ericson found his way to distilling as a production assistant at Portland, Oregon-based Eastside Distilling in 2014. He was promoted to head distiller in January of 2020.In the latest episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast, the Portland native chatted about his road to distill…

Vowing to make organic spirits from scratch, Sonat Birnecker Hart and her husband, Robert Birnecker, left academic careers to establish KOVAL Distillery in Chicago in 2008. Today the distillery’s products are available across the nation and in 55 export markets. As president, Birnecker Hart spearheads product development, distribution and marketing…

Unemployed after the Enron scandal of 2001 bankrupted the software company where he worked, Dan Garrison started writing a business plan during a tour of Kentucky distilleries. Today, his bourbon is available in 32 states and eight countries and Garrison Brothers Distillery has won numerous awards and honors for its bourbon lineup and developed a l…

Rhonda Kallman of Boston Harbor Distillery chats about the origins of her distillery, how Boston Harbor distinguishes itself in the growing American single malt whiskey category, and lessons learned from a career dedicated to craft beverages.The Craft Spirits Podcast

Brooklyn Gin founders Emil Jättne and Joe Santos explore the dynamics of the American craft gin category and share the secret behind the brand's award-winning bottle design.The Craft Spirits Podcast

Abby Titcomb is the vice president and head distiller of 3 Floyds Distilling Co. in Munster, Indiana. In this episode, Titcomb spoke to editor in chief Jeff Cioletti about her journey from brewing to distilling; the distillery's lineup of gin, aquavit, and more; and whether or not legal cannabis is affecting alcohol sales.…

March 11 marks the one year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic. While the pandemic did force many distilleries to permanently shut their doors, startup distilleries forged ahead. One of those is Dog and Shrub Distillery of Lake Mills, Wisconsin. The stills showed up in early February of 2020 and the di…

Lance Winters is the master distiller and president of St. George Spirits in Alameda, California. In this episode of The Craft Spirits Podcast, Winters reflects on 25 years of distilling at St. George. The distillery was founded in 1982 by Jörg Rupf, considered by many to be the godfather of craft distilling in America, and Winters joined the team …