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 improvement, skills he honed over many years in motorsports, where he first met Kim. Just this year, Tom also joined the American Craft Spirits Association’s Board of Directors.

In this episode, Tom dives into his family’s deep connections to Bardstown; how his experience uniquely positions him for success as a distiller; the distillery’s flagship spirits and their exciting plans to further develop the property; and more.

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 provided some inspiration for the distillery; the role of Ohio agriculture in Middle West’s products; the company’s recent expansion; and some of the economic headwinds and market access challenges currently facing craft spirits producers.

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.

Goldberg, who is a graduate of nearby Warren Wilson College, recently joined Jon Page, who also lives in the area, to discuss his own experience in the storm, how Oak and Grist is helping the community in Helene’s aftermath, the long road to recovery for Western North Carolina, and the future of the distillery.

Help support Oak and Grist’s staff:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/aid-oak-grist-team-through-hurricane-recovery?qid=985e46050c8567fc9b5ba91d61aa5dbd

Buy Oak and Grist products online:

https://www.oakandgrist.com/spirits

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, McLaughlin discusses his and Watkins’s time in the Navy; buying a distillery from another pair of veterans; their lineup of American single malt whiskey, including a Navy strength whiskey; and their relationship with Middle West Spirits. He also touches on the distillery’s rum and some upcoming special releases.

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 several startups. And before co-founding Lost Lantern, Polonski was a Senior Whisky Specialist at ​Whisky Advocate​. He’s also a recent addition to ACSA’s board of directors.

Ganley-Roper and Polonski met in 2014 and left their jobs to go on a road trip that helped start their company in 2018. They launched their first product in 2020 and opened their tasting room in the fall of 2023. Along the way, they also got married. In this episode, they reminisce on that road trip, discuss their process, dive into their summer bourbon collection and much more.

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 manuscripts belonging to monasteries in conflict zones. Eventually, Steger channeled his loves and learnings into one big work: whiskey.

In this episode, Steger discusses his eureka moment for deciding to make whiskey; getting his law degree while making plans for the distillery; how he learned about the real Brother Justus; making cold-peated whiskey; and much more.

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 run the family distillery. Stewart relaunched the brand as Oxbow Rum Distillery with new lines of premium craft rums made from their own fresh-pressed cane juice and high-grade molasses.

In this episode, Stewart discusses farm life; her career path and assuming leadership at the distillery; how she and her dad nearly sold off the distillery; and the company’s recent gains and bright future.

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, and engineering projects.

In this episode, Eidam discusses the distillery’s growth; the inspiration behind the flavors for Sugarlands’ moonshines and sippin’ creams; the distillery’s partnerships with celebrities like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and brands like Eggo Waffles; his background as a civil engineer; and more.

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 behind the distillery’s name and their heritage; the realities of operating a distillery in New Jersey; a new spirit; and more.

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 current state and future of the American rum industry; and they also tease some upcoming products.