Spirits & Distilling Podcast

While Sydney Jones’ last turn in the host chair was an exit interview of sorts, this episode is her entrance interview with new boss, Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, as she settles into her new role as supervisor and technical lead for the under-construction $150M distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. In this episode, O’Driscoll shares his insight gained from two decades of distilling for respected whiskey brands, and along the way touches on:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.

Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com

Techniblend Craft the perfect blend every time by enhancing the flavor profile of your spirits with TechniBlend’s state-of-the-art blending and batching technology. TechniBlend is the trusted partner of distilleries across the country, providing solutions for unparalleled accuracy and consistency in the distilled-spirits production process. Visit techniblend.com today to discover how our innovative solutions can redefine the art of distillation. TechniBlend: Blend the Best!

In Andy Garrison’s mind, fruit brandies have historically been necessary byproducts of excess—fruit trees produce more food that could be consumed by their owners, so what better way to preserve their bounty than distilling the juice from the leftover fruit? Today, in the age of wide-scale commercial farming, that approach to adding or preserving value from one’s harvest is not an animating factor, and pressing and distilling juice from fruits is one of the most expensive ways to produce a spirit. But do they have to be?

Whether through his work for Stone Barn Brandyworks, or for his own label Tuff Talk Distilling, Garrison seeks more compelling answers to these questions, through creative and technical exploration. He’s tackled some tough projects, and solved some difficult technical challenges along the way, and shares his insight with host Molly Troupe in this episode. Over the course of the conversation, he touches on:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Arryved: Arryved point of sale combines industry expertise, essential tasting room tools, and a whole lotta love to make running your distillery easier. Scale faster with Arryved’s mobile system that offers flexible service with QR code ordering, detailed reporting, and award-winning customer support. New customers get your first month free when you launch before June 30th, 2024.Visit Arryved.com/spiritsanddistilling and mention this ad.

Encompass: Omnibibulous means “able or willing to drink almost anything.” That’s the attitude of the consumer you’re trying to reach: they’re omnibibulous. So how does your distillery remain competitive? Distillers must future-proof their business with a multi-segment production attitude to meet consumers with the right beverages for the right occasions. Encompass Production Cloud is the software designed to help you lead in the modern beverage industry. Become future-proofed at encompasstech.com.

RMS Roller-Grinder At RMS Roller-Grinder, they design and build quality roller mills and grain handling systems for your specific distilling needs. From idea to installation, they can help with roller mills, augers, control panels, bulk storage, and more. RMS has the right equipment to help you increase efficiency, simplify your process, and create a quality, crafted product. Contact them today at rmsroller-grinder.com to work with their experts on your new distillery build or expansion.

It may seem like everything that can be done, has been done, but for FEW Spirits operations director Riley Henderson, novel fermentations offer new opportunities for flavor in familiar spirits such as rye whiskey and bourbon.

Half a decade ago, FEW embarked on a project to explore the impact of fermenting with koji, a mold historically used for saccharification in sake and soy sauce, among other foods and drinks. Results were mixed at first, but through iteration and adaptation, FEW has landed on a process that works consistently and produces flavors that carry through distillation, producing flavor that’s worth the effort.

This episode is also an exit interview of sorts, as host Sydney Jones—current head distiller at FEW—brings her time there to a close before setting off for a new challenge with Heaven Hill in Kentucky. During their conversation, Sydney and Riley also discuss:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com

Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.

Lotus Beverage Alliance: Say goodbye to the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies from multiple vendors, and say hello to the efficiency and simplicity offered by Lotus Beverage Alliance. This new alliance brings together craft-beverage industry powerhouses GW Kent, Alpha Brewing Operations, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Twin Monkeys Beverage Solutions, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions to provide an unrivaled portfolio of craft-beverage equipment and supplies. Experience the convenience of working with ONE vendor … ONE Source… for ALL of your craft-business needs. Visit LotusBevAlliance.com now and start streamlining your process today.

Are distillers really just “dirty” brewers? How do you stabilize ingredients and flavors in canned RTDs? How can water chemistry at the municipal level cause potentially expensive issues with arrested fermentations? Through his career, Reade Huddleston has seen it all, and now as Director of Distillation and Spirits at Monster Brewing, he’s putting into daily use these best practices gleaned from years of brewing and distilling, as well as focused study.

In this episode, Molly and Reade explore a range of subjects, including:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Encompass: Omnibibulous means “able or willing to drink almost anything.” That’s the attitude of the consumer you’re trying to reach: they’re omnibibulous. So how does your distillery remain competitive? Distillers must future-proof their business with a multi-segment production attitude to meet consumers with the right beverages for the right occasions. Encompass Production Cloud is the software designed to help you lead in the modern beverage industry. Become future-proofed at encompasstech.com.

Arryved: Arryved point of sale combines industry expertise, essential tasting room tools, and a whole lotta love to make running your distillery easier. Scale faster with Arryved’s mobile system that offers flexible service with QR code ordering, detailed reporting, and award-winning customer support. New customers get your first month free when you launch before June 30th, 2024.Visit Arryved.com/spiritsanddistilling and mention this ad.

American Canning: Looking to expand into aluminum cans but worried about corrosivity, off-flavors, scalping or pin-hole leaks? aTULC is a premium performance can proven to double product shelf-life. Its manufacturing process requires no water, coolants, chemicals, or wastewater treatment. Crafted for higher ABV products, acidic ingredients, emulsions, salt, and sulfites, aTULC is the toughest, most sustainable can for your brand. Contact American Canning for a free compatibility consult or visit aTULC.com.

Master distiller Lisa Wicker may have taken an unconventional path through her career, shifting from wine to distilled spirits, but that’s hardly the only decision she’s made that some might deem unusual. For Wicker, spreading out and exploring adjacent but interesting fields has improved her approach to distilling and blending much more than intense focus could. Now, she pulls on all that background to hone fermentations with atypical grains, tighten distillations, and blend with identifiable character in mind.

In this episode’s conversation with Sydney Jones, Wicker discusses:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.

Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com

Techniblend Craft the perfect blend every time by enhancing the flavor profile of your spirits with TechniBlend’s state-of-the-art blending and batching technology. TechniBlend is the trusted partner of distilleries across the country, providing solutions for unparalleled accuracy and consistency in the distilled-spirits production process. Visit techniblend.com today to discover how our innovative solutions can redefine the art of distillation. TechniBlend: Blend the Best!

Ale Ochoa is an expert sensory scientist and master blender with years of experience building sensory teams both large and small. In this episode, she outlines key parameters for sensory programs and outlines both simple and more complex ways of deploying sensory tools to improve blends, identify flaws, create more compelling descriptions, and make better spirits.

Through this episode, she covers:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Arryved: Arryved point of sale combines industry expertise, essential tasting room tools, and a whole lotta love to make running your distillery easier. Scale faster with Arryved’s mobile system that offers flexible service with QR code ordering, detailed reporting, and award-winning customer support. New customers get your first month free when you launch before April 1st, 2024.Visit Arryved.com/spiritsanddistilling and mention this ad.

Encompass: Omnibibulous means “able or willing to drink almost anything.” That’s the attitude of the consumer you’re trying to reach: they’re omnibibulous. So how does your distillery remain competitive? Distillers must future-proof their business with a multi-segment production attitude to meet consumers with the right beverages for the right occasions. Encompass Production Cloud is the software designed to help you lead in the modern beverage industry. Become future-proofed at encompasstech.com.

RMS Roller-Grinder At RMS Roller-Grinder, they design and build quality roller mills and grain handling systems for your specific distilling needs. From idea to installation, they can help with roller mills, augers, control panels, bulk storage, and more. RMS has the right equipment to help you increase efficiency, simplify your process, and create a quality, crafted product. Contact them today at rmsroller-grinder.com to work with their experts on your new distillery build or expansion.

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Craft Spirits & Distilling Podcast, featuring hosts Sydney Jones, head distiller for FEW Spirits in Chicago, and Molly Troupe, master distiller for Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon. Recorded live at the ACSA trade show and convention in Denver, this conversation introduces the podcast and the hosts via a deep dive into their favorite distilling techniques.

Along the way, they discuss:

And more.

Brought to you by:

Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, heck we’ll say it, “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business–and you need it on demand. Visit Crafted ERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you’re at today–and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow.

Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources and podcast episodes.

Lotus Beverage Alliance Say goodbye to the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies from multiple vendors, and say hello to the efficiency and simplicity offered by Lotus Beverage Alliance. This new alliance brings together craft beverage industry powerhouses GW Kent, Alpha Brewing Operations, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Twin Monkeys Beverage Solutions, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions to provide an unrivaled portfolio of craft beverage equipment and supplies. Experience the convenience of working with ONE vendor…. ONE Source…. for ALL of your craft business needs. Visit LotusBevAlliance.com now, and start streamlining your process today.