Spirits & Distilling Podcast

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

34 episodes of Spirits & Distilling Podcast since the first episode, which aired on March 5th, 2024.

  • 34: Brent Looby of Desert Door Summons the Spirit of Sotol

    June 10th, 2025  |  1 hr 4 mins
    agave, austin, distilling, sotol, spirits, tequila, texas

    Agave may get the lion’s share of distillers’ love, but it’s far from the only game in town when it comes to distilled Mexican and Southwestern spirits. Desert Door, on the outskirts of Austin, is out to show the beauty and range in sotol—made from the desert spoon plant and sustainably harvested from wild plants.

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    33: Stranahan’s Tyler Glasser Distills with Artful Efficiency

    May 27th, 2025  |  55 mins 13 secs
    demand planning, distilling, forecasting, planning, procurement, single malt, whiskey

    The journey from art student to distiller may strike some as unusual, but for the plant operations administrator at Denver’s Stranahan’s, creativity matched with effective and disciplined execution is the key to successful spirits.

  • 32: Aged Whiskeys and Citrus-Flavored Spirits Heat up for St. Augustine Distillery and City Gate Spirits

    May 13th, 2025  |  1 hr 2 mins
    bourbon, distilling, florida, macerated spirits, moonshine, whiskey

    Distilling in Florida’s hot and humid environment, and producing spirits specifically tuned for cocktails in a tourism-driven locale—those are the major guideposts for the creative direction of these sibling distilleries, as well as for their methods of barrel aging and adding flavor.

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    31: Sara Sergent of Alpine Distilling Blends Science with Instinct and Flair in Botanical Spirits

    April 29th, 2025  |  50 mins 15 secs
    angelica, botanicals, distilling, gin, juniper, lemon, sourcing ingredients

    Whether she’s engaging with the wide world of ingredients or sourcing those from her own high-mountain backyard, master distiller Sara Sergent combines well-honed sensory skills with a methodical process for testing how processes and treatments change aroma and flavor expression in her award-winning botanical spirits.

  • 30: Bob Dillon of Dismal Harmony Refines Flavors with Creative Flair

    April 15th, 2025  |  1 hr 4 mins
    cocktail, cocktails, distilling, liqueur, whiskey

    Bob Dillon joins the podcast to discuss the technical and artistic vision behind his more familiar spirits as well as his ACSA best-in-show-winning Vidisha’s Masala liqueur.

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    29: Devon Trevathan of Liba Spirits and Trovador Rum Distills Spirits with Stories

    April 1st, 2025  |  1 hr 1 min
    aperitivo, distilling, gin, peated whisky

    Whether she’s distilling in far-flung locales, blending beautiful spirits, or writing about others’ processes, Devon Trevathan crafts stories in both words and flavors.

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    Episode 28: Brett Steigerwaldt of Lyon Rum is Crafting Contemporary Expressions with Timeless Methods

    March 18th, 2025  |  57 mins 17 secs
    dark rum, distilling, double pot distillation, fermentation, rum, white rum

    Rum with distinctive character and refined expression is key for this Maryland distillery, and head distiller Brett Steigerwaldt doesn’t leave flavor up to fate.

  • 27: Ashley Barnes of The Blending House Uses Data to Drive Better Blends

    March 4th, 2025  |  52 mins 2 secs
    blending, blending whiskey, bourbon, spirits blending, spirits sensory, whiskey, whiskey blending

    As a chemist with a background in pharmaceutical quality, Ashley Barnes developed scientific discipline and a data-driven approach. Now as master blender at the Blending House, she applies that same rigor to the subject of aging and blending spirits.

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    26: Caley Shoemaker of As Above, So Below Explores Character and Texture in Vodka Distillation

    February 18th, 2025  |  1 hr 1 min
    absinthe, distilling, gin, single malt, vodka, whiskey

    Character and expression in “simple” vodka distillations? Is it really possible? The cofounder and master distiller behind this Santa Fe, New Mexico, craft distillery not only thinks so, but she walks through her process of using atypical grains and other ingredients to produce vodka with spirit and verve.

  • 25: Gian Nelson of Jano Spirits and Ruins Distillery is Exploring the Possibilities in California Agave

    February 4th, 2025  |  48 mins 6 secs
    agave spirit, california agave, distilling, tequila

    There’s more to agave than Blue Weber, and Gian Nelson is on a mission to show just what’s possible with California agave through careful work with growers, adaptive fermentation processes, and an embrace of the inherent inefficiency of agave in general.

  • Episode 24: Eli Breitburg-Smith Is Ushering in the Epoch of Rye in Baltimore

    January 21st, 2025  |  57 mins 12 secs
    apple brandy, distilling, maryland whiskey, rye, rye whiskey, solera, whiskey

    The cofounder and head distiller of Baltimore Spirits discusses their approach to producing distinctive rye whiskeys—such as the award-winning Epoch—as well as other unusual spirits, from a pechuga-inspired apple brandy to a smoked-tea whiskey collab with Ja Rule.

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    23: Morgan McLachlan of AMASS and De Soi Builds Thoughtful Botanical Bases for Both Gin and Nonalcoholic Spirited Beverages

    January 7th, 2025  |  48 mins 5 secs
    distilling, gin. botanicals, nonalcoholic spirits

    She’s not one for hard and fast rules, instead employing the deep strategies of fine fragrance makers and molecular gastronomy chefs to understand the chemical underpinnings of the layered, nuanced aroma and flavor compounds in her spirits.

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    22: Spirits & Distilling Year in Review Special

    December 24th, 2024  |  1 hr 5 mins
    ai, distilling, gin, single malt, whiskey, whisky

    Hosts Sydney Jones and Molly Troupe recount some of the most intriguing and thought provoking episodes of the past year, discuss developments like the American Single Malt designation, and look toward what 2025 has in store.

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    21: David Fisher of Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Prizes Independence and Balance

    December 10th, 2024  |  51 mins 42 secs
    blending, distilling, elegance, sensory, spirits

    The senior spirits blender at Sydney’s award-winning Archie Rose shares his perspectives on sensory analysis, blending, and producing distinctive spirits with Australia’s ingredients and climate.

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    20: Sherrie Moore Uses Data and Experimentation to Understand and Optimize Whiskey Flavor and Consistency

    November 26th, 2024  |  56 mins 44 secs
    barrel aging, barrel maturation, jack daniel's, tennessee whiskey, whiskey, whiskey maturation

    Over her 30+ years at Jack Daniel’s, Sherrie Moore served in a variety of roles, from working in the visitor’s center in the mid-70s through stints as chemist, processing manager, warehousing manager, and more before retiring as director of whiskey production. Now, she works with spirits brands in a consulting capacity, sharing the knowledge she built over decades of bust-and-boom producing whiskey for one of the world’s largest brands.

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    19: A Global Perspective on Gin With Olivier Ward of Everglow Spirits

    November 12th, 2024  |  1 hr 7 mins
    american gin, distilling, gin, juniper spirits, london dry gin, spirits

    The world of gin, from the creative and technical side to marketing and sales, is experiencing the same flux that’s affecting the broader craft spirits world. But Ward— veteran spirits journalist, brand builder, and consultant—offers a broad look at the category, from evolving definitions and flavors to breakthrough marketing.