Molly Troupe
Co-Host of Spirits & Distilling Podcast
With a Bachelor degree in Chemistry (with an emphasis in forensics) and a Master degree in Brewing and Distilling from the legendary Heriot Watt University, Molly Troupe uses her education and experience to create products focused on localized ingredients and masterful flavor combinations. As Master Distiller and Partner at Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon, she has released six different products ranging from gin to whiskey to canned cocktails.
Molly Troupe has hosted 20 Episodes.
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37: Staying Sane and Happy in the Spirits Industry—a Panel Discussion with Maggie Campbell and Jennifer Wren
July 22nd, 2025 | 1 hr 13 mins
burnout, distilling, networking, setting boundaries, toxic productivity, work
Get your bugout bag ready! In this special episode, co-hosts Molly Troupe and Sydney Jones reunite to swap advice with American Cane CEO Maggie Campbell and Jennifer Wren, an industry veteran who now specializes in coaching women on professional development.
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35: American Cane Tells Expressive Stories in Regionally Relevant Rum
June 24th, 2025 | 53 mins 13 secs
american rum, distilling, rum
Great rum is a magical thing, and when all the elements come together—ingredients, culture, fermentation, maturation, and story—there are few spirits that can match its joie de vivre. Today, Maggie Campbell and Chaz Vest are aligning these forces of flavor to cast light on rum’s legacy in America, and telling that story through American Cane.
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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.
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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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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.
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16: Adam Spiegel of Corning & Company and Sonoma Distilling Takes a Reactive and Responsive Approach to an Evolving Spirits Market
October 1st, 2024 | 58 mins 36 secs
black truffle whiskey, bourbon, distilling, espresso martini, rye, smoked malt, smoked whiskey, whiskey
The president of Corning & Company reimagined and reconfigured Sonoma Distilling into a house of brands—some are owned, others are partnerships—but quality and experimentation are still top of mind for this award-winning master distiller.
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14: Nic Christiansen of Barrell Craft Spirits Pieces Together the Blended Whiskey Puzzle
September 3rd, 2024 | 53 mins 43 secs
bourbon, sourced bourbon, whiskey, whiskey blending
As blender and manager of blending operations for Barrell, a brand committed to sourcing and blending rather than distilling, Christiansen finds creative ways to marry distinct flavors in whiskey without muddling their individual characters.
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12: Christian Krogstad, Founder of Aviation Gin and Westward Whiskey, Designs Spirits That Stand the Test of Time
August 7th, 2024 | 59 mins 11 secs
aquavit, botanical spirits, brown spirits, distilling, gin, whiskey
Few acquisitions of spirit brands have been as high-profile as Ryan Reynolds’ purchase of the Aviation Gin brand, followed by its sale to Diageo. Yet even before the celebrity-fueled spotlight turned its way, Aviation was the work of an earnest distiller seeking to make the perfect pre-Prohibition-style gin for classic cocktails.
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10: Andy Nelson, Cofounder of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery and Belle Meade Bourbon, on the Life Cycle of a Modern Distillery
July 9th, 2024 | 59 mins 43 secs
bourbon, distillery business, distilling, tennessee, tennessee whiskey, whiskey, whiskey blending
Launching a whiskey distillery is a not for the faint of heart, and balancing the timing, financing, logistics, brand building, quality, creative expression, distillery construction, and legacy has left Andy Nelson feeling as much like a jack-of-all-trades as he feels like a head distiller.
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8: Clear Creek Master Distiller Caitlin Bartlemay Thrives on the Challenges of Fruit Brandy and American Single Malt
June 12th, 2024 | 1 hr 2 mins
american single malt, brandies, distilling, fruit brandy, fruit fermentation, whole fruit
Distilling fruit brandies from whole fruit is a technical and logistical challenge, but for Caitlin Bartlemay, it’s nowhere near as difficult as educating consumers about the process, ingredients, and history of this storied spirit.