Sydney Jones
Co-Host of Spirits & Distilling Podcast
Sydney Jones is the Head Distiller for FEW Spirits in Evanston, IL, and has been working in the distilled spirits industry since 2016. Sydney is also a regular contributor to Artisan Spirit Magazine and American Craft Spirits Association publications, including the newly released e-book, “The ACSA Guide to Starting and Operating a Distillery.”
Sydney Jones has hosted 21 Episodes.
-
38: Jonathan Goldberg of Black Velvet Seeks Harmony through Thoughtful Blending
August 5th, 2025 | 57 mins 4 secs
blending, continuous still, cooperage, distilling, dynamic blends, pre-blending
The master distiller for Alberta, Canada’s Black Velvet embraces the challenge of blending dynamically different distillates into a cohesive whole, with a process focused on consistency, quality, and repeatability.
-
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.
-
36: Todd Leopold Designs and Distills Spirits that Have Something to Say
July 9th, 2025 | 1 hr 24 mins
brandy, chamber still, distilling, fruit brandy, maryland rye, rye, still, stills, vinegar
Todd Leopold of Leopold Bros in Denver is part historian, part tinkerer, part creative muse, and part sounding board for the broader craft-distilling world—and his multi-stream approach to experimentation in the service of flavor over style is more relevant than ever.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
18: Mark Vierthaler of Whiskey Del Bac Is Pursuing a Distinct Sense of Place, Transparently
October 30th, 2024 | 58 mins 35 secs
arizona, distilling, whiskey
The head distiller and blender in Tucson, Arizona, is embracing the scorching desert climate and local flavor—namely, mesquite-smoked malt—to craft distinctive whiskeys while making transparency integral to the brand.
-
17: Blender Jackie Zykan of Hidden Barn and Oduoak Debunks Lazy Assumptions about Whiskey Flavors, Blending, and Sensory
October 15th, 2024 | 1 hr 12 mins
bourbon, bourbon blending, colorado whiskey, distilling, kentucky bourbon, perfume, whiskey, whiskey blending
Zykan, former master taster for Old Forester, current master blender for Hidden Barn and perfumer for Oduoak, joins host Sydney Jones for a rollicking episode of intentionality and shared experience.
-
15: Maplewood Finds Creative Fermentation, Botanicals, and Finishing Opportunities at the Intersection of Brewing and Distilling
September 17th, 2024 | 1 hr 16 mins
barrel-aged gin, brewstillery, fermentation, finishing casks, gin, single malt, whiskey
This award-winning Chicago brewstillery finds innovative ways to connect their disciplines—and not just for the narrative, but firstly for the flavor.
-
13: Widow Jane Head Distiller and Blender Sienna Jevremov Directs the Delicate Dance of Urban Distilling and Blending
August 20th, 2024 | 1 hr 4 mins
blending, bourbon, cask finished, distilling, stave finished, urban distillery, urban distilling, whiskey
Producing smaller volumes of craft spirits typically means a location closer to potential customers, but distilling in high-density urban environments is both work-intensive and expensive. Brooklyn’s Widow Jane has found an artful way to create distinct spirits despite—or maybe because of—the challenges they face distilling, aging, and blending in New York City.
-
11: Ken Klehm of 450 North Spirits Loves the Creative Challenge of Distilling an Array of Spirits
July 24th, 2024 | 58 mins 9 secs
agave spirit, brewstillery, distilling, estate corn, fernet, liqueurs, spirits, whiskey
Through his distilling career, Ken Klehm has tackled an array of challenges, like stocking an entire cocktail bar with house-distilled spirits and liqueurs. Now at the helm of the 450 North brewstillery, he’s exploring new opportunities like distilling with estate grain, making American single malt, and more.