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 16 Episodes.
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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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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.
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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.
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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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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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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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9: Nicole Austin of George Dickel Takes a Thoughtful and Contextual Approach to Blending Beautiful Whiskies
June 25th, 2024 | 59 mins 15 secs
blending, bourbon, bourbon whiskey, distilling, rye whiskey, tennessee whiskey, whiskey, whiskey blending
There’s no one best way to blend whiskey—but for this award-winning distiller and blender, the key is taking an approach that fits the intended goal.
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7: Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll is Tackling New Product and Process Challenges in the Biggest Way Possible: Building a New Distillery
May 28th, 2024 | 1 hr 6 mins
american whiskey, bourbon, corn whiskey, rick house, whiskey, whiskey distillate, whiskey fermentation
The seventh master distiller in the history of the storied distillery got his start as a chemical engineer, before finding his way into whiskey. Now, he’s leading the next chapter, as they build and commission the new Heaven Hill Springs distillery, and tackle new processes for making beloved brands.
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5: Riley Henderson of FEW Spirits Explores Whiskey’s “Last Frontier”—Fermentation
May 1st, 2024 | 1 hr 5 mins
alternative fermentation, bourbon, distilling, koji, rye whiskey, whiskey
What’s left to do in the world of whiskey? Plenty, if you ask FEW Spirits director of operations Riley Henderson. For him, the secret lies in embracing slower, more flavorful fermentations.
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3: Lisa Wicker, Itinerant Distiller, Considers Lessons From Her Past While Looking to the Future
April 2nd, 2024 | 1 hr 2 mins
blending bourbon, blending whiskey, bourbon, corn whiskey, distilling, whiskey
The former president and master distiller for Brooklyn’s Widow Jane took a circuitous route before ending up in distilling, but the lessons in blending, flavor development, and agricultural integration she picked up along the way have informed her approach to distilled spirits to this day.
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1: Hosts Sydney Jones and Molly Troupe Share Their Favorite Distilling Techniques
March 5th, 2024 | 1 hr 4 mins
barrel maturation, cask aging, distilling, enzyme protocol, fermenting whiskey, gras, proofing, proofing spirits, rotovap, ttb, whiskey blending
In this launch episode of the Craft Spirits & Distilling Podcast, hosts Sydney Jones of FEW Spirits and Molly Troupe of Freeland Spirits introduce the podcast and each other with a dive into their favorite distilling techniques.