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 24 Episodes.
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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.