Spirits & Distilling Podcast
Make and drink great spirits.
About the show
Enjoy and learn from conversations with leading distillers as co-hosts Sydney Jones, head distiller for FEW Spirits in Chicago, and Molly Troupe, master distiller for Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon, explore the technical and creative processes behind award-winning and storied spirits. It’s a podcast by distillers, for distillers, that covers the broad world of finely crafted spirits—botanical and herbal spirits, fruit distillations, agave spirits, grain spirits, and more. Listen as the hosts discuss every aspect of the process, from ideation and ingredient selection through conversion and fermentation, distilling, aging, finishing, proofing, and packaging. Subscribe to this bi-weekly podcast for tips and techniques that will help you make better spirits.
Episodes
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.