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

  • 4: Reade Huddleston of Monster Brewing Shares Perspectives on RTDs, Water Quality, and More

    April 17th, 2024  |  54 mins 55 secs
    distilling, packaging, rtds, water chemistry, water testing

    Through his career, Huddleston has bounced back back and forth in the brewing and distilling worlds, picking up valuable lessons along the way. Here, he shares important perspectives on packaging RTDs for long term stability, understanding the impacts of water chemistry throughout the distilling process, and much more.

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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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    2: Ale Ochoa Takes a Scientific Approach to Sensory Evaluation and Whiskey Blending

    March 26th, 2024  |  1 hr 12 mins
    bourbon, distilling, sensory program, sensory testing, spirits blending, whiskey blending

    Sensory scientist and experienced whiskey blender Ale Ochoa joins Molly to discuss the finer points of developing a palate, articulating flavor and aroma attributes, training a sensory team, testing and validating results, and more.

  • 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.