web01.fireside.fm Sat, 23 May 2026 02:01:51 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Spirits & Distilling Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Tequila” https://spiritsanddistilling.fireside.fm/tags/tequila Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0600 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. en-us episodic Make and drink great spirits. Spirits & Distilling 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. no spirits, distilling, distilled spirits, bourbon, vodka, rum, gin, craft, craft spirits. Spirits & Distilling support@spiritsanddistilling.com 34: Brent Looby of Desert Door Summons the Spirit of Sotol https://spiritsanddistilling.fireside.fm/34 a6081c3a-da6e-4572-9cab-1c3e2272c452 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0600 Spirits & Distilling full Spirits & Distilling 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. 1:04:44 yes <p>The distilling traditions we enjoy today are often the product of centuries of trial and error from past generations of makers, with ingredients carefully developed for efficiency and effectiveness in given locales. It’s hard to separate the spirit from the place that it comes from because often the very character of that spirit is a result of what grows, what fuels are accessible, and what ferments to a degree that matches the effort involved in extracting sugars. In Mexico and the southwestern United States, the ubiquity of agave has led many distillers to lean into such spirits, with tequila gaining traction as the segment’s most well-known, but similar plants such as the Dasylirion or desert spoon offer an adjacent distilled profile from a plant that often grows wild within its range. </p> <p>For Brent Looby and <a href="https://www.desertdoor.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Desert Door,</a> the opportunity to ferment and distill a spirit somewhat familiar to modern consumers, but with its own personality and connection to the region, is a driving motivation. And from their distillery just outside of Austin, they’ve garnered medals and recognition for their classic and progressive takes.</p> <p>In this episode, host Sydney Jones and Looby discuss:</p> <ul> <li>the challenge in developing an agricultural supply chain for a wild-harvested plant<br> </li> <li>cooking the hearts of the plants to extract fermentable sugars<br> </li> <li>distilling with multiple stills to deliver the ideal flavor profile<br> </li> <li>sotol’s unique earthy and herbaceous flavor, with notes of almond and bread<br> </li> <li>barrel-aged sotol aged in Missouri white oak<br> </li> <li>botanical sotol with regional ingredients such as sage, rosemary, and hibiscus</li> </ul> <p>And more. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://gdchillers.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">G&amp;D Chillers:</a></strong> G&amp;D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&amp;D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&amp;D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&amp;D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com. </p> sotol, Austin, Texas, tequila, agave, spirits, distilling The distilling traditions we enjoy today are often the product of centuries of trial and error from past generations of makers, with ingredients carefully developed for efficiency and effectiveness in given locales. It’s hard to separate the spirit from the place that it comes from because often the very character of that spirit is a result of what grows, what fuels are accessible, and what ferments to a degree that matches the effort involved in extracting sugars. In Mexico and the southwestern United States, the ubiquity of agave has led many distillers to lean into such spirits, with tequila gaining traction as the segment’s most well-known, but similar plants such as the Dasylirion or desert spoon offer an adjacent distilled profile from a plant that often grows wild within its range.

For Brent Looby and Desert Door, the opportunity to ferment and distill a spirit somewhat familiar to modern consumers, but with its own personality and connection to the region, is a driving motivation. And from their distillery just outside of Austin, they’ve garnered medals and recognition for their classic and progressive takes.

In this episode, host Sydney Jones and Looby discuss:

  • the challenge in developing an agricultural supply chain for a wild-harvested plant
  • cooking the hearts of the plants to extract fermentable sugars
  • distilling with multiple stills to deliver the ideal flavor profile
  • sotol’s unique earthy and herbaceous flavor, with notes of almond and bread
  • barrel-aged sotol aged in Missouri white oak
  • botanical sotol with regional ingredients such as sage, rosemary, and hibiscus

And more.

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

]]> The distilling traditions we enjoy today are often the product of centuries of trial and error from past generations of makers, with ingredients carefully developed for efficiency and effectiveness in given locales. It’s hard to separate the spirit from the place that it comes from because often the very character of that spirit is a result of what grows, what fuels are accessible, and what ferments to a degree that matches the effort involved in extracting sugars. In Mexico and the southwestern United States, the ubiquity of agave has led many distillers to lean into such spirits, with tequila gaining traction as the segment’s most well-known, but similar plants such as the Dasylirion or desert spoon offer an adjacent distilled profile from a plant that often grows wild within its range.

For Brent Looby and Desert Door, the opportunity to ferment and distill a spirit somewhat familiar to modern consumers, but with its own personality and connection to the region, is a driving motivation. And from their distillery just outside of Austin, they’ve garnered medals and recognition for their classic and progressive takes.

In this episode, host Sydney Jones and Looby discuss:

  • the challenge in developing an agricultural supply chain for a wild-harvested plant
  • cooking the hearts of the plants to extract fermentable sugars
  • distilling with multiple stills to deliver the ideal flavor profile
  • sotol’s unique earthy and herbaceous flavor, with notes of almond and bread
  • barrel-aged sotol aged in Missouri white oak
  • botanical sotol with regional ingredients such as sage, rosemary, and hibiscus

And more.

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

]]> 25: Gian Nelson of Jano Spirits and Ruins Distillery is Exploring the Possibilities in California Agave https://spiritsanddistilling.fireside.fm/25 a535e703-91d8-4c25-9d1e-fd3d1e49269d Tue, 04 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0700 Spirits & Distilling full Spirits & Distilling 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. 48:06 yes <p>Tequila and mezcal are top of mind when you think “agave,” but Gian Nelson is working to change that assumption. For the past few years, working through his brand <a href="https://www.janospirits.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jano Spirits</a>, he has partnered with growers who cultivate California agave—a much larger cousin of the classic Blue Weber agave used in tequila—to better understand what it takes to cultivate agave plants that translate into fine spirits. </p> <p>In this episode, Nelson and host Molly Troupe discuss:</p> <ul> <li>differences in types of agave plants, from Brix to maturation times</li> <li>farming practices that produce better agave</li> <li>wine-like fermentation for California agave with native and commercial yeast</li> <li>managing methanol production in California agave</li> <li>the impact of aeration</li> <li>leaning into inefficiency</li> </ul> <p>And more. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://gdchillers.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">G&amp;D Chillers:</a></strong> G&amp;D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&amp;D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&amp;D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&amp;D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com. </p> distilling, agave spirit, california agave, tequila Tequila and mezcal are top of mind when you think “agave,” but Gian Nelson is working to change that assumption. For the past few years, working through his brand Jano Spirits, he has partnered with growers who cultivate California agave—a much larger cousin of the classic Blue Weber agave used in tequila—to better understand what it takes to cultivate agave plants that translate into fine spirits.

In this episode, Nelson and host Molly Troupe discuss:

  • differences in types of agave plants, from Brix to maturation times
  • farming practices that produce better agave
  • wine-like fermentation for California agave with native and commercial yeast
  • managing methanol production in California agave
  • the impact of aeration
  • leaning into inefficiency

And more.

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

]]> Tequila and mezcal are top of mind when you think “agave,” but Gian Nelson is working to change that assumption. For the past few years, working through his brand Jano Spirits, he has partnered with growers who cultivate California agave—a much larger cousin of the classic Blue Weber agave used in tequila—to better understand what it takes to cultivate agave plants that translate into fine spirits.

In this episode, Nelson and host Molly Troupe discuss:

  • differences in types of agave plants, from Brix to maturation times
  • farming practices that produce better agave
  • wine-like fermentation for California agave with native and commercial yeast
  • managing methanol production in California agave
  • the impact of aeration
  • leaning into inefficiency

And more.

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

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