Craft Spirits & Distilling Podcast Craft Spirits & Distilling

Fourteen years into her career at Clear Creek in Hood River, Oregon, Caitlin Bartlemay recently become master distiller at the respected craft producer. There, she continues to lead a small, hands-on team through seasons of distilling an array of whole-fruit brandies as well as McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt—the first American craft single-malt whiskey.


In this week’s episode, Bartlemay joins host Molly Troupe for a wide-ranging discussion that includes:



managing public expectations around the master distiller role
the impact of Prohibition on smaller family-run distilleries
the significant challenge in making great fruit brandies
managing the logistics of whole-fruit fermentations
the impact of tank time and cask residence on various brandies
mash consistency’s effects on fermentation and distillation
distilling American single-malt on a single-pass hybrid brandy still
aging spirits in Oregon oak casks


And more.


Brought to you by:
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. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com.


[ABS Commercial:](hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized distilling needs.


Brewery & Distillery Workshop: IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.

While Sydney Jones’ last turn in the host chair was an exit interview of sorts, this episode is her entrance interview with new boss, Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, as she settles into her new role as supervisor and technical lead for the under-construction $150M distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. In this episode, O’Driscoll shares his insight gained from two decades of distilling for respected whiskey brands, and along the way touches on:



Whiskey fermentation philosophy with single yeast ferments
Using liquid yeast in the new distillery for more control
Rickhouse designs and their impact on aging whiskies with different age goals
How distillate recipes become finished whiskies while creating consistency in brands
Agricultural impacts on whiskey from ingredients to staves
Building within an idea of distillery “house style”
Technical and safety improvements he’s implemented through the years


And more.


Brought to you by:
Lotus Beverage Alliance: Say goodbye to the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies from multiple vendors, and say hello to the efficiency and simplicity offered by Lotus Beverage Alliance. This new alliance brings together craft-beverage industry powerhouses GW Kent, Alpha Brewing Operations, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Twin Monkeys Beverage Solutions, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions to provide an unrivaled portfolio of craft-beverage equipment and supplies. Experience the convenience of working with ONE vendor … ONE Source… for ALL of your craft-business needs. Visit LotusBevAlliance.com now and start streamlining your process today.


Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.


Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com


Techniblend Craft the perfect blend every time by enhancing the flavor profile of your spirits with TechniBlend’s state-of-the-art blending and batching technology. TechniBlend is the trusted partner of distilleries across the country, providing solutions for unparalleled accuracy and consistency in the distilled-spirits production process. Visit techniblend.com today to discover how our innovative solutions can redefine the art of distillation. TechniBlend: Blend the Best!

In Andy Garrison’s mind, fruit brandies have historically been necessary byproducts of excess—fruit trees produce more food that could be consumed by their owners, so what better way to preserve their bounty than distilling the juice from the leftover fruit? Today, in the age of wide-scale commercial farming, that approach to adding or preserving value from one’s harvest is not an animating factor, and pressing and distilling juice from fruits is one of the most expensive ways to produce a spirit. But do they have to be?


Whether through his work for Stone Barn Brandyworks, or for his own label Tuff Talk Distilling, Garrison seeks more compelling answers to these questions, through creative and technical exploration. He’s tackled some tough projects, and solved some difficult technical challenges along the way, and shares his insight with host Molly Troupe in this episode. Over the course of the conversation, he touches on:



Historical connections between agriculture and distilling
Finding ways to use distilling to add value to the modern food landscape
Making spirits from challenging, low-sugar ingredients like carrots
Differentiating spirits like potato eau de vie from more pedestrian spirits like contemporary vodka
Turning ramen noodles into a unique spirit
Building flavorful grappa with modern flavor additions like espresso and biscotti


And more.


Brought to you by:
American Canning: Looking to expand into aluminum cans but worried about corrosivity, off-flavors, scalping or pin-hole leaks? aTULC is a premium performance can proven to double product shelf-life. Its manufacturing process requires no water, coolants, chemicals, or wastewater treatment. Crafted for higher ABV products, acidic ingredients, emulsions, salt, and sulfites, aTULC is the toughest, most sustainable can for your brand. Contact American Canning for a free compatibility consult or visit aTULC.com.


Arryved: Arryved point of sale combines industry expertise, essential tasting room tools, and a whole lotta love to make running your distillery easier. Scale faster with Arryved’s mobile system that offers flexible service with QR code ordering, detailed reporting, and award-winning customer support. New customers get your first month free when you launch before June 30th, 2024.Visit Arryved.com/spiritsanddistilling and mention this ad.


Encompass: Omnibibulous means “able or willing to drink almost anything.” That’s the attitude of the consumer you’re trying to reach: they’re omnibibulous. So how does your distillery remain competitive? Distillers must future-proof their business with a multi-segment production attitude to meet consumers with the right beverages for the right occasions. Encompass Production Cloud is the software designed to help you lead in the modern beverage industry. Become future-proofed at encompasstech.com.


RMS Roller-Grinder At RMS Roller-Grinder, they design and build quality roller mills and grain handling systems for your specific distilling needs. From idea to installation, they can help with roller mills, augers, control panels, bulk storage, and more. RMS has the right equipment to help you increase efficiency, simplify your process, and create a quality, crafted product. Contact them today at rmsroller-grinder.com to work with their experts on your new distillery build or expansion.

It may seem like everything that can be done, has been done, but for FEW Spirits operations director Riley Henderson, novel fermentations offer new opportunities for flavor in familiar spirits such as rye whiskey and bourbon.


Half a decade ago, FEW embarked on a project to explore the impact of fermenting with koji, a mold historically used for saccharification in sake and soy sauce, among other foods and drinks. Results were mixed at first, but through iteration and adaptation, FEW has landed on a process that works consistently and produces flavors that carry through distillation, producing flavor that’s worth the effort.


This episode is also an exit interview of sorts, as host Sydney Jones—current head distiller at FEW—brings her time there to a close before setting off for a new challenge with Heaven Hill in Kentucky. During their conversation, Sydney and Riley also discuss:



challenges in balancing packaging style with speed, safety, efficiency, and reliability
managing fermentation with small grains such as rice
understanding the impact of yeast strains on distilled and aged spirits
propping up and maintaining a koji culture
pH adjustment and bacterial protection using citric acid
finishing fermentation with temperature-friendly kveik yeast
impacts of new and second-use oak on aging koji-fermented spirit


And more.


Brought to you by:
Techniblend Craft the perfect blend every time by enhancing the flavor profile of your spirits with TechniBlend’s state-of-the-art blending and batching technology. TechniBlend is the trusted partner of distilleries across the country, providing solutions for unparalleled accuracy and consistency in the distilled-spirits production process. Visit techniblend.com today to discover how our innovative solutions can redefine the art of distillation. TechniBlend: Blend the Best!


Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com


Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.


Lotus Beverage Alliance: Say goodbye to the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies from multiple vendors, and say hello to the efficiency and simplicity offered by Lotus Beverage Alliance. This new alliance brings together craft-beverage industry powerhouses GW Kent, Alpha Brewing Operations, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Twin Monkeys Beverage Solutions, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions to provide an unrivaled portfolio of craft-beverage equipment and supplies. Experience the convenience of working with ONE vendor … ONE Source… for ALL of your craft-business needs. Visit LotusBevAlliance.com now and start streamlining your process today.

Are distillers really just “dirty” brewers? How do you stabilize ingredients and flavors in canned RTDs? How can water chemistry at the municipal level cause potentially expensive issues with arrested fermentations? Through his career, Reade Huddleston has seen it all, and now as Director of Distillation and Spirits at Monster Brewing, he’s putting into daily use these best practices gleaned from years of brewing and distilling, as well as focused study.


In this episode, Molly and Reade explore a range of subjects, including:



Similarities and differences in brewing and distilling practice
Testing and optimizing RTDs for long term stability
Can liner interactions in RTDs
Testing water quality with taste and odor acceptance tests
Measuring water supply shifts over the course of a day
Common chemicals in supplied water and how to neutralize them


And more.


Brought to you by:
RMS Roller-Grinder At RMS Roller-Grinder, they design and build quality roller mills and grain handling systems for your specific distilling needs. From idea to installation, they can help with roller mills, augers, control panels, bulk storage, and more. RMS has the right equipment to help you increase efficiency, simplify your process, and create a quality, crafted product. Contact them today at rmsroller-grinder.com to work with their experts on your new distillery build or expansion.


Encompass: Omnibibulous means “able or willing to drink almost anything.” That’s the attitude of the consumer you’re trying to reach: they’re omnibibulous. So how does your distillery remain competitive? Distillers must future-proof their business with a multi-segment production attitude to meet consumers with the right beverages for the right occasions. Encompass Production Cloud is the software designed to help you lead in the modern beverage industry. Become future-proofed at encompasstech.com.


Arryved: Arryved point of sale combines industry expertise, essential tasting room tools, and a whole lotta love to make running your distillery easier. Scale faster with Arryved’s mobile system that offers flexible service with QR code ordering, detailed reporting, and award-winning customer support. New customers get your first month free when you launch before June 30th, 2024.Visit Arryved.com/spiritsanddistilling and mention this ad.


American Canning: Looking to expand into aluminum cans but worried about corrosivity, off-flavors, scalping or pin-hole leaks? aTULC is a premium performance can proven to double product shelf-life. Its manufacturing process requires no water, coolants, chemicals, or wastewater treatment. Crafted for higher ABV products, acidic ingredients, emulsions, salt, and sulfites, aTULC is the toughest, most sustainable can for your brand. Contact American Canning for a free compatibility consult or visit aTULC.com.

Master distiller Lisa Wicker may have taken an unconventional path through her career, shifting from wine to distilled spirits, but that’s hardly the only decision she’s made that some might deem unusual. For Wicker, spreading out and exploring adjacent but interesting fields has improved her approach to distilling and blending much more than intense focus could. Now, she pulls on all that background to hone fermentations with atypical grains, tighten distillations, and blend with identifiable character in mind.


In this episode’s conversation with Sydney Jones, Wicker discusses:



Cold mashing corn for more characterful distillation
Using malted rye and barley
Testing heirloom corn varieties for distilling potential
Lessons learned from winemaking
Building through notes in whiskey brands for flavor identities
Blending with partial barrels to achieve flavor balance
Blending strategies to soften the edges of younger, wilder whiskies


And more.


Brought to you by:
Lotus Beverage Alliance: Say goodbye to the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies from multiple vendors, and say hello to the efficiency and simplicity offered by Lotus Beverage Alliance. This new alliance brings together craft-beverage industry powerhouses GW Kent, Alpha Brewing Operations, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Twin Monkeys Beverage Solutions, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions to provide an unrivaled portfolio of craft-beverage equipment and supplies. Experience the convenience of working with ONE vendor … ONE Source… for ALL of your craft-business needs. Visit LotusBevAlliance.com now and start streamlining your process today.


Country Malt Group: Country Malt Group is proud to support craft distillers across North America with a carefully curated portfolio of the best everyday ingredients and supplies, including malt, adjuncts, fruit, yeast, and more! Visit CountryMalt.com/distilling to view their complete list of distilling products, resources, and podcast episodes.


Crafted ERP: Is your brewery, distillery or, ... heck we’ll say it ... “brewstillery” looking for better control of production, finance, compliance, inventory, supply chain, etc.? You want a system that untaps your potential and future-proofs your strategy. You need total visibility into every aspect of your business—and you need it on demand. Visit CraftedERP.com to learn how Crafted meets you where you are today—and prepares you for everything that’s coming tomorrow. CraftedERP.com


Techniblend Craft the perfect blend every time by enhancing the flavor profile of your spirits with TechniBlend’s state-of-the-art blending and batching technology. TechniBlend is the trusted partner of distilleries across the country, providing solutions for unparalleled accuracy and consistency in the distilled-spirits production process. Visit techniblend.com today to discover how our innovative solutions can redefine the art of distillation. TechniBlend: Blend the Best!