Spirits & Distilling Podcast

• 36: Todd Leopold Designs and Distills Spirits that Have Something to Say

  Three decades in, you’d think Todd Leopold of Denver’s Leopold Bros (https://www.leopoldbros.com) would have this whole distilling thing locked down, but he’s the first to admit he’s still figuring it all out. Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say that as soon as he has something solved, he finds a new problem or project with a new set of unknowns, to maintain a dynamic state of constant learning. His restless creativity just can’t stay in one place for too long. In this episode with host Sydney Jones, the widely respected maltster, distiller, and reluctant blender considers the distillery’s history and discusses the process and implementation behind a number of things, including: reviving Maryland rye with a focus on fruit over spice rediscovering and commissioning a three-chamber still to facilitate more flavor and aroma in specific spirits distilling great fruit brandies and finding a place for oak-barrel conditioning with fruit spirits very slow proofing to maintain stability using a dunnage warehouse to reduce evaporation and maintain more consistent temperatures for aging spirits maintaining a low entry proof for more breadth of flavor working vinegar into their product portfolio collaborating on vermouth with an award-winning winemaker And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) 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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• 35: American Cane Tells Expressive Stories in Regionally Relevant Rum

  A certain kind of alchemy occurs when everything aligns in the production of rum—ingredients, expressive fermentation, maturation—but the story and the “why” behind great rum is another element that can’t be forgotten. Maggie Campbell and Chaz Vest of American Cane (https://www.americancane.com) are deeply focused on those components that make for interesting rum, driven to tell the broader history of rum production in America—even as they build production capacity and write up their own small piece of that ongoing history. In this episode, Campbell, Vest, and host Molly Troupe discuss: building a background in spirits—from Leopold Bros and Stranahan’s to Germain Robin and Mount Gay—before launching American Cane the historical context of American rum, and the heritage that includes black, brown, and indigenous people in its production the impact of fermentables such as fresh sugar-cane juice and molasses on the development of flavor expressions of terroir in rum via fermentation and ingredients building a sugar mill taking a staged approach to growing the brand, from sourcing through production And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) 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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• 34: Brent Looby of Desert Door Summons the Spirit of Sotol

  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, (https://www.desertdoor.com) 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: (https://gdchillers.com) 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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• 33: Stranahan’s Tyler Glasser Distills with Artful Efficiency

  For Tyler Glasser of Stranahan’s, (https://stranahans.com) problem solving and creative exploration are best begun with a holistic view, borne from perspectives gained working across the various roles within a distillery. Through his current role as plant operations administrator, he’s gained an appreciation for the part that planning, forecasting, and procurement play in enabling distillers and blenders to produce and construct great spirits, as creating products at the scale of Stranahan’s requires an integrated, cross-discipline push. In this episode, host Molly Troupe and Glasser discuss: How planning and forecasting impact every aspect of the distillery The impact of procurement on the viability of distillers’ labors of love Developing spirits that connect to place and shorten the supply chain Managing stress and setting boundaries The impact of tariffs on an increasingly chaotic forecasting environment Using digital tools and algorithms to plan production and inventory levels Balancing production with market demand while managing capital expenditures And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) 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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• 32: Aged Whiskeys and Citrus-Flavored Spirits Heat up for St. Augustine Distillery and City Gate Spirits

  In this episode focused on distilling in Florida—host Sydney Jones’ old stomping grounds—she reconnects with industry friends Ric deMontmollin and Zack Wildrick from St. Augustine Distillery (https://www.staugustinedistillery.com) and City Gate Spirits (https://www.citygatespirits.com/home). The high-heat, high-humidity environment there poses challenges for barrel aging St. Augustine’s whiskey, while the flavored moonshines of City Gate aim to evoke experiential memories for both the locals and tourists who flock to the distillery in season. Over the course of the episode, the three discuss: data-driven whiskey aging in Florida’s climate aging concerns where the barrels’ internal temp never falls below 78°F (26°C) avoiding excessive loss via evaporation visually identifying potentially great single-barrel picks making lean cuts for whiskey that ages well in the hot environment finding authentic regional expression in flavored spirits from a neutral grain base adjusting for year-to-year changes in the citrus crop finding the sweet spot between audience, passion, and competency building taste experiences for customers with specific spirit preferences And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) 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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