68: Vegetable Spirits & Liqueurs Roundtable

Small spirits producers are giving large, global cream liqueur brands from multinational conglomerates a run for their money with an award-winning array of craft brands. A panel of craft cream liqueur producers share their stories and secrets of creating products for today’s craft-savvy consumers. Panelists: Scott Sanders, Tobacco Barn (Hollywood, Maryland) Tom Bard, The Bard Distillery (Graham, Kentucky), JD Recobs, Misunderstood Brands (Bardstown, Kentucky)

Garden vegetables are having a moment in the craft spirits industry, bringing savory elements to liqueurs and gin, and even serving as a base substrate for some distillates. Join us as we welcome a trio of producers incorporating everything from Brussels sprouts and peas to asparagus in their creations. Panelists: David Bly, Festif Amaro (Los Angeles) Jon O'Connor, Long Road Distillers (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Aleks Zhdanov, 3BR Distillery (Keyport, New Jersey)

The complete audio from our Rye Whiskey Roundtable. We check in with some of the country’s top craft rye whiskey producers to compare notes on mashbills, flavor profiles, production techniques, grain sourcing, and connecting with a new generation of consumers. We’ll also analyze current rye whiskey sales data in this comprehensive discussion. Who: Gina Holman, J. Carver Distillery (Waconia, Minnesota) Todd Leopold, Leopold Bros. (Denver, Colorado), Brian McKenzie, Finger Lakes Distilling (Burdett, New York)

On this episode we geek out a bit about the amaro category as we welcome David Bly, founder of Festif Amaro in Los Angeles. David’s a Montreal native who brought a great deal of Canadian influence into the creation of Festif Amaro and Festif Choux, the latter of which incorporates Brussels sprouts into its recipe. David developed a deep appreciation for the amaro category during his two decades working in the bar scenes of both New York and L.A. Creativity and artistry are in his DNA, as he’s also been a filmmaker and an actor.

Host Jeff Cioletti sits down with the team behind American Cane, a new American rum producer in Louisiana. Maggie Campbell, formerly of Privateer Rum and Mount Gay Rum, joins American Cane co-founders Chaz and Darin Vest as CEO. Together, they discuss the past, present and future of the American rum category, as well as what's in store at American Cane.

Today on the program, we’ve got a bit of a special treat. We’re presenting the complete audio from our Best Bars roundtable, which I hosted last month. For the roundtable we invited the personalities behind three of the venues that made our Best Bars in America list, which we showcased in the May/June issue of CRAFT SPIRITS magazine. Our distinguished panel included Natasha Bahrami of the Gin Room in St. Louis—whom you briefly heard at the top of this program—Marc Figueiras of Dullboy and other bars in Jersey City, New Jersey; and Aaron Post of Valkyrie in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our guests gave us actionable insight on the key elements they look for when they’re adding craft spirits to their product rosters.

Sydney Jones is a supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Previously, she served as head distiller for FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, and has been working in the distilled spirits industry since 2016. She is also the co-host of the Spirits & Distilling Podcast. In a wide-ranging discussion about whiskey and distilling, Jones shares details on Heaven Hill’s new distillery and portfolio, her passion for education in the whiskey world, and much more.

Joseph O’Sullivan is the master distiller at Minden Mill Distilling in Minden, Nevada. O’Sullivan started his distilling career in 2005, and was previously the master distiller for Hood River, Oregon-based Clear Creek Distillery. At Minden Mill, O’Sullivan oversees production of the distillery’s estate-made spirits, which include bourbon, rye, and a recently released American single malt whiskey. For this episode, O’Sullivan sat down with CRAFT SPIRITS magazine editor in chief Jeff Cioletti at the 12th annual American Craft Spirits Convention & Expo this March in Tucson, Arizona. They discuss O’Sullivan’s move from Oregon to Nevada, his passion for sharing knowledge in the spirits industry, the concept of terroir in whiskey, the current and future state of no- and low-alcohol spirits, and much more.

Colin Spoelman is the co-founder and distiller at Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. He’s also a board member of the ACSA and an author, whose latest book is “The Bourbon Drinker’s Companion.” In this episode, Spoelman discusses the new law allowing New York distilleries to ship directly to consumers and what it means for the future of craft spirits. He also shares his thoughts on Empire Rye, upcoming releases, his path to distilling, and his latest book.

Erin Lee is the head distiller at FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois. Lee became a certified tea sommelier in 2021 and quickly discovered a love for the tasting process. That passion led her into the world of whiskey, and soon after, she was selected for the inaugural class of interns for the STEPUP Foundation—an inclusion and equity program that aims to provide underserved and underrepresented individuals with training, encouragement and opportunities to enter the craft spirits community. In this episode, Erin shares her journey to becoming head distiller at FEW, and how she’s blending her dual passions for spirits and tea—from the release of FEW Smashing Pumpkins Bourbon to a recent presentation she gave on demystifying tea. She also offers insight into FEW’s core lineup and reflects on the pivotal role the STEPUP internship played in shaping her career.