Spirits & Distilling Podcast

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.

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20 episodes
Updated Dec 10, 2025

Episodes20

Newest first

Dec 10, 2025 · 54 min
47: Steven Grasse Connects the Dots from Wild Ideas to Realistic Strategies for Selling Spirits
The creative force behind brands such as Sailor Jerry and Hendrick’s and the founder of New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling talks about originality, differentiation, and what today’s distillers need to know to survive and succeed in a saturated market.
Nov 25, 2025 · 59 min
46: Owen Martin of Angel’s Envy Applies Strategies from Scotch to Signature Kentucky Bourbon
How do finishing casks impact bourbon flavor development in a way that enhances rather than distracts? Angel’s Envy master distiller Owen Martin shares his approach to consistency and refinement without sacrificing bold presence.
Nov 11, 2025 · 47 min
45: John Angus Explores the Science and Chemistry of Spirits Flavor
John Angus approaches the mechanics of flavor creation in spirits through the lens of a chemist but with the soul of an educator, breaking down complex processes and cutting-edge science in practical ways that spirits makers can use and drinkers can understand.
Oct 29, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
44: Dave Smith of St. George Spirits Captures Sense Memories in a Bottle
Recreating the distinct aromas and flavors that evoke particular places, times, and experiences is a focus that transcends spirit style for this California distiller.
Oct 14, 2025 · 51 min
43: Anne Brock of Bombay Sapphire Is Bullish on the Future of Gin
As master distiller at Bombay Sapphire, Anne Brock combines creative interest in botanicals with the scientific approach of an organic chemist, testing various ingredients and distillation methods while prizing consistency of flavor.
Sep 30, 2025 · 58 min
42: Alex Castle of Augusta Distillery Embraces New Challenges in Old Bourbon
From distillery build-outs in historic buildings to process concerns with calcium-rich water and building a flavor through-line in sourced-bourbon releases, Castle shares lessons learned over 15 years of distilling in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Sep 17, 2025 · 54 min
41: John D.E. Jeffery Wants You to Balance Science and Intuition When Crafting Spirits
As a journeyman master distiller and now a consultant, Johnny Jeffery has left his mark on American craft spirits and learned from unusual experiences along the way. Here, he shares some of his best advice for craft distillers trying to succeed today.
Sep 3, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
40: Joe O’Sullivan of Minden Mill Controls the Variables in Dry-Climate Whiskey Maturation
With estate grain and a climate-controlled rickhouse, Minden Mill’s team is exploring the impact of terroir on their spirits while taking a slow, measured approach to predicting how the environment impacts their maturation and flavor-focused blends.
Aug 19, 2025 · 1 hr
39: Jarrad Huckshold of The Cask Takes a Winemaker’s Approach to Whiskey Maturation and Blending
Understanding the dynamic way casks interact with the liquid inside and the environment around them is key to producing the components of a great whiskey blend.
Aug 5, 2025 · 57 min
38: Jonathan Goldberg of Black Velvet Seeks Harmony through Thoughtful Blending
The master distiller for Alberta, Canada’s Black Velvet embraces the challenge of blending dynamically different distillates into a cohesive whole, with a process focused on consistency, quality, and repeatability.
Jul 23, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
37: Staying Sane and Happy in the Spirits Industry—a Panel Discussion with Maggie Campbell and Jennifer Wren
Get your bugout bag ready! In this special episode, co-hosts Molly Troupe and Sydney Jones reunite to swap advice with American Cane CEO Maggie Campbell and Jennifer Wren, an industry veteran who now specializes in coaching women on professional development.
Jul 9, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
36: Todd Leopold Designs and Distills Spirits that Have Something to Say
Todd Leopold of Leopold Bros in Denver is part historian, part tinkerer, part creative muse, and part sounding board for the broader craft-distilling world—and his multi-stream approach to experimentation in the service of flavor over style is more relevant than ever.
Jun 24, 2025 · 53 min
35: American Cane Tells Expressive Stories in Regionally Relevant Rum
Great rum is a magical thing, and when all the elements come together—ingredients, culture, fermentation, maturation, and story—there are few spirits that can match its joie de vivre. Today, Maggie Campbell and Chaz Vest are aligning these forces of flavor to cast light on rum’s legacy in America, and telling that story through American Cane.
Jun 10, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
34: Brent Looby of Desert Door Summons the Spirit of Sotol
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.
May 28, 2025 · 55 min
33: Stranahan’s Tyler Glasser Distills with Artful Efficiency
The journey from art student to distiller may strike some as unusual, but for the plant operations administrator at Denver’s Stranahan’s, creativity matched with effective and disciplined execution is the key to successful spirits.
May 14, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
32: Aged Whiskeys and Citrus-Flavored Spirits Heat up for St. Augustine Distillery and City Gate Spirits
Distilling in Florida’s hot and humid environment, and producing spirits specifically tuned for cocktails in a tourism-driven locale—those are the major guideposts for the creative direction of these sibling distilleries, as well as for their methods of barrel aging and adding flavor.
Apr 29, 2025 · 50 min
31: Sara Sergent of Alpine Distilling Blends Science with Instinct and Flair in Botanical Spirits
Whether she’s engaging with the wide world of ingredients or sourcing those from her own high-mountain backyard, master distiller Sara Sergent combines well-honed sensory skills with a methodical process for testing how processes and treatments change aroma and flavor expression in her award-winning botanical spirits.
Apr 16, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
30: Bob Dillon of Dismal Harmony Refines Flavors with Creative Flair
Bob Dillon joins the podcast to discuss the technical and artistic vision behind his more familiar spirits as well as his ACSA best-in-show-winning Vidisha’s Masala liqueur.
Apr 1, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
29: Devon Trevathan of Liba Spirits and Trovador Rum Distills Spirits with Stories
Whether she’s distilling in far-flung locales, blending beautiful spirits, or writing about others’ processes, Devon Trevathan crafts stories in both words and flavors.
Mar 18, 2025 · 57 min
Episode 28: Brett Steigerwaldt of Lyon Rum is Crafting Contemporary Expressions with Timeless Methods
Rum with distinctive character and refined expression is key for this Maryland distillery, and head distiller Brett Steigerwaldt doesn’t leave flavor up to fate.