Margarett Waterbury, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Craft Spirits News and Insights: April 2025

2 weeks ago | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

Between trade developments, regulatory changes, market trends, and breakthrough innovations, keeping up with craft spirits news can feel like a full-time job. This new monthly digest does the heavy lifting for you by condensing the month’s most significant news into a concise, must-read briefing. It publishes on the last Wednesday of every month. Distill Ventures AftermathThe impact of Diageo’s closure of its Distill Ventures’ accelerator program continues to come into focus.
Whiskey Thief: Whiskey the Way Nature Intended

2 weeks ago | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

Remember the first time you tasted whiskey straight from the barrel? There’s nothing else quite like it. Usually, it’s a privilege reserved for distillers and their pals. But at Whiskey Thief Distilling Company, even casual visitors can experience the incredible aromatic and flavor density of uncut, unfiltered whiskey directly from the cask. Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. was founded in 2012 by Ross Caldwell on his family’s 127-acre grain farm outside of Frankfort, Kentucky.
Barrels to Barstools: Brucato Amaro and the Friend Place

3 weeks ago | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

A well-made tasting room cocktail program can be a powerful tool for craft distilleries. It’s a way to showcase how people might enjoy your product at home, and it has the potential to draw in new customers tantalized by the promise of a great drink. In San Francisco, Brucato Amaro has taken the cocktail-focused tasting room to its logical conclusion: Bar Brucato, a real-deal cocktail bar and restaurant that just happens to feature Brucato Amaro’s products in every drink.
Craft Spirits News & Insights: March 2025

1 month ago | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

Between trade developments, regulatory changes, market trends, and breakthrough innovations, keeping up with craft spirits news can feel like a full-time job. This new monthly digest does the heavy lifting for you by condensing the month’s most significant news into a concise, must-read briefing. It publishes on the last Wednesday of every month. E.U. TariffsThe tariff landscape remains unsettled, but a recent pause on European Union tariffs is an encouraging sign.
Barrels to Barstools: Rotten Little Bastard Distillery and the Beaufort Bull

2 months ago | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

Many craft distilleries have close relationships with local bars and restaurants, but few have taken collaboration quite as far as Rotten Little Bastard Distillery and the Old Bull Tavern. In 2023, these two small businesses in Beaufort, South Carolina, teamed up to create a brand-new product — The Bravest Bull Whiskey —specifically designed for making memorable cocktails. Cocktails Come FirstOscar Salas, owner of the Old Bull Tavern, is a seasoned whiskey aficionado.
Editor's Letter: Winter 2025

Jan 2, 2025 | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

I once visited a large distillery in Speyside. It’s not open to the public. There’s no visitor experience, tasting room, or merch corner. Instead, there’s a high-tech factory that produces millions and millions of liters of spirit every year, probably as much as several states’ worth of craft distilleries. At the time, that was accomplished with a staff of six people — fewer than it takes to run my dentist’s office. Most craft distilleries are nowhere near that efficient.
TTB Issues Final Ruling Establishing the American Single Malt Whiskey Category

Dec 13, 2024 | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

After years of concerted effort led by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and countless comments from distillers and industry stakeholders, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued a final rule creating a new American Single Malt Whiskey category. “This is a landmark ruling from the TTB that further cements our standing on the global stage in whiskey,” said ASMWC President Steve Hawley in a press release.
Try a Vegan Wine Tasting in Portland

Nov 13, 2024 | traveloregon.com | Margarett Waterbury

Oregon is synonymous with pinot noir — and one key contributor is Erath Winery. This pioneering winery was one of the first to grow pinot noir in the Willamette Valley, and they’re still a top producer of the style that made the state famous. So when I got the chance to go experience their vegan-friendly tasting room in Portland’s Pearl District, I was thrilled to leave my car in the driveway and head across the river to meet a friend for an urban wine tasting.
Revenge of the Nerds

Oct 28, 2024 | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

Pat Heist is a total geek, but you might not know it at first. A long beard, leather jacket, and Kentucky drawl make him seem like he’s about to ask you to hold his beer so he can deliver a wailing guitar solo or ride a flaming motorcycle over a big jump.
Letter from the Editor: Fall 2024

Oct 18, 2024 | distilling.com | Margarett Waterbury

As I write this, I’m getting ready to leave for the 2024 ADI conference. It will be my first time in Baltimore, and I’m almost as excited to experience a new place as I am to see all my craft spirits colleagues in person. I’m not alone. Americans are a traveling bunch. We’ll take over domestic trips this year — and that’s not counting international visitors to the U.S., about in 2023.