Craft Spirits & Distilling

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Articles

Nanodistilling: Small but Mighty-and Creative

2 weeks ago | spiritsanddistilling.com | Courtney Iseman

For all the challenges that nanodistillery operators face, it’s important to remember that there are certain benefits. With smaller volumes, local focus, and often a tasting room at the core of the business model, these distillers typically have the freedom to try things that bigger players never could. While R&D should matter to any successful producer, the reality is that larger distilleries with wider distribution don’t have the same flexibility to experiment.
Microdistilling for Maximum Flavor Differentiation

3 weeks ago | spiritsanddistilling.com | Hollie Stephens

For distillers making gin and naturally flavored vodka, using unique infusions of local or novel raw ingredients can be a valuable differentiator. Some nano distillers, meanwhile, choose to stay small, so they don’t have to make any compromises. “I often get asked if I’ll expand, why don’t I produce more bottles,” says Justine Schroder, owner of Mt Fyffe Distillery in Kaikōura, New Zealand.
Fun with Fungi: Distillers Make Magic with Mushrooms

1 month ago | spiritsanddistilling.com | Courtney Iseman

If you’re a distiller trying to tap into new flavor profiles—or connect to the storytelling of foraging or growing your own ingredients, or engage with wellness-conscious, functional-beverage-loving customers—it might be time to consider how to incorporate mushrooms into your lineup. The number of distillers working with fungi are still relatively small, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find mushrooms in product categories from vodka to gin to whiskey.
The Synergies of Brewstilleries

2 months ago | spiritsanddistilling.com | David Nilsen

When Bill and Johanna Welter decided to add a small brewery to their Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan, it was 2016—five years after they had opened. Craft beer was booming at the time, and the Welters saw a chance to entice beer lovers to their destination facility. However, they ran into a series of obstacles along the way, and by the time they released their first beer—in July 2024—the Welters had an appropriate name for the fledgling brewery: Sea of Monsters.
Aquatically Aged Spirits: A Taste of the Past (with Modern Legal Hurdles)

2 months ago | spiritsanddistilling.com | Hollie Stephens

In years gone by, when barrels of spirits such as rum and whiskey were transported between continents by boat, the combination of agitation and time led to a nicely matured product that tasted much better on the shores of the destination than it would have upon leaving the origin point. Today, some producers are reviving that historic tradition of aging spirits on the water. However, it’s an endeavor that comes with challenges.
Small Spaces, Big Results: How Nanodistilleries Can Succeed with Compact Setups

Feb 7, 2025 | spiritsanddistilling.com | Courtney Iseman

Craft distillers in today’s market are facing uncertainty, but the way through it may involve leaning into what makes them distinctive: Stay small, be nimble, and work creatively within your means. While nanodistilleries come with their own challenges, they’re also well poised to keep costs manageable and focus on nurturing customer relationships in their communities.
Village Comforts: Countryside Distilling in Franconia

Jan 16, 2025 | spiritsanddistilling.com | Ryan Pachmayer

With the thickest concentration of breweries per capita anywhere in the world, Bavaria’s Franconia region is known as a paradise among those who enjoy excellent, rustic lager beers. What’s less well-known is its fervent distilling culture, which exists in and around the villages that dot the countryside. Many of these distilleries are tiny, attached to a local brewery and its restaurant-pub, there to satisfy the frequent desire for a stomach-settling schnaps after a hearty meal.
Found Flavor: How and Why to Forage for Your Spirits

Dec 2, 2024 | spiritsanddistilling.com | Courtney Iseman

As consumer interest in botanicals in spirits has grown, so has their curiosity about foraging for those botanicals. Foraged spirits thus join a confluence of trends, as more enthusiasts seek local spirits tied to their place; as New World gins, amari, and other regional, botanical-driven spirits and liqueurs grow in popularity; and as consumers place growing emphasis on sustainable sourcing. Foraging also opens a wider world of possibilities for the craft distiller.
Delta Dirt Is Creating Change-and Award-Winning Spirits

Nov 29, 2024 | spiritsanddistilling.com | Kate Bernot

Delta Dirt has a superfan known locally as Grandma Charlene. The matriarch, in her early 90s, has helped to spread the good word about this craft distillery far and wide. She proudly sports her Delta Dirt shirt almost everywhere she goes—including the doctor’s office, leading her physician to become a regular at the distillery’s tasting room. This organic affection is emblematic of what Delta Dirt has built since opening its doors in Helena, Arkansas, in the spring of 2020.
Boosting the Retail Sales of Spirits with Kits and Gifts

Nov 27, 2024 | spiritsanddistilling.com | Hollie Stephens

Margins can be tight for spirits producers, and making great liquid isn’t always enough to keep a distillery viable. Beyond experience-driven add-ons such as tours and tastings, some smaller, independent distilleries are expanding their retail offerings—for example, with kits for making cocktails at home, sampler sets, or premium, ready-to-serve cocktails that just need ice. From the distilleries that are doing it, here are some insights on how it can work.