Craft Spirits & Distilling

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.

1 month 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.

1 month 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.

2 months ago | 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.

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.