• 42: Alex Castle of Augusta Distillery Embraces New Challenges in Old Bourbon
    Sep 30 2025
    As a Kentucky native, Alex Castle knew she wanted to work in beverage alcohol before most—bourbon is culturally important in the state, and she wanted to play a part in its continued tradition and evolution. She learned the ropes on pot stills at Alltech and a high-throughput continuous still at Wild Turkey before building out and launching Old Dominick in Memphis. But her return to Kentucky to helm Augusta Distillery (https://augustakydistillery.com) and the Buckner’s brand has ushered in a new chapter of both learning and sharing, as she stashes away barrels of their own distillate for future releases while sourcing older barrels from fellow Kentucky distilleries for limited single-barrel releases. In this episode, Castle and host Sydney Jones discuss: learning the ropes at Town Branch Bourbon and Wild Turkey before building out and launching Old Dominick in Memphis building out Augusta Distillery in a historic Kentucky building the challenges in distillery processes that use Kentucky groundwater building a flavor through-line in aged sourced-bourbon releases barrel rotation as a means of balancing stock for intended age-statement releases the impact of rye on bourbon flavors how location can impact barrel maturation weathering the current spirits-market slowdown And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    58 mins
  • 41: John D.E. Jeffery Wants You to Balance Science and Intuition When Crafting Spirits
    Sep 17 2025
    John D.E. “Johnny” Jeffery’s journey into distilling began after a trip to Poland inspired him to make nalewka, a traditional infused liqueur. It’s a journey that’s taken him from Chicago and Michigan State University to craft distilleries such as Death’s Door in Wisconsin, Sante Fe Spirits in New Mexico, and Nevada’s Bently Heritage Estate—all of which he helped to launch. Along the way, he’s embraced a collaborative approach among craft distillers, emphasizing the need to share knowledge so that everyone can make better, more compelling spirits. He continues that work today, advising small distilleries on how to pay attention to customer feedback and create meaningful experiences while maintaining creative traditions. In this episode with host Molly Troupe, Jeffery also discusses: the unusual experience of building a prison still for a California death-row case the importance of having a skilled mechanic in the distillery how sound and music can help identify problems in the distillery balancing intuition with science in R&D projects and whiskey-blending the importance of customer feedback to refining products how storytelling connects the maker with the product and those who enjoy it maintaining authenticity when scaling up And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Sid Dilawri from Filibuster Distillery says, “From the design and engineering to installation and start-up, G&D was easy to work with. We’ve had great customer service since commissioning our chiller, and I’d highly recommend them for any distillery system.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    55 mins
  • 40: Joe O’Sullivan of Minden Mill Controls the Variables in Dry-Climate Whiskey Maturation
    Sep 3 2025
    The romance of whiskey maturation meets environmental reality in many parts of the world these days—increasingly hot, dry climates can produce markedly different results than the humid environments of Scotland or Kentucky. That can leave distillers wrestling with the question of whether to lean into process- and environment-driven results, or to manipulate that environment to achieve intentional flavor goals. For Joe O’Sullivan—master distiller at Minden Mill (https://www.mindenmill.com) in Nevada’s high desert, just east of Lake Tahoe—the choice is clear: to prioritize consistency through distillation and maturation processes, so that they can let their estate-grown grain shine. In this episode, O’Sullivan and host Sydney Jones discuss: the impact of terroir on grain, and on distilled spirits made from that grain losing 3 to 4 percent angel’s share per month in a very dry climate building a distillery to optimize intended flavors in finished spirits identifying signature flavor characteristics and optimizing whiskey blends to highlight them controlling the rickhouse climate to mimic weather patterns in popular distilling centers such as Kentucky and Scotland And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 39: Jarrad Huckshold of The Cask Takes a Winemaker’s Approach to Whiskey Maturation and Blending
    Aug 19 2025
    While we often look at spirits aging through the lens of popular climates and standard barrels—used cooperage in the cool climate of Scotland or new charred oak barrels in hot, humid summers and cold winters of Kentucky—many now-enshrined methods were born of efficiency considerations and political realities more than quality concerns. In places not beholden to specific traditions and regulations, different opportunities present themselves, and different takes on efficiency can become the norm. Take Melbourne, Australia, for example, where this episode’s guest, Jarrad Hucksold, spent almost a decade as head blender for Starward Whisky. The popularity of wine in Australia has created a steady supply of used wooden casks, making them an accessible and flexible vessel for extended maturation. But understanding the way the local environment affects those casks as they mature was key to creating great stock for their blends. In this episode, Huckshold and host Molly Troupe discuss: taking a winemaker’s approach to whiskey maturation how fortified wine barrels interact with aging liquid inside them re-coopering and re-charring used barrels for better spirits aging managing sulfur in used wine barrels reactive maturation environments and avoiding over-extraction because of temperature fluctuations training one’s palate for the precise sensory work of blending maintaining consistency in blends through solera aging And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Sid Dilawri from Filibuster Distillery says, “From the design and engineering to installation and start-up, G&D was easy to work with. We’ve had great customer service since commissioning our chiller, and I’d highly recommend them for any distillery system.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    1 hr
  • 38: Jonathan Goldberg of Black Velvet Seeks Harmony through Thoughtful Blending
    Aug 5 2025
    Building a blend of aged spirits that feels effortless requires both art and craft, and for Jonathan Goldberg of Black Velvet (https://www.blackvelvetwhisky.com) in Alberta, Canada, the key to great blends is nailing the mix of contrasting components and optimizing each from the still through aging, then carefully maturing after blending. The goal isn’t singular standout barrels; the goal is a continuous process that produces quality at volume. In this episode, Goldberg and host Sydney Jones discuss: the art of balance in blending lighter and heavier whiskies using high wines to create harmonious blends pre-blend aging and evaluation as well as post-blend additional maturation maintaining consistency and efficiency with a continuous still the positive impact of used cooperage on lighter distillates And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    57 mins
  • 37: Staying Sane and Happy in the Spirits Industry—a Panel Discussion with Maggie Campbell and Jennifer Wren
    Jul 23 2025
    In this special episode of the podcast, co-hosts Molly Troupe and Sydney Jones reunite for a panel discussion—not on distilling, specifically, but on how to set yourself up for success while maintaining work-life balance in the spirits industry. Joining the hosts are Maggie Campbell, CEO of American Cane (https://www.americancane.com), and Jennifer Wren. As chief joy officer of the Wren Way (https://www.thewrenway.com), Wren’s coaches women on how to make joy central to their careers. Among other topics, they discuss: the “bugout bag” and why you should pack one, today, even if you love your job why it’s important for leaders to maintain positive work environments tips on how to maintain work-life balance the perils of toxic productivity the importance of setting boundaries and taking breaks watching for signs of burnout the value of a network and keeping up with contacts financial planning for career flexibility And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Sid Dilawri from Filibuster Distillery says, “From the design and engineering to installation and start-up, G&D was easy to work with. We’ve had great customer service since commissioning our chiller, and I’d highly recommend them for any distillery system.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • 36: Todd Leopold Designs and Distills Spirits that Have Something to Say
    Jul 9 2025
    Three decades in, you’d think Todd Leopold of Denver’s Leopold Bros (https://www.leopoldbros.com) would have this whole distilling thing locked down, but he’s the first to admit he’s still figuring it all out. Or, maybe it’s more accurate to say that as soon as he has something solved, he finds a new problem or project with a new set of unknowns, to maintain a dynamic state of constant learning. His restless creativity just can’t stay in one place for too long. In this episode with host Sydney Jones, the widely respected maltster, distiller, and reluctant blender considers the distillery’s history and discusses the process and implementation behind a number of things, including: reviving Maryland rye with a focus on fruit over spice rediscovering and commissioning a three-chamber still to facilitate more flavor and aroma in specific spirits distilling great fruit brandies and finding a place for oak-barrel conditioning with fruit spirits very slow proofing to maintain stability using a dunnage warehouse to reduce evaporation and maintain more consistent temperatures for aging spirits maintaining a low entry proof for more breadth of flavor working vinegar into their product portfolio collaborating on vermouth with an award-winning winemaker And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • 35: American Cane Tells Expressive Stories in Regionally Relevant Rum
    Jun 24 2025
    A certain kind of alchemy occurs when everything aligns in the production of rum—ingredients, expressive fermentation, maturation—but the story and the “why” behind great rum is another element that can’t be forgotten. Maggie Campbell and Chaz Vest of American Cane (https://www.americancane.com) are deeply focused on those components that make for interesting rum, driven to tell the broader history of rum production in America—even as they build production capacity and write up their own small piece of that ongoing history. In this episode, Campbell, Vest, and host Molly Troupe discuss: building a background in spirits—from Leopold Bros and Stranahan’s to Germain Robin and Mount Gay—before launching American Cane the historical context of American rum, and the heritage that includes black, brown, and indigenous people in its production the impact of fermentables such as fresh sugar-cane juice and molasses on the development of flavor expressions of terroir in rum via fermentation and ingredients building a sugar mill taking a staged approach to growing the brand, from sourcing through production And more. G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
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    53 mins