Glassroom Q & A
Sonoma Distillery: Adam Spiegel
“While working with great Master Distillers and Blenders over the years, I’ve honed my skills to continually raise the bar with each new product and batch. There are no ‘Masters’ here per se; we’re just talented people striving every day to better ourselves and our craft. I like to say that we’re making whiskeys in a small way, for a big world.”
Limestone Branch Distillery: Stephen Beam
“I had already been in the restaurant business with my brother Paul for 10 years, then we decided to open our own distillery. We started the whole process in 2009, in 2010 we incorporated & by 2011 we opened the doors.”
Copper Fox Distillery: Rick Wasmund
“ I was always a fan of whiskey as well as very attuned to the fruit aromas of various wood.”
Journeyman Distillery: Bill Welter
“When the family business was sold in 2006, I decide to pursue my own business, which eventually resulted in Journeyman Distillery in 2010.”
Balcones Distillery: Jared Himstedt
“Everyone in this industry needs to remember that we are doing way more than whisky, and other people are incorporating what we make into some of the most important moments of their lives.”
Whiskey Acres Distillery: Nick Nagele
“An hour after our release, we had 800 people lined up down the road, sold out the food truck and thought we were going to drown in guests. After that, I couldn’t wait to do that again.”
Far North Distillery: Mike Swanson
“I wanted to do something with the family farm and it is true that you can take the boy off the farm, but can’t take the farm out of the boy! While thinking of what we could do with the family farm, I was drinking a whiskey. It then dawned on me.”
Dry Diggings Distillery: Cris Steller
“The name Dry Diggings Distillery comes from the original name of the town from 1848 when gold was being mined before the big gold rush a year later (49ers).”
Ironroot Distillery: Jonathan & Robert Likarish
“I was a law student, but I decided to serve a different type of bar. Friends thought we were crazy since there was still a recession in 2012.”
Heavenhill Distillery: Bernie Lubbers
“I got to work and travel with Parker Beam, who was our distiller for 56 years. Being able to pick his brain, and have him as a mentor can not be measured.”