Q&A Paul Hletko
Are you from Chicago/Evanston originally?
I was born in Oak Park, IL, and grew up in Michigan. I moved to Chicago in ‘93, and then moved to Evanston to raise my kids.
What led you to open a distillery in your...
Interview: Spirit Hound Distillers, Craig Engelhorn & Wayne Anderson
A “little” brewery by the name of Oskar Blues brought Craig Engelhorn and Wayne Anderson together. Meeting and working there in the late 1990s/early 2000s, their distillery idea cooked for years before they opened Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyon,...
Distiller Interview with Andy & Charlie Nelson
Brothers Andy and Charlie Nelson fully awakened to their rich distilling family history in 2006 when their father Bill took them to Green Brier. Green Brier was home to the original Nelson Distillery, which closed in 1909 during Tennessee...
Interview with Francesco Amodeo of Don Ciccio & Figli
One of the biggest proponents in the country of Italian-style amaro with American expression and ingredients is Francesco “Ciccio” Amodeo, president and founder of Think Italian LLC and Don Ciccio & Figli.
Born in the small Italian town of Furore...
Interview with Ryan & Wood Distilleries
In the seaside Massachusetts town of Gloucester, Bob Ryan, his wife, Kathy, and son Doug, along with Bob’s nephew, Dave Wood, opened Ryan & Wood Distilleries (ryanandwood.com) in 2006, bringing spirits production to his hometown in the form of...
