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Ingredients & Formulations

Takamaka Distillery

Distilling rum in the Seychelles, a lush, tropical archipelago nation located northeast of Madagascar and about 1,000 miles off the Kenyan coast, comes with a few perks. Rum can be mixed with the same delectable produce enjoyed by the country’s...

California Agave: The Birth of a Movement

With oil derricks pumping near his roll-up door, Henry Tarmy wraps both arms around an overstuffed carton of bottles and hauls its chiming treasures through the length of a 94-year-old lemon-packing plant. Today, the space is a distillery, but...

Backyard Botanicals

Ryan Christiansen throws his tractor in reverse as clouds sail over the countryside of central Vermont. He aims the machine’s steel auger into the grass, drilling holes that his teammates fill with long posts. They’re creating a big wood-and-wire...

Ingredient Spotlight: Salt

Salt: good old sodium chloride. It brings flavor to food and has been the object of armed rebellions and wars on most of the Earth’s continents. But what has it got to do with spirits? Beyond its use as...

Coffee and Whiskey: A Match Made in Beverage Heaven

In early 2021, Aimsir Distilling Co. in Portland, Oregon, had only been open since the previous December and COVID restrictions were finally scaling back. “We were talking about things we could do in the bar for St. Patrick’s Day...

Distilling Research Grant Report: Bacteria in Rum Fermentations

As a rum distiller, I’m always on the lookout for novel production methods capable of increasing the organoleptic complexities of pot-distilled rum. Often you hear enthusiasts wax poetically about Jamaica’s famed dunder pits and their historic use, other fermentation...

Source Juniper Like a Pro

Within gin production we spend a huge amount of time trying to control the variables. This ensures a balanced and consistent product for both the distiller and customer. What follows are some thoughts on achieving consistent results with juniper...

How to Maximize Flavor from Specialty Grains: A Practical Guide

Heirloom, specialty, and terroir-driven grains are drawing increased interest from distillers and whiskey connoisseurs alike. At the same time, with more distilleries and more whiskey, the market is also becoming more competitive. The need for a spirit with unique...

Distilling Research Grant Report: Fermenting with Saltwater

In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, narrowly escaped “Day Zero,” the point at which the city would run out of fresh water. In 2020, Sydney, Australia, implemented water restrictions. In 2023, about 51% of the continental United States is...

The Terroir of Tea

Coffee-infused spirits have been a bar staple for decades. Now, some spirits brands are venturing into the taste of tea. Expanding from its native range spanning the Eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, tea has become a touchstone for cultures around...