I once visited a large distillery in Speyside. It’s not open to the public. There’s no visitor experience, tasting room, or merch corner. Instead, there’s a high-tech factory that produces millions and millions of liters of spirit every year, probably as much as several states’ worth of craft distilleries. At the time, that was accomplished with a staff of six people — fewer than it takes to run my dentist’s office.
Most craft distilleries are nowhere near that efficient. But the upside of needing more people hours for every bottle is that…well, you need more people hours, and that means more jobs. Earlier this year, the 2024 Craft Spirits Data Project reported there were more than 29,000 jobs in the U.S. craft distilling industry, an all-time high. The economic impact of those jobs supports people, families, and communities through salaries, tax revenue, and the overall cultural vitality that comes with small-scale manufacturing, despite of — or perhaps because of — its inefficiencies.
This issue’s cover story from Daniel Stewart about Rosalie Bay Distillery on Dominica is a vivid illustration of the potential economic catalyst of craft distilling. Hurricane Maria destroyed the only commercial distillery on Dominica in 2017. A few years later, an NGO focused on ocean conservation decided to start making rum on the island to support their work. Now, Rosalie Bay Distillery has become a force for good, reviving sugar cane production and bringing the community together around a new, exciting goal.
That’s not the only story in this issue that takes us on an island journey. Scott Thomas Anderson reports on other distilleries on islands, from the cedar-flanked shores of Puget Sound to the outer banks of the Carolinas. And Jacopo Mazzeo interviews Alexandre Gabriel, a multi-hyphenate spirits entrepreneur with projects in France and the Caribbean.
The armchair travel continues with Virginia Miller’s deep dive into Guadalajara’s cocktail scene, complete with a Q&A with Guillermo Sauza, founder of the iconic Tequila Fortaleza. If that ignites a bit of wanderlust, I don’t blame you. It’s hard to imagine a better place to unwind after a busy OND than Jalisco.
Cheers,
Margarett Waterbury
