Visiting Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC. Part two: the interview.

Author’s note: Before I left Broadslab, Jeremy was generous enough to gift me with four bottles of his product, one of each kind. I do not normally accept such gifts, but I made an exception in this case. Although I do not consider this payment, the FTC does. As such I am disclosing the info now. And though I had tasted all of the products and made judgements about liking or not liking them before I knew the gift was being made, the tasting notes below are from tonight. Please use this info to judge the relative accuracy of my thoughts on them.

This is the second in a two part series about my visit to Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC. As I said in my last post, I spent an hour or more talking to Jeremy while I was at the distillery. Once I got home, I sent him a note to see if he would be willing to answer a few more questions for the blog. He graciously said yes. Our conversation is below.

Jeremy, we’ve talked of course, but tell the readers a little about yourself. 

I was raised on a produce farm by my grandparents and became an entrepreneurer straight out of high school. I have gotten to this point in my life having been taught by the school of “hard knocks.”

How did you get your start in the spirit business? What made you decide to open a distillery?

My granddaddy and his ancestors made moonshine both before and after prohibition. During those times, it became an economic necessity to engage in “moonshining.” I wanted to open a distillery to honor this tradition and preserve the history of my family’s legacy. The name “Broadslab,” which my distillery is named, refers to the southeastern section of Johnston County, NC that became well-known for the quality of home-brewed whiskey produced by entrepreneurs back in the day. My distillery sits right in the heart of “Broadslab,” which many say is the “moonshine capital of NC.”

Is the distillery your full time job now? 

(Laughs) I sure wish it could be but it does not pay the bills! My wife and I own and operate two collision repair centers, grow crops on our 100-acre farm (we grow our own corn for the moonshine mash), and maintain a few rental properties. 

What’s a typical day like for you? 

Oh, how it varies each and every day! Some days I am farming and some days I am running the rollback or washing cars for the body shops.  Some days I am distilling or bottling product at the distillery and some days I am mowing grass at home, or at the body shops, or at the rental properties. There is no typical day for me!

Tell me about the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far.

The biggest challenge I have faced in this distillery thus far has been marketing, marketing and marketing! No one tells you how hard it is to get your products on the market with limited funding.

What’s the best thing about operating your own (legal) distillery?

I am blessed with so very many opportunities to meet all kinds of people from all walks of life who are very interested in and appreciate what I am trying to do!

Sustainable growth and natural ingredients seem to be at the heart of your philosophy. Tell the readers a little about what you are doing on those fronts. 

I am a firm believer in only natural ingredients because most products and foods we encounter on a daily basis are full of artificial preservatives, artificial flavors and artifical sweeteners that I believe are harmful to an individual’s health. All of the products I currently produce at the distillery are made from only natural ingredients and are certified gluten-free. 

My products have been on the market since August 2012, a very short time period. I have seen steady growth since that time and my main goal is to continue with this steady growth. Most every day I get an email or a phone call or simply talk to someone in person that has not heard about my distillery. I am building my brand one person at a time.

Any advice for readers who might be interested in following in your footsteps?

Make yourself fully aware of the financial undertaking needed to start a distillery and be willing to work a lot of VERY long hours to attempt to fulfill your dream!

What is your specialty? 

My distillery is based on the “moonshining” legacy so clear, corn liquor is my specialty.  

Any other types of products you are making?

I focus on producing and bottling only traditional, all-natural distilled spirits. I currently produce 2 varieties of corn liquor and 2 varieties of rum.  

Anything new on the horizon?

I hope to add another product or two to the list I already produce.

Do you offer tours?

Currently, I am a one-man show so I only offer tours by appointment only. But, of course, I hope to set a tour schedule very soon.

In North Carolina you are in ABC stores, outside of North Carolina, where can readers buy your products?

We currently sell our products in SC and GA at various stores in those states.

Anything else you’d like to plug? Website? Twitter?

Please check out our website at www.broadslabdistillery.com (you can read all the details about the Broadslab legacy) and “like” us on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BroadslabDistillery) and follow us on twitter (@BroadslabStill)!

Jeremy, thanks so much for chatting with me today. I enjoyed my visit to the distillery and I urge everyone in or visiting North Carolina to set up a visit with you and pick up a bottle or two in the ABC stores. Thanks again.

Broadslab Legacy Shine

Details: Label says 33% corn and 67% percent cane sugar. Jeremy told me that it included corn and malted corn along with the cane suger. 45% ABV 

Nose: Dried Corn or more accurately cattle feed. This most reminds me of when I was in college, delivering pizzas to the guys at Quality Liquid Feeds. (yes, my heritage is mostly redneck—and I’m proud of that)

Taste: This has a very delicate flavor. Very sweet. Almost no burn. I could hold this in my mouth for a while without it burning out. Based on the nose, you’d expect to be overwhelmed by corn. It’s certainly there. But it’s more like a cooked cereal than I would have expected.

Finish: Minimal heat. The cooked cereal taste really hits you after you swallow and lingers for a good while before slowly turning bitter and making you want to take another sip.

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Overall: I’ve liked very few unaged products. In fact I can only think of one before this. But I like this one. A lot. This is very obviously the work of a skilled craftsman.

Broadslab Legacy Reserve

Details: Same as above except that this has been “Colored and Flavored with Oak slabs.” (Which seems to be TTB speak for aged. For what it is worth I saw the barrels with charred oak slabs inside.)

Nose: Buttered popcorn and butterscotch. The nose on this is very sweet.

Taste: An initial hit of cinnamon transitions to a sweet smokiness. The smokiness is not overpowering. The buttery note is there to back it all up.

Finish: There’s a bit of heat that sticks around and a lingering smokiness. Kinda glad I tasted this second. Feels like a palate wrecker.

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Overall: my wife liked this, but overall this wasn’t for me. It’s not that it was bad or anything. I just have a well known preference away from smoky whiskies. And this has that same sort of smoky flavor (even if it is technically not a whisky). I am extremely interested in trying it in a Manhattan-type cocktail though. 

 

Visiting Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC. Part one: the visit.

 Author’s note: Before I left Broadslab, Jeremy was generous enough to gift me with four bottles of his product, one of each kind. I do not normally accept such gifts, but I made an exception in this case. Though I do not consider this payment, the FTC does. As such I am disclosing the info now. Though I had tasted all of the products and made judgements about liking or not liking them before I knew the gift was being made, the tasting notes below are from tonight. Please use this info to judge the relative accuracy of my thoughts on them.

I like visiting with craft distillers. I love the passion with which they do the work they do. And let’s be honest, you don’t get into that business if you don’t have a passion for it. So, to that end when I started planning my trip to North Carolina, I decided that I was going to look to see if I there were any I could visit. And boy, were there. There are at least 13 active distilleries in North Carolina. Many of which were either nowhere near where I was going to be or not offering tours while I was going to be in the vicinity. I reached out to six of them, three responded. 

The first one that I passed was Broadslab Distillery in Benson, NC. Tours to Broadslab are available by appointment only as Jeremy, the proprietor, pretty much runs a one man show. Along with his two body shops. And the farm he grows his corn on.

To say that Jeremy is a busy man, would be an understatement. He also seems pretty handy to have around. You see, he built his still. And the building it’s in. And he cleared the driveway leading up to it. Along the way he found an old tub. It had ax cuts in the bottom given to it by the agents that busted his grandfather during prohibition. It seems Jeremy came by his passion naturally. 

Now I will say that the tour is a short one. The building isn’t big. You walk in, there’s the still. Turn around, and there’s the fermentation area. Take a short walk to the back of the building and you see the bottling line. But a small building is ok. It is just a part of his operation. He has a farm where he grows the corn that is one of the ingredients in his Shine. In case you were curious, he malts the corn there too. 

I talked to Jeremy for the better part of an hour. He took me through all the parts of the still from heat box (gas now, but designed to convert to wood if he wanted) to the thumper that is housed in a barrel. He explained how he’s trying to grow sustainably and run his business responsibly. He even told me about plans for the future. Though out of respect to him, I’ll keep those under my hat. (If you want to know, set up a tour!) He even went through the infusion process he uses to make his spiced rum.

I left admiring the operation and the proprietor. If you are in eastern North Carolina, set up a visit. Or attend an event he’ll be at. Taste the product. It’s good stuff.

Carolina Coast Silver Rum

Nose: A vague sweetness that I can't quite put my finger on. Smells like every moonshine I've ever tried.

Mouth: The sweetness is still here, but there's a bit of funk in the mouth too.

Finish: A fairly harsh burn and bitter.

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Overall: This is a fairly typical mixing rum. It performs nicely in a mojito, though that funk comes through and might be off putting if you were not expecting it. Drinking it neat: meh. Not great, not terrible. 

Carolina Coast Spiced Rum

Nose: Christmas in a glass. Vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, allspice. It's like a cookie in liquid form.

Mouth: All the flavors from the nose are here. Nice mouthfeel.

Finish: Sharp at first (in the sense of a sharp cheddar) but then a warmth spread from the back of the throat all the way to the tip of your tongue. Nice.

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Overall: Didn't expect to like this. I detest Captain Morgan spiced rum and have never had any others. But, to my surprise, I like this one. I'd sip it on it's own. I'd consider mixing it too. I think it'd bring a lot to a cocktail. I might even try dabbing a bit on myself as a cologne. It smells that good. 

Final thoughts: If I were buying this for myself, I wouldn't regret either purchase. I'd mix the silver as I expected to and not be unhappy about it. But if I were buying to sip, I'd go for the spiced. It's damn tasty.

This was part one. Part two will be an interview with proprietor, Jeremy Norris and reviews of his two moonshine products.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience bourbon fountain (not real bourbon).

It is 6:30am on Thursday, November, 21st when I leave Madison, Wisconsin. We have a long drive ahead of us. Google Maps says it’ll be about seven hours to drive to Louisville. Which is good because the last tour at the new Evan Williams Experience is at four o’clock and I really want to hit that before I continue out of town the next morning. Everything is going good. 

Until I hit Chicago. 

Google must have never been to Chicago. With the time change, I should have arrived around three or a little before. I instead arrive at 4:05pm. You’ve never seen a sad Eric like you saw that day. Even with rushing to make up the hour or more I lost in Chicago, I still miss the last tour by 5 minutes. Figuring that we’d at least get to to go the gift shop, we park and go in anyway, maybe the tour is running late.

We walk in and are greeted by three or four people working there. I walk up to the one heading my direction and quietly say “I’m guessing we missed the last tour, didn’t we?” The lady nods sadly and assures me that we did indeed miss it. After she asks if we’ll be around tomorrow, I shake my head and explain that, no, we are continuing on right away in the morning and that we’d driven from Madison just to try to make it there before they closed. The lady asked me to hang on for a minute and walked over to the group. They talked among themselves for a moment and then we were waved over to the counter. It seems a tour has just opened up. 

People in Kentucky are so nice. I didn’t ask them to make a special tour for my wife and I. I didn’t expect it. But they went ahead and offered it. So I said yes, and handed over my credit card. 

After a brief wait for the tour ahead of us to clear out of the movie, we went in. They chose a good name for the tour. It’s not a distillery tour like you are used to. This really is an experience. This is an exhibit designers dream. There are wall sized movie panels with permanent set pieces in and around them. There is a working distillery. There are interior store fronts. It’s really, really nicely done. And Vicky, our tour guide was wonderful. A warm and engaging person, she took us into all the rooms including the tasting room we weren’t going to be tasting in. And along the way we learned the legend of Evan Williams. Starting from the meeting hall where he was nominated wharf-master and ending in the gift shop. How very Disney of them. 

A little bourbon in the glass is a very nice way to end a wonderful experience.

Interview: David Cole of David Cole Creative, Bourbon Packaging Designer

Woodinville Whiskey Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Photo courtesy David Cole, www.davidcolecreative.com.

About two weeks ago I got a notice from a reader regarding an upcoming bourbon event. It turns out that he is also the designer of the label and packaging of this upcoming release. As I am also a designer who loves whiskey, I felt that there were some fun questions here to be answered. What follows is our conversation. 

So tell me a little about yourself, are you a bourbon drinker? What's your go-to pour?

Go-to pour? Quick answer, without over-thinking it would be Knob Creek, 9-year bourbon. That's my "every-day" favorite. But there sure are a lot of other options if you're in one mood or another. I got into whiskey via Old Overholt Rye! From there I acquired a taste for Maker's Mark Bourbon and Bulleit and it's been a bonanza of new experiences since then. I greatly enjoy Woodinville Whiskey's Microbarrel Bourbon and Rye. The bourbon is surprisingly mature for it's young age. I'm also enjoying the proliferation of Scotch-style, American single-malt whiskeys that are showing up. I guess it's hard to pick a favorite right now, when every week brings a new product to try - especially here in the Northwest. I can't even keep up with all the new releases. Eastland is doing some interesting things. So is Clear Creek. And I still have plenty of classics to get to know as well. I guess I can't afford to latch on to anything at the moment. There's so much yet to learn.

Like me, you are a designer. Unlike me, you design for bourbon bottles. How'd you get started with that specialty?

I started out in package design over 12 years ago right out of art school. My wife-to-be and I were both designers at a small agency in a small town for about two years. Then we moved to Seattle and got caught up in the "big city" design agency rat race for as long as we could stand it. That was profoundly educational but the work wasn't particularly rewarding for me. So in 2012 I decided to go it alone. I left the agency I was working for and went solo. My wife (www.nikkicolecreative.com) had already blazed that path, 4 years prior. I guess I was slow to figure it out. Anyway, my passion for packaging had been unsatisfied for some eight years or so. So I just decided that's what I was going to do. I guess I can't say that my passion for whiskey had been unsatisfied, but the two had yet to converge and that's what I was really wanting to make happen. So I posted some related work on my website and within months I was getting unsolicited calls and emails from local wineries and distillers. It's been snowballing since then and it's only just beginning! Just yesterday I got an email from a distiller in Ukraine. We're already talking details and it looks like it's going to be a fun project: A whole product line of hand-made fruit brandies. I can't wait to get started on designs.

What are some of the unique challenges in designing whisky bottles and packaging?

Compared to a great many other food and drink products, packaging for the spirits category is equally challenging, or maybe slightly less so. A great many food and drink products have to contend with refrigeration, moisture and other mechanical considerations related to packing, shipping and storage. Wine and spirits are thankfully free from these particular hurdles. It's just nuts and bolts stuff, but it has a pretty major impact on the materials and print processes that will be appropriate for the finished package. With spirits in particular, the door remains open to many processes that help achieve a premium look and feel in the package. Also, makers of whiskey and spirits are charging a lot more for their products than makers of jellies, chocolates, coffee and many of the other food producers I work with. Expectations are higher when it comes to selection of high quality materials such as natural cork, glass and premium label papers, etc. I prefer to design for premium, hand-made and/or natural products, so it's a perfect fit.

I know that the labels need to be submitted for approval, does this affect all portions of the design? or just the label portion itself?

The TTB is only concerned with certain pieces of information. In most cases that information appears on the primary label (or screen printed equivalent of a label), so I believe that's where their interest ends. I suppose they also regulate some other, non-label factors such as net contents. Only certain sizes are legal to sell in the United states: 200ml, 375ml and 500ml, if I remember correctly.

You have a bourbon that is launching soon that you designed. Tell us about that project, how did it come about

Woodinville Whiskey Company is a dream client for me. They contacted me out of the blue just over a year ago. They were exactly the client I was hoping for: A Northwest distiller with a lot of hand-crafted appeal and pride in their products. From day one, we got along famously. We're on the same page every time we meet to discuss projects, in terms of the vision for what we want to accomplish and what will be right for their brand. It's a great relationship. After I'd worked on some other projects for them, they asked me to help with this straight bourbon. I was excited to help. A young distilleries first straight whiskey is a big deal. It's a rite of passage and I'm honored to be a part of it.

Anything else you'd like to share? Where can we see more of your work?

I have a lot of irons in the fire right now! I'm currently doing work on other exciting (and top-secret) projects for Woodinville Whiskey Co. Some of that will be public in the coming weeks and some of it will be another year or so - some really cool stuff. I'm also branding and designing bottles/labels for a new, startup distiller in Eastern Washington. They will have product on the shelves this spring and I'm very excited about the direction it's heading. Unfortunately, it's also not public yet, but I'll let you know. In addition to that, I'm currently in discussions with two vodka makers and three wineries! 

I'll be appearing at an American Distilling Institute event in a few weeks, Hosted by Heritage Distilling, in Gig Harbor Washington. I was graciously invited to share some packaging design knowledge with the distillers who will be in attendance, so I'm hoping a new relationship or two comes out of that. And in related news, I have a great long-term relationship with Seattle's Canon: Whiskey & Bitters Emporium. I've done some labels for them (bitters and aged cocktails), menu designs, and a 100-page cocktail book (now in its second edition), among some other odds and ends. Oh, and I recently had an Italian glass maker pickup one of my original 750ml bottle designs as a stock offering in their catalogue for next year! I even got to name it! I get to see the prototype next week. Very excited. There's a lot going on! I just wish more of it was public, but you can be sure I'll be updating my website (http://www.davidcolecreative.com) and tweeting (@Davidscole) about new developments as soon as they are ready to share.

I'm having a lot of fun, doing what I love and I feel very fortunate to work with the amazing clients I have - and I'm excited about who I might meet next. It's always an adventure.

David, thanks for sharing all this with us. I find this sort of behind-the-scenes fascinating and I hope everyone else does too!

Woodinville Whiskey: Straight Bourbon Release Event. December 7, 2013

Woodinville Whiskey Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Photo courtesy David Cole, www.davidcolecreative.com.

A reader and fellow designer, David Cole (@Davidscole on twitter), reached out to me today to let me know about an event that is taking place in Washington on December 7th, 2013. As it is bourbon related and in a state that I absolutely adored visiting a few years back, I thought I’d pass it along. FYI, David designed and created the packaging on this bottling. His site is www.davidcolecreative.com.

What: Woodinville Whiskey Company Straight Bourbon Release

When: December 7th, 2013. Doors open at 7 am, but there will be coffee and doughnuts at 6 am.

What makes this special? Well, for one thing it is a craft distiller releasing a straight whiskey. That’s pretty darn special right there. Add in the fact that they made the whiskey and aged it for 2 years in standard sized barrels and it gets even better. 

What will you be buying? This is the first release of straight whiskey from Woodinville Whiskey company and they are releasing it in collector’s edition bottles complete with “a custom pewter label and custom display box.” Or so their website says. It goes on to say that there are 388 wheated bourbon bottles available and 207 rye bourbon bottles. Bottles are 750 mL each and will retail for $149.95. Limit one bottle per person.

What do I think? Well, to be honest, $150 for a 750 mL is quite a bit above the limit of buyer’s remorse for me, especially for a two-year old whiskey. That said, I’m also a fan of letting the whiskey speak for itself and I haven’t tasted it so I can’t pass judgement on whether or not it is worth the price. I also need to remember that this is a “collector’s edition bottle” that really looks quite pricey to produce (as I said, I’m a designer and know how expensive printing small runs can be and yes…roughly 600 is a tiny print run even without all the extras that are happening on this). Hopefully future bottlings will have a more reasonable price tag. So ultimately, if you are a fan and in the area, maybe you want to show up on the seventh, plunk down your cash and let us all know how it tastes.

Oh and it really is beautiful packaging. Nice work David. You’ve done beautiful work.

Book Review: Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick

Men have a tendency to take women for granted. Even those of us who would do anything for our wives sometimes forget just how much they do for us. It’s a sad truth to have to admit. Especially for someone who was raised by a single mother and saw firsthand how much she had to do to just get us basic necessities.

I read a lot of histories. It’s my other passion beside whiskey. Rarely are women mentioned in them. When they are, they are not normally portrayed as good people. It seems that a lot of historical writers seemed to think that if a woman was worth noting it was for how unlike a woman she was. 

And that’s what makes Whiskey Women—The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick so refreshing. Not only does it bring together my love of whiskey with my love of history, but it treats women as the human beings they are. People who work hard, have aspirations and do good things that are profitable and sometimes charitable. It also doesn’t hurt that Fred is possibly one of the best authors I’ve read. Seriously, if you see his name on a piece, just read it. It’ll be worth your time.

Doubly so in the case of this book. Minnick’s book ranges from the dawn of history up through the present day. He presents the stories of woman from such wide ranging locations as Egypt, the British Isles and North America. Whether it is the stories of woman who made and sold whiskey, those who tried to get rid of it or those who succeeded in making sure it never truly went away Minnick presents each story with respect. There is none of the “and can you believe all this was done by a woman?” that you find in other history books I’ve read.

This is a great book. Whether you are into whiskey, history or both this deserves a place on your book shelf. Love it. Go buy it today.

Four Roses Single Barrel Head-to-Head Review: Gift Shop Edition

I’ve been meaning to write this post for just about a year. I tried when I first got back from Kentucky last year. It was a blind head-to-head. Imagine that, two different four Roses Gift Shop releases. One 13 years old, the other 17. What could be a better set-up? Well that was a question that needed to remain unanswered. You see, I accidentally started with the 125 proof one. I burned out my taste buds before I could even try it with water. 

I was sad.

So I put it off. And off. And off. Until I realized that I had very little left in the bottles. They’d become candidates for “removal.”

Removal is what I call the process of drinking only one bottle until it is gone in order to free up shelf space for the next bottle. It usually occurs when there is about 1/4 left in the bottle. It’s a policy that helps me to get over my urge to hang on to the “special” ones for longer than I should. And it’s a policy I desperately need. I secretly think that I might have a little hoarder in me. 

Actually, there’s a pile of little hoarders in me. They’re over there, behind the spleen. What? I might need them someday!

Anyway, the two gift shop releases of Four Roses had reached the point where they have been tagged for “removal.” I’d had the samples poured in my library for a while now, all I needed was that blog post and I’d be free to concentrate on finishing off those two bottles. 

The reason for the post has changed over the last year. Initially, it was a bit of a brag. Look what I have: it’s a 17 year old Four Roses…blah. It’s a good thing I never wrote that post. I would have been a dick. Now it’s a reminder. A reminder, that if you end up in Kentucky, to stop into the distillery and pick up a bottle of something so good, they decided to keep it for themselves.

So let’s get to the tasting. First the older/lower proof one (see I learned from last time).

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 17 year

Specs: OBSV. 17 years 5 months. 54.8% ABV. Warehouse QS. Barrel no: 73-3W. Selected as one of four barrels to commemorate the opening of their new visitor center.

Nose: Maple syrup, licorice, old wood that’s gone punky

Taste: whoo, that’s sharp. JuicyFruit gum, and baking spices. adding water amplifies the sweetness and the spices.

Finish: There’s just a wisp of a burn here, but it dries the mouth nicely. Adding water devastates the finish making it dangerously quaffable. 

Four Roses Single Barrel Gift Shop Release 13 year

Specs: OBSK. Barreled November 1998 (bought September 2012). 62.6% ABV. Warehouse NS. Barrel No: 16-4A.

Nose: This reminds me of a warm cookie. Sweet vanilla and allspice. Hints of barrel char.

Taste: Caramel/Vanilla sweetness balanced by cinnamon red hot candies. Sweet. Spicy. Wonderful.

Finish: warm, but doesn’t burn. there’s some wood left over. 

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Thoughts: It’s no secret that I love Four Roses. And I think they hit both of these right out of the park. Both of these are fantastic whiskies and I would be happy to have either or both on my shelf. I’ll be sad to see both of these go. If pressed my wife and I each would choose a different favorite. I loved the 13 year. I’ve reached for this over and over during the last year. In previous drams, I’ve found lovely fruitiness that I just couldn’t find this time. I typically drink it with an ice cube though so that would affect it. My wife prefers the 17 year. Which is no surprise, she loves old woody bourbons. And this trends that direction.

In short: if you find yourself within an hour of Lawrenceburg, KY, stop in. Get a gift shop release. It won’t be either of these, but it will almost certainly be fantastic.

Interview: Todd Weiss of Striped Pig Distillery, Charleston, SC

Here's a timeline for you: I've been using twitter (@Arok) since March 2008. I've been tweeting about whisky and craft booze since March 2011. I've been blogging about them since April of 2011. Somewhere around June of 2012 @DstillD found me on twitter and we started talking. He seemed to bring booze knowledge from a producer's point of view. I brought...smart ass quips and maybe eventually some knowledge of my own.

It took me a while to realize it, but @DstillD was none other than one of the masterminds behind the Striped Pig Distillery in Charleston, South Carolina. Not that Striped Pig was open at that point. That didn't happen until sometime between April and now (depending on how you define "open"), but they were getting there. We all know I love craft distillers so to celebrate their Soft Opening (his words, not mine), I asked Todd if he would mind sitting down for an interview. He graciously said yes. Below is our conversation: 

So Todd, tell me a little about Striped Pig.
 The Striped Pig Distillery is made up of 4 primary partners, with a fifth on the side. I was working mainly by myself to start a small distillery in Charleston, SC. I had the full business plan, tons of research regarding the regulation of the industry and had started making contacts and presenting to investors. Early on in my solo venture, I met up with Johnny Pieper, our Lead Distiller. He was spending time at a distillery in Colorado learning the trade. Johnny had brought in an old acquaintance of his, Casey Lillie, to help him start a distillery. Casey’s background was in sales. The three of us were running along parallel tracks, but hitting the same hurdles. A mutual friend suggested that we combine forces, and things quickly grew from there. It was easy to see that we all had complementary skills. We ran into our fourth partner, Jim Craig, quite accidentally. We were trying to find a small antique still as a decorative piece in our retail area when Jim answered our ad. While he couldn’t provide us a still, he was curious about what we were doing and eager to learn more. Jim brings 28 years of sales and operations experience to our team. Finally there is Boris Van Dyke. He also owns Icebox, which is a liquor catering business.

Where did this crazy idea come from? What made you decide to open a distillery?
 Like all good stories, mine started with a drink. I was with friends and someone had a bottle of a micro-distilled rum that was pretty darn good. After the first drink, we got to talking and I thought about distributing the spirit in South Carolina. After the fourth drink, I was no longer interested in distributing. I said, “Why should I distribute somebody else’s liquor? I’ll make it myself.”

My family had a background in home brewing. My dad owned a home brew shop for 15 years. My younger brother turned that into a brewing job for a brewpub in Kansas, then in Colorado. I was the black sheep that liked spirits, too. I thought I would try to take what I had learned and make a go in the liquor industry.

Is the distillery your full time job now? How's that affect your family? 
 The distillery has been my part- and full-time job for the past 5 years. It began with the research. I took my time to make sure I took most things into account. I traveled, looking at quite a few craft distilleries and a few of the big boys. I read… a LOT. But most importantly, I kept asking questions. Asking questions, and actually listening and implementing what you learn will make the difference between success and the other option. 

I had gone from full-time at a university, to staying at home, to full-time at the distillery. I’d be lying if I said my wife didn’t want me back home with the kids. The kids would probably like that, too. But this is a calling that I’ve felt since the idea first surfaced, to me, in late 2007. We’ve made some sacrifices, and hopefully it will all pay off in the end.

I gotta ask, where did the name Striped Pig come from?
 The story of the striped pig dates back to the Temperance Movement. The story is explained in better narrative than I can. In a nutshell, there was a 15-gallon minimum on alcohol which would have put small vendors out of business. As you might have guessed, this made many an unhappy man. So one smart fellow got a permit to display a striped pig. He brought in his pig from home and painted it with stripes, housed it in a tent at a fairgrounds (where much drinking was done in those days) and charged a small fee to view the curious creature.  Upon paying the fee, folks were brought in the tent to view the "wonder."  They were also presented with a free glass of rum.  The advent of the cover charge, if you will.

What is your specialty? 
 Johnny is a whiskey guy, I’m a rum and bourbon fan. 

Take me through a typical day?
 There are two of us in production at the distillery and two in outside sales. At the distillery, we split the day into two shifts. Since I’ve got school-aged kids, I’m awake much (MUCH) earlier than my bachelor partner. I take the early shift (starting between 8-9am) and get out between 5-6pm. Johnny, my partner, comes in anywhere between 11am to 4pm and stays until 7pm or the production is finished for the day.

First, I like to do a quick clean-up of our retail area. We don’t want to be a mess when our guests arrive. On the production side, I usually begin whatever process we will be doing that day. Sometimes, it will involve cleaning up from the previous day, other times I start the mash, stripping run, spirit run or make a molasses wash for rum. I am more the rum guy, while Johnny heads up the whiskey, but we are coming up to speed with each other’s processes as well.

Tell me about the biggest challenge you've faced so far.
 The entire business is one big challenge. It could be the start-up costs, disagreements with partners (they happen), the gallons of molasses that got dumped on the floor (always check your valves).

What's the best thing about running Striped Pig?
 I would probably be thought a fool if I didn’t list free booze as a great benefit. I’ve met a lot of great people through this venture, including my partners, vendors, restaurant owners and let’s not forget to mention bartenders and sales people at liquor stores. They can really help your business, if they like you. It’s best to get in their good graces as early as you can.

Free booze is a great benefit, but it sounds like the people are the better one. Speaking of people, any advice for readers who might be interested in following in your footsteps?
 Never give up your dreams. I has taken me over 6 years to get here. It will probably be a few more before I make any money. Just so everyone knows, this has to be a passion, it is definitely not a get rich quick thing. You don’t have to get the best or most expensive equipment, but do get quality equipment. You will use it a lot, hopefully. Also, go with someone that has designed equipment for this industry before. Get references. That way you will know who to ask for advice.

Anything new on the horizon?
 The entire distillery is new!

I suppose it is. Ok, so when we visit, do we get a tour? And where can we buy your products? 
 Yes, we will offer tours and tastings for free to the public (must be over 21). Our initial roll-out is in South Carolina, beginning with Charleston and Hilton Head. 

Anything else you'd like to plug? Website? Twitter? 
 Our website is up and running. www.stripedpigdistilllery.com. We are also active on Twitter (@dstilld), Facebook (www.facebook.com/striped.pig.distillery). You can soon find us on YouTube and Instagram. Please stop by and visit when you’re in town. Rumor has it that Charleston has a lot more to see than just us!

I've only been there once, but I'll second that. It's a lovely city and I can't wait to come back. And next time I visit, I now have a stop built in. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions.