To better understand the heads, hearts, and tails fractions, distillers should first have a firm grasp on what’s happening as their distilling media turn to vapor and then back to liquid.

In Chicago’s south suburbs, a stone’s throw from one of the world’s largest quarries, Ari Klafter is building a brand focused on single-malt whiskey—and he’s done just about everything else along the way, including rum, gin, vodka, and a line of Kosher for Passover spirits. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

As distillers in western Pennsylvania work to define their own style of rye, historical examples and modern efforts guide the way. It’s a project that could be instructive to distillers in other regions with distinctive styles.

Agave may get the lion’s share of distillers’ love, but it’s far from the only game in town when it comes to distilled Mexican and Southwestern spirits. Desert Door, on the outskirts of Austin, is out to show the beauty and range in sotol—made from the desert spoon plant and sustainably harvested from wild plants.

Stainless steel is ubiquitous in production environments, so—to ensure consistent spirits and long-lasting equipment—it’s critical to understand how and why it works and the types we’re likely to use in the distillery.

Beyond its use in liqueurs and bitters, tea can also be a foundational piece to distilled spirits. Here’s how two distilleries are taking very different approaches to those flavors.

This unusual rye-wheat hybrid isn’t well known among the drinking public, but its star may be rising in the world of craft whiskey.

The journey from art student to distiller may strike some as unusual, but for the plant operations administrator at Denver’s Stranahan’s, creativity matched with effective and disciplined execution is the key to successful spirits.

With an infinite array of combinations, you can make a distinctive amaro-style liqueur with your own flavor thumbprint, at home or behind the bar. These tips and recipes will get you started.

In all its myriad forms, tea can add exotic yet comforting character to liqueurs and bitters.

When it comes to microbes, the choices you make will shape the expression of your final spirit. Here are some key considerations.

Distilling in Florida’s hot and humid environment, and producing spirits specifically tuned for cocktails in a tourism-driven locale—those are the major guideposts for the creative direction of these sibling distilleries, as well as for their methods of barrel aging and adding flavor.

Even a corrosion-resistant workhorse needs proper care and maintenance.

Rapid-aging research is as old as commercial whiskey production. What are the upsides, what are the downsides—and why hasn’t it taken broader hold in the industry?