Getting the Most From Your Lab Still

Whether you’re evaluating a new grain, prototyping a new recipe, or checking the proof of a liqueur, a lab still can be an essential tool for small distilleries.

Explore the Course

Thank you launch sponsors:

Exploring Blending and Batching Systems in the Beverage Industry

From soft drinks to alcoholic beverages and everything in between, efficient blending and batching systems are crucial for meeting the demands of this fast-paced industry.

Chart a Course to Your Best Absinthe

You’re not hallucinating: Absinthe is enjoying some overdue growth among American drinkers. In the first of a two-part series, we consider its background and trajectory—and in the next, we’ll zoom in on the craft of making it.

Subscriber Exclusive

Assembling Your Absinthe Bouquet

Once you understand the basics of absinthe and broadly which path you intend to follow, it’s time to make some flavor decisions. Here we consider how you can put your own thumbprint on the spirit via botanicals and other creative choices.

Shipping Spirits, Straight to Customers: The Legal Landscape

Want to ship your product directly to those who’d like to enjoy it? It may be possible, depending on where you distill and where they live. Here’s what to know—and why this niche market may grow in the future.

Distilling Courses >

Subscriber Exclusive

Getting the Most From Your Lab Still

Whether you’re evaluating a new grain, prototyping a new recipe, or checking the proof of a liqueur, a lab still can be an essential tool for small distilleries.

Free for a limited time

Distilling for Beer Brewers

Feisty Spirits Founder Jamie Gulden covers the distillation process, equipment, proofing, and techniques specifically for beer brewers.

For You >

Latest Articles >

What It Means to Be an American Whiskey

Popular at the bar and overseas—whether commonly available brands or rarities sought by collectors—American whiskey is surging. But before you explore the category, it’s worth asking: What defines it? The answer is … complicated.

Distiller’s Perspective: What Heirloom Corn Brings to Whiskey

Missouri’s Pinckney Bend Distillery was one of the first to embrace overlooked heirloom-corn varieties for its Heirloom Whiskey series. Here, cofounder and master distiller Tom Anderson outlines the benefits and technical challenges of doing so.

Welcome to Craft Spirits & Distilling, for Those Who Make and Drink Great Spirits

We’re a focused media platform for distillers and makers of fine craft spirits.

Principles of a Thoughtful Distillery Sensory Program

Ready to start some sensory analysis on your products? Know your target, and know your weaknesses. In the first of a series, here’s an introduction to three main types of testing, as well as some biases that can occur when anyone tastes a spirit.

Subscriber Exclusive

Planning with Care: What to Know about Designing a Craft Distillery

Thinking of starting a distillery? Besides raising the capital to build it, the most crucial step will be planning the layout. Here are some pointers from the experts to get you started.

American Oak Varies by Region. Does It Matter to Your Whiskey?

Many American whiskey producers are convinced the variation in the oak they use is noticeable and important to their spirit’s character. Here’s a look at the facts.

The Case for New-Fashioned Old Fashioneds

Disregard the purists. The sky’s the limit when it comes to variations on the old fashioned—especially when you make your own bitters or syrup, or when you change things up with the whiskey.

The Art (and Science) of Producing Liqueurs

In this first of a two-part series, Devon Trevathan lays out the basics of what it takes to make a successful liqueur—from choosing a spirit base to flavoring and filtration. The most important ingredient, however, may be trial and error.