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Several factors are converging to undermine the broader beverage-alcohol market, and smaller distilleries are among the most vulnerable.

For distillers of any size, the concept of flavor drift can be confusing and worrisome—yet it’s an inevitable part of any product’s life cycle. Here’s what to know about flavor drift and how it can affect your products.

What’s hot at the bar has a direct relationship to which bottles are mostly likely to get a spot behind it. For distillers who want to meet the mixology moment, here’s a look at real-life cocktail trends developing in 2024 and moving on into 2025.

Each failure to impress is a missed chance to get someone to try your spirit—yet packaging is expensive, especially on a smaller scale. Here’s how some craft distilleries are elevating lower-cost bottles for brands that shine on the shelves.

Distiller’s yeast strains are efficient workhorses, but depth of flavor isn’t their specialty. By co-pitching characterful ale yeast strains with other trusted strains—and experimenting to achieve the desired outcomes—craft distillers can get the best of both worlds.

Caribbean distillers produce rums in a range of styles, but those from Barbados and Jamaica are often the most misunderstood. Local yeast and fermentation methods play key roles in their distinctive character.

Craft distillers are taking advantage of the savoriness and salinity of kelp and other ocean algae, producing locally rooted, umami-driven spirits that evoke the sea.

A small craft distillery doesn’t have anything like the marketing budget of the bigger brands—but it does have a home and a story. One of the best ways to tell that story—and to get people to taste your pride and joy—is to offer a memorable tour. Here’s how to do it.

When you’re making whiskey, mashing can be more than a way to get fermentable sugars from the grain. Whatever process you use, there are control points you can use to influence the character of the final spirit.

It’s important to know the specs, but take nothing for granted. In-house quality testing and monitoring of ingredients can help you ensure consistent spirits and avoid big headaches down the road.