microshiner - summer 14

SUMMER 2014$10.99 US/CAN

Crafting the Aloha Spirit: Island Distillers

Top of the Hillchapel Hill’s

DISTILLERY

SPIRIT WORKSWashington State

Distillers Showcase

PROOF - SEATTLE

Finding the Flow

LONGBOARD ARTISTKeeping it Local

and Organic

Definitive Guide to the World of Craft Spirits Summer 2014MicroShiner

Join the Movement—Subscribe Now!MicroShiner

www.MicroShiner.com

Spirit Review—Scorpion Mezcal

Crafting Cocktails—Sonoma Distilling Co’s Old Fashioned

Drinking Music

Letter From the Publisher 11

summer

2014 contents

TOPO Distillery - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Spirit Works - Sebastapol, California

Island Distillers - Hawaii

Artisan—McCollum Custom Longboards

Pairings —Whistling Andy’s Hopshnop

Craft Event—PROOF -Seattle, WA

1216182834

7254

10690

©2014 All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine cannot be duplicated without the prior written consent of the owner. The views

contained within the contents of MicroShiner Magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of its owners or staff.

Cobey Williamson

David Schreib

Jeff Mattson

Brian Cary

Kelsey Binder

Sean Schlimgen

Publisher

Contributing Editor

Staff Contributor

Staff Photographer

Webmaster

Contributing Design & Production

Working Dog Media, LLC1406 Summerdale RdCorvallis, MT 59828

Vita DuvaChrissy Cary

Contributing Writers

Brian JohnsonContributing PhotographersCraig McCollum

Jacquelyn Davis

Ryan Castoldi

Beth Fischer

Emily Hamaan

Marc Woltinger

Photo by Ryan Castoldi « MicroShiner.com | PAGE9Cover Photo & Inside Cover by Brian Cary / Contents Photo by Beth Fischer

Letter from the Publisher

PAGE10 | MicroShiner.com » Photo by Brian Cary

According to the Oxford Dictionary, to distill is to “extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of,” which for me is the most intriguing thing about the whole micro-distiller movement. The entire enterprise is predicated upon the act of condensing a substance to its fundamental core, so that we can appreciate it at the most elemental level. And while on the surface this may appear to simply be a reference to the physical process of distilling craft spirits, I believe it actually speaks to a deeper sentiment which is motivating this burgeoning craft culture. Words matter. We use them constantly, and sometimes without fully comprehending the subtle nuance separating one from another, or how and why they first came into being. I like to describe MicroShiner as “the definitive guide to the world of craft spirits”; but does that refer to the craft subset of liquor only, or does it denote a world embodied by the spirit of the crafters themselves? If this magazine concerned itself

with nothing more than alcohol, I would consider it a failure. Ultimately, the

goal is not to promote one bottle

theLetter from

or label over another, but to inspire our readers to embark on a process of distillation in their own lives, to pare them down to “the essential meaning or most important aspects of.” What this means in practice is up to each of us to determine, but I believe there are some common elements upon which we, at least those of us who live in the world of craft spirits, can all agree. They are such preoccupations as making conscientious choices in sourcing, preparing, and serving our food and drink; exploring ways of meeting our needs outside the box and in our own backyards; and deliberately investing in products and ventures that we feel best serve our goal of creating the world in which we want to live: a world of craft spirits. I hope that within these pages you find the inspiration to join us as we embark upon this journey.

Life. Distilled.

Cobey Williamson Publisher

PUBLISHER

But interviews suggest

the band is trying to stay

away from any lo-fi tags.

That’s fine, I can grapple with

that. What really matters is

that this album rocks. Be-

hind a wall of distortion, this

is a collection of surprisingly

catchy sing along songs.

The opening track “Er-

reur Humaine” is a lulling

and melodic verse that won-

ders “Do you believe that our

race has been run? If the an-

swer is yes, then please tell

me who won.” It then impa-

tiently transitions to over-

whelming distortion and a

blunt percussive response

only to dip back seamlessly

into the lull.

“Give Up” is a driven,

rambunctious sing along,

sure to be a fan favorite when

played live. “Alone” takes a

drowsy stoppage from the

chaos and obviously deals

with feelings of isolation:

“Why should you care about

what the others think/fuck

what the others think/when

you die, you’re gone, there’s

no use for you”.

“War Cry” is an epic of

just under 12 minutes and is

essentially a huge jam track,

save for the first 2 minutes

and a jam-signaling, blood-

By Jeff MattsonDRINKING MUSIC

Drinking MusicGlasgow | L.A. | Brooklyn

Music and spirits are inextricably intertwined. Whether it’s the

rat pack & martinis, the jazz age and bathtub gin, saloon whis-

key and a player piano, or just pickin’ on the porch with a jar

of shine, where you find one, you will likely find the other. So

many analogies exist between the two that we felt, as a maga-

zine about craft and spirits, inclined – nay almost obliged – to

dedicate some space to music.

Music is a craft. Doing it well depends on bringing a

number of elements together in just the right proportions,

and as with crafting spirits, the resultant product is al-

ways greater than the sum of its parts. Differences in equip-

ment, training, ingredients, recipes are reflected in subtle,

and sometimes not so subtle, variations in character, flavor,

tenor, and tone. Each begins with a handful of raw material

that, through a practiced and perfected process, culminates

in a refined and handcrafted product, often for no greater

purpose than sheer enjoyment.

Just as it is in the spirits business, the music market is

awash with corporate product. Artists are groomed and se-

lected based on one thing: their ability to sell records. All of

the coarseness and irregularity is eliminated, and much of

the nuance and the intangible lost. To paraphrase Neil Young

at the onset of the digital age, the real music lives between

the 0 and 1.

In that regard, and in keeping with the theme of this pub-

lication, what we hope to offer you here is that space between

the step and the curve that is so important, yet often goes over-

looked. Here we hope to share some bands and music that you

might just find playing onstage in your local tasting room or

watering hole. Here, as with the micro-distilleries we focus on,

you just might happen upon someone you know, and together

enjoy a little drinking music.

PAWSYouth Culture Forever

PAWS are a band from Glasgow, Scotland. Fairly straight forward indie rock

and roll is probably the simplest description I can give. A hint of late 90’s to

early 00’s pop-punk, but with more substance, and a whole lot more distortion.

And forget about polished vocals. On their new album “Youth Culture

Forever” they at times sound like they were laid down on a cassette player.

INTRODUCTION TO DISTILLING JULY 19-20, AUGUST 16-17, SEPTEMBER 13-14

2-DAY COURSE & WORKSHOP

CLASS MATERIALS, GOOD TIMES, AND WHISKEY INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION FEES ($500)REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.DOWNSLOPEDISTILLING.COM/DISTILLERY-SCHOOLAND USE PROMOTIONAL CODE “MICROSHINED” FOR 10% OFF AT REGISTRATION

DAY 2: BUSINESS BASICSFROM BUILDING CODES AND REGULATIONS, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION, DEVELOP THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO APPLY TO YOUR DISTILLING BUSINESS

FEATURED TOPICS INCLUDE:COMMERCIAL LOGISTICSMARKETING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTSALES & DISTRIBUTION

DAY 1: SPIRITS PRODUCTIONA FULL-IMMERSION DISTILLING WORKSHOP THAT COVERS ALL COMMERCIAL SPIRITS PRODUCTION POINTS FROM GRAIN SELECTION TO BOTTLING

FEATURED TOPICS INCLUDE:PRE-PRODUCTION BASICSDISTILLATION TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENTPOST PRODUCTION, FILTERING, AND FLAVORING

PAGE12 | MicroShiner.com

boiling “war cry” from lead

singer Phillip Taylor that

had me clutching my head

in euphoria.

The album is filled with

universal feelings about sig-

nificant others, seeing lost

flames love others, and trou-

bling family life. And despite

these supposed clichés, it’s

their brutal honesty and

forthcoming regarding these

events that make this album

relatable. It’s not a lack of

subtlety; it’s laying it all out

there.

Easily my favorite re-

lease of 2014 thus far.

This album has made for a

blazing soundtrack to my en-

tire summer. Youth Culture

Forever! Crank up your ste-

reo and revel in some true

blue honest rock. Whiskey

works for this one.

Summer 2014

INTRODUCTION TO DISTILLING JULY 19-20, AUGUST 16-17, SEPTEMBER 13-14

2-DAY COURSE & WORKSHOP

CLASS MATERIALS, GOOD TIMES, AND WHISKEY INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION FEES ($500)REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.DOWNSLOPEDISTILLING.COM/DISTILLERY-SCHOOLAND USE PROMOTIONAL CODE “MICROSHINED” FOR 10% OFF AT REGISTRATION

DAY 2: BUSINESS BASICSFROM BUILDING CODES AND REGULATIONS, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION, DEVELOP THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO APPLY TO YOUR DISTILLING BUSINESS

FEATURED TOPICS INCLUDE:COMMERCIAL LOGISTICSMARKETING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTSALES & DISTRIBUTION

DAY 1: SPIRITS PRODUCTIONA FULL-IMMERSION DISTILLING WORKSHOP THAT COVERS ALL COMMERCIAL SPIRITS PRODUCTION POINTS FROM GRAIN SELECTION TO BOTTLING

FEATURED TOPICS INCLUDE:PRE-PRODUCTION BASICSDISTILLATION TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENTPOST PRODUCTION, FILTERING, AND FLAVORING

DRINKING MUSIC

Chunky distorted gui-

tar, banged up drums, and

monster bass back wailing

vocals that range from harsh

screams to melodic croons.

Their album, new for

2014, is called BADILLAC

and damned if that title track

isn’t catchy, man. In fact,

the entire album is filled

with enough hooks to stock

a fish fry, as well as enough

screaming guitar solos and

snarling vocals for even the

most hardened rocker to feast

upon. The album makes a

bold entrance with “Alive”,

with lead singer/guitarist Wil-

liam Keegan belting out “Liv-

ing a lie and you don’t even

care/Living a lie and you’re

unaware!” over headbanging,

palm muted guitar.

You have your pick of poi-

sons here, tracks like “Badil-

lac” or “River” have the poten-

tial to be stuck in your head

for days on end without yield-

ing one ounce of their rock

credibility. If you’re not feel-

ing particularly angst ridden,

you’ve got slower songs like

“No Way Out” to temper the

mood, but honestly, the ap-

peal of this album truly lies in

the unfiltered unbridled rock

and roll.

There’s also the twisted

“Cat Man” which starts out

with a dark guitar based groove

only to break into a mental

institute nightmare: “He’s

the cat man/he’s the taker of

lives/he’s a bad man/he’s got

oceans for eyes”. Feeling more

self-deprecating? “Sick Shit”

will do just fine with nihilis-

tic lyrical content set against

a backdrop of apathetic

minded instrumentation.

Unkept, uncombed rock

and roll. It’s got a dark side

and it’s proud of it. Grab a

rum and coke, pop this on the

juke box, and make yourself

some rockaholic friends.

together PANGEABADILLAC

A little bit punk, a little bit grunge, and absolutely part of the new wave of

rough and dirty rock and roll, whether they like it or not. And while 10 years ago

this music would have been coming out of the Pacific Northwest, the current

wave is trudging out of Los Angeles, CA. Members include William Keegan

on guitar and vocals, Danny Bengston on bass and Erik Jimenez on drums.


Their self-titled debut

was released this year on

Burger Records and is as

catchy an album as you can

hope to find. A beautiful mix

of 60’s girl group, surf rock,

and garage rock.

And I don’t say beauti-

ful because they’re an all girl

group, I say beautiful be-

cause their music freaking

rocks. And it’s appropriately

airy for the warmer weather.

Candid vocal harmo-

nies and surf guitar abound

over an enjoyably danceable

rhythm section. 11 tracks of

short and straight to the point

pop arrangements, in fact the

longest track clocks in at

3:27, with the majority of the

songs clocking in at under 3

minutes. So there’s really no

opportunity to get bored.

The album is a verita-

ble cornucopia of can’t-go-

wrongs: “She Comes Along”

is a lackadaisical low key surf

rock song that lays easy on

the ears, “I Got The Moves” is

a title appropriate toe tapper

to get the legs moving, and

“Let Me In” is a sneaky bass

grooving kicker with a hint of

coyish insecurity.

And there’s something

ever intriguing about lead

singer Rahill Jamalifard’s

dark and somewhat hushed

vocal style juxtaposed with

the stark background har-

monies that flow out of each

song.

No frills surf guitar, tight

rhythm to keep you mov-

ing throughout, perfect for

your summer road trip. Grab

some mezcal and a lime and

head down to the beach to

catch some final rays with

some buddies.

HabibiHabibi

Some quick background: Habibi means “My beloved” in Arabic.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Habibi are also a fantastic group of

musicians from Brooklyn, New York, comprised of Lenaya Lynch on guitar

and backup vocals, Rahill Jamaltfard on lead vocals and tamborine, Erin

Campbell on guitar, bass and vocals, and rounded out by Karen Isabel on drums.

Summer 2014

While mexcal is the oldest spirit to be distilled in North America,

this complex, artisanal libation is far too often, and mistakenly,

disregarded by today’s industry enthusiasts. Rooted in Oaxaca,

a state in southern Mexico, mezcal derives from agave, a

plant predominantly native to this land of enchantment.

Summer Spirit:

SPIRIT REVIEW By Vita Duva

Scorpion Mezcal - Scorpion Mezcal S.A. de C.V., Oaxaca, Mexico

Dubbed “Mexican Cognac” by

19th Century colonial aristo-

crats, Oaxaqueños tradition-

ally serve mezcal straight with

a slice of orange and sal de

gusano - a mixture of ground-

fried larvae, ground chili pep-

pers and salt.

Cooked and roasted

underground, mezcal is cer-

tainly noted for its exception-

ally smoky tang. Despite this,

mezcal is often revered for

having little to no bite, mak-

ing this liquor one enjoyed by

a wide range of palettes.

Tequila, which is ac-

tually a subtype of mezcal,

allows production from only

the Blue Weber agave. Blue

agave is only one of the 30

legally recognized strains of

the agave plant, making mez-

cal one of the most multifac-

eted intoxicants on the globe,

as there is likely an unlim-

ited combination of taste pro-

files for mezcal that have yet

to be explored.

“Scorpion Mezcal

Anejo 5 Year is a blend of

70% espadin and 30% bar-

rils agave. It is aged five years

in Canadian oak and double

distilled,” explains Barbara

Sweetman, Vice President and

International Sales Manager

of Scorpion Mezcal. The Anejo

5 Year is her favorite variety.

She adds teasingly, “I must

have expensive taste.”

The Anejo 5 Year is

one of seven types of mezcal

produced by Master Distiller

Douglas French and his 18

year-old Oaxaca-based dis-

tillery, Scorpion Mezcal S.A.

de C.V. French, an early pio-

neer in the industry, has

helped transform mezcal from

a hardly reputable, low-class

workers drink into the world-

class beverage it was always

meant to be.

Working side by side

with the Association Pro-

cultura de Mezcal A.C. and

other well-known producers,

French helped to launch a

Master Mezcalier certification

program that doubles as both

a learning platform and a pro-

motional tool. French has also

been working directly with

Caballero’s Inc., an importer

of fine mezcals in Oaxaca.

And in 2002, he partnered

with Sweetman.

Before Scorpion,

mezcals on the market fea-

tured a worm at the bottom of

the bottle, which adds flavor

to the hard stuff. But, as a

crafty marketing ploy, French

decided to put a scorpion

in his bottle, even though it

adds no additional flavoring.

Then, Sweetman coined the

ever-popular tagline: worms

are for wimps.


LOGGERHEAD DECO, INC.1187 W. HAWTHORNE LANE. WEST CHICAGO, IL 60185

This got people not

only drinking, but buzzing.

And before French knew it,

Scorpion Mezcal had taken on

a reputation of its very own.

Now, with this wider following,

aficionados of mezcal have be-

gun experimenting with cock-

tails and mixed drinks.

“I like working with

Scorpion Mezcal Silver in

most cocktails because it

is not overly-smoked and

the true agave flavors still

come out,” says Sweetman,

as she mixes the Silver with

equal parts orange, mango,

and passion fruit juices. She

tops the concoction off with

some mint and lime.

Although simple, the

blend is clean, crisp, and goes

down quite easy – definitely

worth a shot or two.

In the words of the Oaxacan’s: for everything bad, Mezcal for everything good, the same

At its core, PROOF was a celebration of the art of craft in the Pacific Northwest, including the

collaboration and creativity that resides in its burgeoning craft spirits culture.

PROOF: Washington Distiller’s Guild

CRAFT EVENT By Emily Hamaan / Photos by Ryan Castoldi

Fremont Studios, Seattle WA


CRAFT EVENT


CRAFTING COCKTAILS

Sonoma County serces up their take on a classic cocktail

in the Penn Club Presidents’ Room.

Summer 2014

“Our goal is to find a way to

maintain the integrity of the spirit,

while also allowing consumers who may

not be ‘neat’ drinkers to enjoy our rye

whiskey,” says Spiegel of the timeless

Old-Fashioned mix.

He adds, “We are looking to

transform the drinkers’ experience with

robust flavors and elongated finishes to

ensure our whiskey pairs well with a good

meal, happy and joyful celebrations, and

can complement a perfect moment.”

And that it does.

Rye Whiskey, Sonoma’s key-

stone spirit and cocktail base, is aged in

new-charred American oak barrels and

later finished off in an old wood. This is

the product of Sonoma’s grain-to-glass

production, which features a savory,

dynamic blend of vanilla, allspice, and

white pepper.

Their Old Fashioned recipe calls

for Small Hand Food’s Gum Syrup and

both Scrappy’s Orange and Chocolate

Bitters, which were chosen for their dis-

Passing a dazzling myriad

of chandeliers and gilded sconces,

I meander my way up a grandiose

oak staircase – I have finally made

it into the Penn Club’s President’s

Room for the start of the New York In-

dependent Spirits Expo. This May, the ar-

tisanal tasting is presented in sync with

the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Chatter

rises in harmony with the stemless glass-

ware, as cocktails pour feverishly, one

right after another.

And while the room highlight-

ing founding father Benjamin Franklin

and his plentiful accomplishments is

both intense and charming, it is in fact

the congested arrangement of small, in-

dependent spirits and artisan personas

that have come to grab my full attention.

I approach a table somewhat

hidden in the far right-hand corner of

the energetic room. Two young gentle-

men stand smiling in old-style aprons

amidst a display of whiskies, a tradi-

tional copper alembic still, and a unique

yet classic drink titled, the “Sonoma

Old-Fashioned.”

These two gentlemen – Adam

Spiegel, Owner and Distiller, and Chase

Osthimer, Head of Sales and Marketing -

wholly represent the all-American quin-

tessence that is the 4 year-old Rohnert

Park, California-based in-house distill-

ery, Sonoma County Distilling Co.

tinctive complexity and square-

jawed afterthought. Not to men-

tion, both companies share in

Sonoma’s dedication to Ameri-

can tradition and proudly choose

to drift from modern trends within

the industry.

“We have built this business

around our drinkers,” states Spiegel.

“Our customers appreciate that we take

the time to put our best efforts on the

table. We are making whiskeys more fla-

vorful and dynamic than 90% of what is

out there.”

Spiegel, who has been distilling

for six years, still humbly considers him-

self a student of his fine craft. He contin-

ues to try to understand the approaches

of others, while further developing his

well-rounded skills in order to ultimately

better Sonoma’s whiskies.

Pushing a classic cocktail like

the Old-Fashioned, that over the years

has been outshined by more modern mix-

tures and weakened by unpleasant add-

ons such as seltzers and fruit garnishes,

Sonoma smartly reminds us of the ideals

on which this country was built and why

breaking from convention is not always

for the better.

Looking up from my drink and

over the crowded room to find a statue

of Benjamin Franklin’s face, I sudden-

ly realize just how fitting a backdrop

the Penn Club’s President Room

happens to be.

CRAFTINGCOCKTAILS

FEATURE RECIPEIndependent Spirits Expo

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

VITA DUVA

MicroShiner.com | PAGE29

CRAFTING COCKTAILS

The Sonomaold Fashioned- 2 Ounces Sonoma Rye Whiskey - ½ Ounces Small Hand Food’s Gum Syrup - 2 Dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters - 1 Dash Scrappy’s Orange Bitters- Pour over fresh ice in a old fashioned glass.

Garnish with an orange peel

Recipe and photo credit:

Sonoma Distilling Company

Order yours today at:www.microdistillerybooks.com

Amazon - Barnes & Noble

614 S. Higgins Ave - Missoula, Montanawww.strongwatersurfboards.com

Chapel Hill, NC; home to the UNC

Tar Heels, who count among its al-

ums the likes of Michael Jordan, Andy

Griffith, and Mia Hamm. Ranked number

3 on Newsmax Magazine’s “Top 25 most

Uniquely American Cities and Towns,” as

written by CBS travel editor Peter Green-

berg, Chapel Hill was voted number 10 of

100 in CNN Money’s “Best Places to Live

2012,” and is hailed as one of “America’s

Foodiest Small Towns” by Bon Appetit

Magazine. It has been lovingly described

as “a town within a park” by those who

live there and, of greatest import, at least

for anyone who enjoys good beer and spir-

its, is home to one of the most exception-

ally anti-establishment craft producers

in all of North Carolina: Top of the Hill

Restaurant, Brewery and Distillery.

TOPO, as nicknamed by the locals,

in part due to the growing popularity of

text talk, was the brainchild of Scott Mait-

land, founder and owner of Top of the Hill.

Upon his graduation from law school in

1994, Maitland felt there must be more

to the food, beer and spirit industry than

the common chain restaurants that were

quickly overrunning this bustling college

town. So after 2 years spent raising the

money necessary to realize his dream,

Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery

opened to the public.

One of only six breweries in the world

to win three platinum medals at the

World Beer Championships, TOPO’s India

ON TOP OF THE WorldWRITTEN BY

CHRISSY CARYPHOTOS BYBRIAN CARY

| MicroShiner.com

Summer 2014

Pale Ale was bestowed the even greater

honor of being named the best example

of its style in the world. In order to offer

customers more options than the simple

growler, TOPO’s brewery bought a six-

pack canning machine and began canning

their IPA and lager, becoming the first

micro-cannery in the South in 2005.

A few years later, Scott decided to

open a separate micro-cannery, which

would have to be a 20,000 barrel a year

brewery. While waiting for the sales and

distribution to catch up with the increased

production capacity, Maitland considered

what he could do with the excess capac-

ity. Then the light bulb went off, “I could

distill it.” Thus, Top of the Hill Distillery

was born.

From the beginning, Maitland was al-

ways interested in local economy, “We are

moving into the era of chains and fran-

chises, local econ-

omy is in the tran-

sition of corporate

consolidation.” So

imagine his excite-

ment when, while

developing the

distillery, he dis-

covered that North

Carolina is one of

the best places to

grow soft red winter wheat, perfect for

distilling vodka, gin, and whiskey. When

he bumped into a local farmer attempt-

ing to sell his local organic soft red winter

wheat, Maitland realized this was the op-

portunity to invest in the local raw materi-

als and encourage good land use he was

looking for, all while being able to absorb

the cost and pass it on to a consumer base

willing and prepared to assume it. Little

did he know that the organic wheat would

alter the taste of the spirits…for the bet-

ter, giving them a sweeter, richer flavor.

And as far as the wheat whiskey, it would

be full of the “leather and tobacco” flavors

one would expect from bourbon (which

is corn based), with the added benefit of

making the Carolina Whiskey smoother

and sweeter.

Discussing the use of organic prod-

ucts, Maitland states, “We wanted [organ-

ic and local] to be something that set us

apart from the rest. We are spreading the

thought process, creating a demand for it,

and creating an awareness in our commu-

nity of buyers.”

But when TOPO began to work on

development of their next big spirit, gin,

they hit a speed bump...there was no or-

ganic juniper being grown in the region.

Maitland approached the local farmers in

search of organic berries but soon discov-

ered that as there was no known demand

for the produce, he was unable to acquire

the organic fruit. But now, thanks to Mai-

tland’s inquiries, the word is out and the

wheels have been set in motion for the

production and sale of organic juniper.

So while TOPO’s Piedmont Gin is cur-

rently only 99.8% local, the seed has been

planted, and the future is looking bright

for one of the first 100% local and organic

gins to be produced

in the US.

“People are

unaware they have

the option to have

local and organic

spirits,” Maitland

explains.

Therein lies

the mission at

TOPO: leveraging

their loyal customer base on behalf of

better agricultural techniques, respect-

ful land use, and investment in the local

economy. In fact, all of the ingredients

used are sourced from within North Caro-

lina; most can be found within 100 miles

of the distillery’s front door.

This may sound like a marketing gim-

mick, a guise created to sell spirits that

can’t stand on their own merits…but that

couldn’t be more wrong. “It is important

that we do something rooted in tradition,

rooted in artisanship.”

Starting with the vodka: triple dis-

tilled with 66 plates in their custom CARL

still; the vodka preserves some of the

smooth flavoring found in the original in-

gredients. Maitland describes the difficul-

ties with selling a premium vodka, stat-

ing that it is all about educating people.

When having a drink, rarely do Americans

PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO HAVE LOCAL AND ORGANIC

SPIRITS.

serve vodka neat at room temperature; it

often gets mixed with cranberry juice, tea,

orange juice, or sipped cold to hide the

flavor (or supposed lack thereof). So why

put so much effort into something that

would otherwise just be used for its alco-

hol content? Because the depth of qual-


< LEFT

TOPO proprietor Scott Maitland describes the process used to create their award winning line of craft spirits.

Summer 2014

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO

SOMETHING ROOTED IN TRADITION,

ROOTED IN ARTISANSHIP.

| MicroShiner.com

Summer 2014

ity and care of the vodka can be tasted in

everything you drink.

At the distillery they have had many

converts (this author included) while com-

paring and contrasting the taste of TOPO

vodka against Tito’s (a well-respected

and established label in the industry).

The TOPO spirit stood up against one of

the industry’s leaders, having a sense of

smooth sophistication that was full of va-

nilla notes, with none of the “burn” that

one would expect to encounter drinking

vodka neat at room temperature. It’s

this sublime profile that granted them

the Gold at the 2013 Craft Spirit awards,

and 5 stars (the highest recommendation)

from Spirit Journal’s F. Paul Pacult.

The same base of this quality vodka

(the “high wines”) is the base spirit for

the 2013 SIP Awards and 2014 Bever-

age Testing Institute Gold Medal-winning

Piedmont gin. The smooth depth of the

spirit enhances the light juniper flavor of

this easy-drinking gin. Described as an

American Contemporary Gin, the flavor-

ing from the citrus, coriander, and cu-

cumber has made this a welcome twist to

a standard gin and tonic.

And finally there is the Carolina

Whiskey; distilled and sold as a moon-

shine white whiskey, the TOPO flavor is

anything but immature. It not only won

Gold at the 2013 Craft Spirit Awards, but

was also awarded the Silver medal by the

2013 San Francisco International Spirit

Competition and The Beverage Tast-

ing Institute of Chicago. While it is cur-

rently available only as a white whiskey,

that isn’t to say that it was intended to

be sold as “moonshine.” The depth of fla-

vors in this unaged whiskey is far from

the artless contents one typically finds

in a mason jar.

With this in mind, Maitland birthed

an idea that would allow the consumers

to experience and taste their way through

the aging process, by offering an “age

your own whiskey kit” and supplying

the drinker with everything they would

need to create their very own aged spirit.


Summer 2014

| MicroShiner.com

Included is a 2 liter charred oak barrel,

a spigot, and 3 bottles of TOPO’s Caro-

lina Whiskey. Due to the high volume

to surface area ratio of the small bar-

rel, the aging process is greatly acceler-

ated, creating a smooth wheat whiskey

in only 3 months while allowing the con-

sumer to taste test the spirit at any point

along the way.

The idea behind TOPO is value added

production based on innovation, ground

breaking ideas, and the reinvention of

quality. Keeping it local and organic, en-

couraging sustainable land usage while

creating a superior product; this is the

theme of the TOPO distillery. And this

theme is represented by not only the

TOPO label, which illustrates the original

Chapel Hill church steeple, the ocean at

the Outer Banks, the Piedmont farmland,

and the Appalachian Mountains, but to

the distillery itself.

In recent years, the honey bee pop-

ulation has plummeted throughout the

United States, largely from colony col-

lapse disorder, creating a panic amongst

farmers, food producers, and consum-

ers alike. It is in response to this crisis

that North Carolina legislators authored

a bill that would allow commercial build-

ings to house bee colonies on their roofs

to foster growth in the overall population.

Currently, the TOPO Bee Sanctuary is

“cranking,” as Maitland puts it, creating

a vast bee community on their roof. The

epitome of sustainability and best practic-

es, TOPO is an organic experience, from

grain to glass, and the only fully certified

organic distillery in the deep south.

Tours are offered weekly but must be

scheduled in advance, typically available

Thursday and Friday – 6 pm and 7:30 pm,

and Saturday - 4 pm and 5:30 pm.

Bottles of Top of the Hill Spirits can

be found at most ABC stores in NC, but

if you are somewhere outside of the North

Carolina area and unable to make the

trip, TOPO also has the ability to ship,

not only their 750 mL bottles but also the

“Age Your Own Whiskey Kit” and new 50

mL bottles as well, to 43 states.

Find them at www.topodistillery.com

MicroShiner.com | PAGE51

Autumn 2013Summer 2014

Vintage Hot Rod RacesPendine Sands, Wales UK

LOWTECH - Marc Woltinger

Life. Distilled.

CREATEORDIEMISSOULA, MONTANA

Written byJACQUELYN DAVIS

Photos byBRIAN JOHNSON

With hands chapped from

twenty-two years of carpentry work

in Missoula, MT, Craig McCollum care-

fully cuts wood with a band saw, watch-

ing through protective yellow glasses

as it begins to take shape. The sweet

scent of sawdust floats in the air of

McCollum’s garage, the birthplace of

McCollum Custom Longboards. On a

wall above the band saw are displayed

several of his boards, which he first

started creating four years ago, when

his fourteen-year-old son sparked his

interest in skateboarding.

Little did he know that when

he bought his son a longboard, it

would one day lead to creating and

selling his own.

ed by the need to

find a less physi-

cally demanding

profession than

carpentry dur-

ing the harsh

Montana winters,

McCollum be-

gan his foray into the craft by copying

the shape of his son’s longboard onto

exotic wood. Soon, through social me-

dia sites, the compliments began to add

up, and McCollum Custom Longboards

was born.

Created primarily for transporta-

tion, longboard setups are composed of

larger wheels and a softer compound than

those of standard skateboards, giving

them a smoother ride. On each board is

the McCollum logo, a silhouette of a great

blue heron. Craig explains why he chose

this logo, instead of the tree silhouette he

had originally intended.

“I wanted to exemplify what I

do to the T. I really thought a tree would

embody what I’m trying to evoke in my

product. But every time, it looked like the

Arbor skateboard logo.”

Finding a logo that symbolized

McCollum’s connection to wood proved

harder than imagined, but coming across

can determine

the difference

between visu-

ally appeal-

ing and not

visually ap-

pealing.”

H e

uses more than 120 species from around

the world, of which he keeps thirty in

stock at any one time, including Cuban

mahogany, African mahogany, and wa-

terfall bubinga. The boards are coated in

clear grip, “to allow their beauty to be dis-

played.” McCollum invites customers to

mix and match these wood species, cuts,

and finishes, allowing for endless combi-

nations. The countless options are what

continue to intrigue McCollum as he de-

signs and sells his product. “Every time I

put out a really beautiful board, I am so

enthralled by the beauty of wood and the

combinations that come together when

you’re mixing and matching.”

McCollum has crafted fifty

decks, priced between $200 and $300.

The farthest he has shipped a longboard

was to a customer in Australia, but he

mainly sells within the United States.

On average, the process which includes

cutting, gluing, finishing, and drying,

an old photo of a great blue heron, Craig

decided that his favorite bird would be a

better fit. “It shows flight, motion, grace,”

he says. “I feel like that’s what cruising on

a longboard is like.”

Not only the logo but also the

aesthetics of McCollum’s longboards

convey their combination of motion

and grace. In addition to their practi-

cal use, some have also been sold as

wall art. McCollum sums it up when he

says, “I’m a woodworker. I didn’t want

to hide the beauty of them. Why not just

make them beautiful?”

Strikingly representative of the

essence of surfing that McCollum has al-

ways admired, the boards are designed in

patterns reminiscent of the 1960’s. His

eye for beauty and attention to detail, de-

veloped through a background in photog-

raphy, is evident in the contrast he cre-

ates between combinations of finishes and

various cuts of wood. “One-fourth inch

I REALLY LIKE BEING IN THE SHOP AND CREATING SOMETHING, HE SAYS.

THAT’S WHAT DRIVES ME.


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Summer 2014

takes about nine to ten days, five hours

per day. The business has presented

McCollum with “endless hurdles,” in-

cluding the need to be conscientious of

every step, from sanding and gluing to

cutting woods straight; it can be espe-

cially easy to make mistakes working in

thin sheets of veneer.

Some specific board designs

have also proved challenging, includ-

ing a patchwork design consisting of

perfect squares and a board inlaid with

the Big Dipper Ice Cream logo - which

took three tries and is now displayed in

the iconic Missoula ice cream shop it-

self. McCollum describes his craft as a

learning process. “We’re all limited to

our creativity, but we can all get inspi-

ration from other people’s designs.” For

him, the joy of creating a work of art

makes the challenges that come with

the business worthwhile. “I really like

being in the shop and creating some-

thing,” he says. “That’s what drives me.”

One way McCollum has learned

to navigate such challenges is by build-

ing connections within the community,

as when he began to work with veneers,

which he buys from New York. Through

Andy Lennox, another local woodwork-

er, he met Nick, a high-end furniture

maker, who teaches him the process of

working with veneers in exchange for

McCollum’s grandmother’s cookies. It

was Nick who introduced McCollum to

the veneer cutter and vacuum press, for

example, enabling him to work much

more efficiently. He has also established

a partnership with another upstart Mis-

soula business, Strongwater Mountain

Surf Company, for whom he designs

powder boards—directional snowboards

with surf stop pads and a leash in place

of metal edges or P-Tex binding, rid-

den in a surfing position on five to six

inches of snow.

McCollum’s passion for surf-

ing, whether in snow or water, is closely

linked to his love of longboarding. He

compares “carving the streets” on a

longboard to surfing—both, he says, are

“crazy fun.” This passion reveals itself

in McCollum’s work: while other compa-

nies use solid exotic woods for the core

of their boards, he uses birch to en-

hance the very “flow” of their movement

that he enjoys.

The quality of McCollum’s

product is not the only thing that sets

it apart from others. Since his boards

are custom-made, they are one-of-a-

kind; while other companies employ art-

ists and might mass produce 4,000 of

the same design, McCollum has yet to

make any two boards the same. “Hope-

fully people find it unique enough for it

to take off. For someone looking for not

your average board,” he says, “mine are

individual to the rider. Every piece of

wood is different, so even if two boards

are made with the same pattern and

species, they will still be different.”

Once hesitant to longboard,

McCollum has since grown passionate

for it. Before he began his business, his

response to his son’s invitation to ride

with him was, “I’m 42 years old. I’m

not gonna longboard. Are you crazy?”

Now, three years later, he and his son

often ride around downtown Missoula

together. His longboards continue to

reflect his creativity and passion while

serving fellow longboarders’ personal-

ized requests. “It’s fun to do, to see what

ideas customers come up with,” he says.

“It’s fun to ride.”


^ ABOVE

Craig McCollum enjoys a break from crafting longboards in his shop in Missoula, Montana.

Summer 2014

| MicroShiner.com

SPIRIT WORKSWritten by Chrissy Cary

Photography by Brian Cary

In California’s wine country, known for

its rolling hills blanketed with grape vines,

tourists come to visit the wine tasting fan-

tasy land that is Napa and Sonoma, yet

rarely venture off the beaten path to the

places where locals go to enjoy its incred-

ible bounty.

Tucked away in northwest So-

noma County, approximately 52 mi north

of San Francisco, is a quaint town named

Sebastopol. With plenty of small-town

charm, Sebastopol is sustained by local

and regional commerce rather than na-

tional tourism. It’s a town that wholly

embraces the idea of “grow local, shop

local, consume local,” and it is no great

surprise that an area like the Barlow

District has developed.

A completely revamped area

of warehouses showcasing the local ar-

tisans of food, art, wine, and beer, the

Barlow District allows the creators an

avenue to connect directly with their

consumers. Following this logical pro-

gression, it only stands to reason that

Sebastopol’s Barlow District would be

the perfect place to find one of the few

local organic grain-to-glass distilleries in

the state: Spirit Works Distillery. The

warehouse is easily identifiable by a 10

foot sculpture of Bandit the Boston ter-

rier riding a surf board, made entirely out

of recycled material by local

artist Patrick Amiot.

Spirit Works Distillery is the

brain child of husband and wife team

Timo and Ashby Marshall and their dog

Bandit, who the sculpture depicts. They

have been championing the “KEEP IT

LOCAL AND ORGANIC” artisan spirit

movement since Spirit Works’ conception

in 2012. The couple met while working

together with an environmental non-

profit organization aboard ice breakers.

With close quarters and small bunks,

the two learned how to handle disagree-

ments and maintain a functional work-

ing relationship while still making room

for romance. Timo, originally from

southern England, grew up in a family

where gin has been the drink of choice

for generations. Ashby, who hails from

the West Coast, has always been drawn

to whiskey.

The couple first considered join-

ing forces with an established distillery.

The idea was to focus on their specialty

spirit, Sloe Gin, but they were disappoint-

ed to discover that many of the potential

distilleries would simply import the base

neutral spirits, and then blend the botani-

cals together before bottling them as their

own. Discouraged by the idea of partner-

ing with such a process, Timo and Ashby

were determined to create something of

their very own, inspiring them to take on

distillation themselves and do it the way

they felt it should be done. They spent

4 years traveling to different distilleries,

learning and apprenticing under master

distillers, discovering their own identity


and distinctive taste through distillation.

Thus Spirit Works was created.

The roles naturally fell into

place. Ashby was to be master distill-

er, having the natural intuition that no

amount of studying could provide. Timo

would work on the other aspects of the

business; recently, he was offered a posi-

tion on a panel at the Craft Beer, Spirits

and Wine Conference held in Santa Rosa,

discussing laws that effect spirit sales

in California.

to pour up to 6 products for tasting while

maintaining the right to sell product on

site. However, the couple soldiered on,

pursuing the necessary permits and certi-

fications to begin distilling.

In 2012, the couple found a lo-

cation in an area of Sebastopol’s Bar-

low District that was primed to grow

into a local specialty area, mimick-

ing that of New York’s SoHo or Miami’s

Wynwood. At the time, the Barlow district

was being retrofitted to house breweries,

At it’s the infancy, the difficulty

of opening a distillery wasn’t in the cre-

ation, but rather the California rules and

regulations. In a state where grape is king,

grain distillers have extra hurdles to jump

through in order to take their products

to market. Grain distilleries are allowed

to offer tastings of their product on site,

but they are not allowed to sell direct and

must instead work through a private dis-

tributor; whereas those who distill brandy

from grapes and other wines are allowed


RIGHT >

Spirit Works’ Head Distiller Ashby Marshall (right)

with her husband & business partner

Timo (left) in front of their Carl still.

Summer 2014

| MicroShiner.com

Summer 2014

tasting rooms, art galleries and celebrity

restaurants. Hammers in hand, the Mar-

shalls went to work, and with the help of

Romy Colombatto, their marketing man-

ager, renovated the warehouse to meet

the manufacturing needs and began as-

sembling their custom CARL still. The

still was fabricated specifically for the

Spirit Works distillery; built as a hybrid,

it stands 26 feet tall and is the capable of

producing vodka, whiskey, and gin.

If you were to stand underneath

the shadow of the copper tower that is

the still, you would be able to glance over

your shoulder and see right into the tast-

ing room window. While drafting the lay-

out of the space, the idea was to give the

viewer the chance to see Ashby working

her magic on the giant copper still. This

design choice was intentional, meant to

offer the whole process to the consumer

without smoke or mirrors. Enthusiasts

may also participate in complete tours of

the distillery, offered each Friday, Satur-

day, and Sunday, to get an even closer

look at what goes into the process.

“[Most consumers] don’t know

the difference between whiskey and

brandy; they only know the Captain Mor-

gans,” Timo says, raising a leg to strike a

pose. That need for education has been

the prime objective in offering a full view

and tours, tutoring the public on the finer

points of craft distillation.

It was in December 2012 that

the still became operational, and Recipe

and Development was underway. After

six months of the still running, the Spirit

Works family finally decided on a recipe

for their gin that would balance the juni-

per flavor of the traditional dry London gin

from Timo’s home in the UK and the mild

flavors of its American counterpart, creat-

ing a self-described “Mid-Atlantic Gin.”

But before we get ahead of our-

selves, let’s take a step back to the base

spirit of their flag ship gin, to see the care

that goes into the neutral spirit, vodka.

As stated above, the still stands at 26

feet tall, one of the tallest in California

(to their knowledge), and runs 21 bubble

plates. This allows for distilling their Cali-

fornia red winter wheat vodka in a single

run, versus multiple runs from other

They have been championing the

“KEEP IT LOCAL AND

ORGANIC” artisan spirit

movement since Spirit Works’

inception


Summer 2014

| MicroShiner.com

Summer 2014

distilleries. The single run allows the spir-

it to maintain some wheat characteristics

in its base mash, softening the flavor and

taking away the burn that is associated

with the competitors who completely strip

the spirit. The vodka at 43% ABV holds

an almost pure and creamy flavor; these

qualities are then transferred to the gin as

another aspect in its flavor profile.

Spirit Works Gin is not a back

blended spirit. Rather, it is a completely

original flavor, one that can’t be replicat-

ed due to the in-house manufacturing of

their base spirit. With the characteristics

of the vodka binding with the flavors of the

orris root, the gin is a balance of dry pine

flavor from the juniper and a sweet floral

compliment, flawlessly derived from eight

choice botanicals. Each botanical has its

own boiling point, and over the 6 months

of flavor development, Ashby was able to

determine the point of best performance

for each. The spiced aspect of the gin is

due to the use of cardamom and corian-

der. The angelica, orris root and iris are

responsible for the grassy, earthy notes.

The lemon is zested the day of production,

adding a fresh citrus flavor. A hint of hi-

biscus can also be tasted, softening the

final product.

When asked why so much focus

on the spirit gin, Timo replies: “I love it.

I’m obsessed with gin.” It’s his passion

for this spirit that has led them to what

he describes as the pinnacle of balance; a

gin where all the flavors work in harmony

without one overpowering the others. “If

you want to find the coriander, you can.

But it isn’t a coriander gin!” While in the

tasting room, you have the opportunity to

see each of these flavors. Each individual

botanical is set out on the table for the

taster to see, smell and feel, creating a

more vibrant tasting experience, and al-

lowing for a more specific flavor profile.

Which brings us to Spirit Works’

Sloe Gin, known as a traditional British

digestif; it is a sweet maceration of sloe

berries in the already remarkable gin.

With uses from fabric dye to jam, sloe ber-

ries are readily available in the UK but

more difficult to source here in the US,

because of their invasive nature; the blue

berry sized fruit is a relative of the plum.

Timo grew up foraging for these berries

in his neighborhood and now is import-

ing them in larger quantities to create his

comfort food. It begins with Spirit Works’

handcrafted gin; they then add whole sloe

berries and cane sugar to allow for direct

maceration in creating the sweet liqueur,

a recipe that has been in Timo’s family

for generations.

This unique flavor combination

is in high demand, particularly with local

bartenders who are looking to create the

next big cocktail, and is taking the place

of other, more common additions such as

sweet vermouth.

These three spirits are the heart

of the current Spirit Works product line.

Soon to join the ranks are the highly an-

ticipated Wheat Whiskey and Rye. Spirit

Works’ whiskey has been developed with

the same standard of quality and focus,

keeping it organic and local. With a whis-

key waitlist already in place, the peppery

Rye and sweeter Wheat Whiskey, created

from organic Northern California red win-

ter wheat, are currently resting in charred

oak barrels and should be ready to drink

in 2015.

The future looks bright for this

little distillery that could, as it builds on

the momentum of a strong regional fan

base and community support. In crafting

their own distinct vision, and remaining

committed to the key tenets of local and

organic production, Spirit Works has po-

sitioned itself at the forefront of Califor-

nia’s evolving spirit landscape, adding yet

another notable stop to Sonoma County’s

already impressive epicurean roadmap.

Find them at www.spiritworks.com


Summer 2014

This meal was prepared by Bob and Beth Fischer, around a bottle of Whistling Andy’s Hopschnop. The meal consisted of three courses: pork belly and panko potatoes; halibut and rice; and cheesecake. Our first two courses were served with Hopschnop neat, accompanied by a bottle of red wine during the second course. For dessert, we retired to the Fischer’s farmhouse to watch the World Cup. We enjoyed an after dinner cocktail then cheese-cake was served with a warm sweet drink. Bob and Beth Fischer work, play, and eat well in Hamilton, Montana.

PAGE90 | MicroShiner.com |

Summer 2014

Pairings: WHISTLING ANDY HOPSCHNOP

Photos by Beth Fischer


1 lb

1 Cup

2 Teaspoons

1 Clove

PORK BELLY

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

SOY SAUCE

GARLIC

Ingredients

BALSAMIC GLAZED PORK BELLY


Directions

3. Add pork belly and continue to simmer.

Cut pork belly into 1” x 1” x 3” cubes.1.

4. Cook pork for about 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to let the vinegar

mixture burn or caramelize completely.

2.Combine other 3 ingredients. Simmer on low for 10 min in a heavy frying pan.

Summer 2014


WASABI-DUSTED PANKO POTATOES


Summer 2014

6

1 Cup

1 Teaspoon

To Taste

1

1 Cup

As Needed

POTATOES

FLOUR

WASABI POWDER

SALT and PEPPER

EGG

PANKO BREADCRUMBS

OIL for frying

Ingredients

Directions

Parboil the potatoes until

just soft enough to pierce

them with a fork.

1.

5.Fry in 2” of hot oil until

golden brown.

4.Dredge the potato cubes

in the flower, dip into the

beaten egg then coat with

breadcrumbs.2.Drain, cool and cut the

potatoes into 1” X 1” X 3”

cubes.

3.Mix the flour, wasabi

powder, salt and pepper in

a bowl. In another bowl

beat the egg. Have the

Panko breadcrumbs in a

third bowl.


2 Jiggers

1 Jigger

1 Teaspoon

Garnish

WHISTLING ANDY HOPSCHNOP

SPICED RUM

TAMARIND SIMPLE SYRUP

MARASCHINO CHERRY

Ingredients

WOOLY BUGGER

Directions

Mix the Hopschnop

and simple syrup in a

microwave safe container

and microwave for 30 sec

to get it warm.

1.

2.Drizzle the molasses into

a cocktail glass, pour in

the warmed Hopschnop

and simple syrup and

top with milk foam.

3.Garnish with a cinnamon

stick.


1 Cup

1 Cup

1 Tablespoon

WATER

SPICED RUM

TAMARIND PASTE

Ingredients

Directions

In a small sauce pan

combine the water and

sugar and heat until it

starts to boil.

1.

2.Turn down the heat to a

slow simmer and add the

tamarind paste.

3.Allow to simmer for about

15 minutes then strain

into a jar and cool.

TAMARIND SIMPLE SYRUP


Summer 2014

HALIBUT WITH PLUM GLAZEWe had the luxury of halibut brought direct from Alaska, courtesy of one of the dinner guests. Grill using charcoal,

if possible, along with your favorite variety of smoking chips.

2 lbs

2

1 Cup

1/2 Cup

1 Tablespoon

1 Clove

HALIBUT FILLETS, with skin on one side

BLACK PLUMS, large & ripe

DRY WHITE WINE

GINGER BEER

SOY SAUCE

GARLIC, pressed

Ingredients


Directions

In a heavy sauce pan

simmer the cut up plums

in the white wine for 10

minutes. Press the plum

and wine mixture through

a sieve to remove the skins

and pulp. Return the liquid

to the sauce pan and add

the garlic and ginger beer.

Simmer 10 min and add the

soy sauce.

1.

5.Place the fillets on the grill

skin-side down and close

the grill. Cook for 5 – 7

min then remove the fish

from the grill and serve.

4.Add a handful of soaked

wood chips to the coals and

bring the coals as close

to the grilling surface as

possible.

2. In the meantime coat the

skin side of the halibut

with hazelnut oil and cut

into 6 serving sized pieces.

3.When the sauce has

thickened, brush the flesh

side of the fillet with a coat

of sauce. Let rest 5 min and

repeat with a second coating

of sauce.


Summer 2014

MIXED AND WILD RICEServe the fish and rice with miso paste, steamed baby bok choy and or asparagus.


1 Cup

1 Bunch

1 Teaspoon

½

1 Clove

1 Tablespoon

1 Tablespoon

1 ½ Teaspoon

MIXED and WILD RICE

GREEN ONIONS, green and white parts, sliced

GINGER, minced

RED PEPPER, finely diced

GARLIC, minced

PEANUT OIL

RICE WINE VINEGAR

MIRIN

Ingredients

Directions

In a medium sauce pan

briefly sauté the ginger,

garlic and the white part

of the green onion in

the peanut oil, about 1

minute.

1.5.When the rice is done

fold in the green part of

the green onion, mirin

and rice vinegar.

4.Simmer for 20 minutes or

until the rice is done.

2.Add the red pepper and

rice, give it a quick stir

before adding water to

the pan until it rises ½

inch above the level of

the rice.

3. Cover the pan and bring

the water to a boil then

turn down the heat until

you achieve a low simmer.


Summer 2014

Directions

Mix the Hopschnop

and simple syrup in a

microwave safe container

and microwave for 30 sec

to get it warm.

1.

2.Drizzle the molasses into

a cocktail glass, pour in

the warmed Hopschnop

and simple syrup and

top with milk foam.

3.Garnish with a cinnamon

stick.

2 Jiggers

2 Jiggers

1 Teaspoon

As Needed

WHISTLING ANDY HOPSCHNOP

EXTRA GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP

BLACKSTRAP MOLASSAS

MILK FOAM

Ingredients

GRANDMA’S MOLASSES COOKIE


1 Cup

1 Cup

1 Cup

1 Whole

WATER

SUGAR

GINGER, freshly sliced

VANILLA BEAN

Ingredients

Directions

In a small sauce pan

combine the water and

sugar and heat until it

starts to boil. Turn down

the heat to a slow simmer

and add the ginger.

1.

2. Add the vanilla bean by

slicing it lengthwise and

scraping the seeds into

the sugar water then

adding the rest of the pod.

3.Allow to simmer for about

15 minutes then strain

into a jar and cool.

EXTRA GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP


Summer 2014

Going to the Sun HighwayGlacier National Park, Montana USA

McCollum Custom Longboards

Life. Distilled.

ISLAND DISTILLERSWritten by

Misty CordeiroPhotos by

Brian Cary

On the tropical island of Oahu sits

Island Distillers, a single-still, vodka

and Hawaiian moonshine distillery.

Dave Flintstone, the owner, distiller, and

mastermind behind this small-batch

operation is originally from Florida.

He has lived in Hawaii, off and on,

since the late 1980’s - making him no

stranger to the island lifestyle. He is dressed

in board shorts and slippers (known

as flip-flops to Mainlanders). Dave

welcomes us and jokingly remarks,

“You’re lucky I put on a shirt today.”

| MicroShiner.com

Summer 2014

limited parking and his irregular hours,

he turns away requests for tastings and

tours. Currently, Island Distillers’ prod-

ucts are distributed only in Hawaii; how-

ever, their spirits may be purchased on-

line from the company’s Facebook page.

He relishes the idea of operat-

ing on agricultural land, but laments

the price of living in paradise, “It would

be nice if I could locate on ag(ricultural)

land, but of course land on the islands is

expensive and owned by large families.”

Not one to let reality inhibit his dreams,

Dave excitedly fantasizes about farming

his own ingredients and planting fruit

trees to make brandies.

Although obtaining agricultural

land at this point seems unlikely, Dave is

planning to relocate his operation into the

Hawaii Kai area. The new location will op-

erate on solar power and feature a much-

anticipated tasting room. He also plans

to expand his product line. He has four

rums planned for future release: a dark

His easy-going, fun nature al-

ready shines through, despite the ear-

ly start of our 8:00 a.m. meeting. As Ha-

waiian music plays in the background,

he explains that his one-man army will

expand in a couple hours. He has two em-

ployees coming to help bottle a batch of

coconut vodka.

We move into the center of the

space, and Dave excitedly points out his

water filtration system. “People say ‘what

kind of water do you use? Where is your

water from?’” Answering his own proposed

question, he jokes, “It comes from the sky,

where does everyone’s water come from?”

He continues explaining that

the majority of water on the islands is

from aquifers. In order for the water to

be moved through the pipes, chlorine is

added. The first step in his process is

to remove the chlorine. Other minerals

are then stripped out before softening

the water.

Within the small space of the

distillery there is no real division, in-

stantly drawing your eye to the copper

still sitting just off center. Dave obtained

the “standard little pot” several years ago

from Portugal; and though the bond with

his current still is unbreakable because of

the nostalgia, you can sense his enthusi-

asm as he talks about the three new and

highly anticipated stills. Two are en-route

while the third is currently being fab-

ricated in Europe. He spent over a year

designing and developing the third one.

Recirculating coolant, batch continuous,

electric, energy efficient, and computer-

ized are all descriptors for its exciting new

features. Dave’s concluding sentiments:

“its way cool!” With new siblings on the

way, one need not fear for the “standard

little pot.” It won’t enter retirement, but

will be used for small-batch productions

such as fruit brandies.

Dave does all the fermenting and

distilling at his current location. “I have

a pretty small operation and a small vol-

ume. I sell everything I make, but I don’t

make that much.” Though “very com-

pact,” Dave makes good use of this space,

storing his finished product in another

warehouse. Unfortunately, because of


rum, white rum, spiced rum, and an old

Cajun rum. “I’m very excited about the

rums, because I really like rum. I really

like the packaging for it, too.”

The labels and packaging for all

his products have been a labor of love.

With help from local graphic artists and

countless hours of time, Dave perfected

his signature looks. Though not officially

on the market, his white rum boasts the

longest-worded liquor label in the world.

He laughs as he predicts a scenario, “I re-

ally like this because it makes me chuckle

every time I see it. I can just picture peo-

ple looking at it in the stores. ‘Honey, hum

ma na hum ma na. Let’s get the hum ma

na rum!” Unfortunately, none of the pro-

posed rum was available to sample. Dave

playfully disclosed, “I drank all of the rum

that I had.”

Island Distillers currently has

three spirits on the market - all distilled

from sugar cane: a straight vodka, a co-

conut vodka, and an Okolehao, which is

also known as Hawaiian moonshine. The

coconut vodka uses the straight vodka as

its base and is blended down from 40%

to 35% to allow the coconut flavor to

come through. When pressed as to how

the coconut flavoring is achieved, Dave

drops his exuberance to a serious tone.

“Very, very carefully,” he says. “It took

about a year and a half to get the flavor

that I wanted. I wanted a nice, fresh co-

conut flavor - not this horrible candied

type thing that I tasted everywhere.” Dave

collected local coconuts to conduct ex-

periments, and eventually developed an

extract. He describes it as an essential oil

process, which embodies the aromas and

flavors perfectly, and then is blended into

his vodka.

He quickly realized the need for

larger quantities of both extract and co-

conuts. Hawaii does not commercially

produce the fruit, as most of the coconuts

come from either Thailand or the Philip-

pines. Dave contracted with a mainland

company to replicate his extract formula

on a large scale. After three attempts, it

was finally successful.

Originally, he wanted more

tropical flavors and in addition to coco-

nut, Dave toyed with pineapple and lilikoi

(passion fruit) flavors. The task proved

difficult. The color and taste would slow-

ly decline, and while they all tasted “so

good,” ultimately Dave could not obtain

shelf stability. Once he moves to the new

location, however, he hopes to produce

these flavors in small batches for immedi-

ate consumption - fresh from the still.

The best seller among Island Dis-

tillers’ three spirits is the Okolehao (pro-

nounced o-ko-lay-how). Dave attributes

much of its success to its unique compo-

sition. The two main ingredients are ti root

and sugar cane. Dave imports his ti root

from the Big Island. Ti plant roots, which

can range from ten to fifteen pounds per

plant, are then shredded for the process.

Dave called the Big Island home

for about four years. It is where he devel-

oped the lava filtration system he uses for

his spirits. It took several attempts before

he finally locked down the process, but

the time invested was well worth it. “I fig-

ured out a way to get away from granular

activated carbon that everyone else uses,”

he gleams. ‘Okole’ is the Hawaiian word

for butt and ‘hao’ means iron. These two

words may seem an unlikely pair, but “the

myth goes, that it was named after old

whaling ships... whether they are refer-

ring to the bottom of the pot or to what

two pots, side-by-side look like... Hawai-

ians back then were very big on word play,

and especially in referencing parts of the

body. So, it’s probably true.”

Okolehao is the only known in-

digenous distilled spirit from Hawaii. An

English sailor first recorded its existence

during the 1770’s. After seeing the Ha-

waiians bake ti root, the sailor realized it

could be fermented to make beer. Relat-

ing the story, Flintstone laughs as he con-

siders this bit of history, “The Hawaiian’s

never had an alcoholic beverage? How can

this be possible with all the fruit around?

Very odd.” As implausible as it may seem,

the story continues that twenty years lat-

er an Australian introduced the distilla-

tion process and Okolehao was born. With

moonshine’s growth in popularity over the

last few years, Dave only wishes he could

have been ahead of the curve. “It took a

RIGHT >Workers on the

bottling line at the Island Distillers

prodcution faciility.

It is the quality of life, not the quantity of life. In Hawaii, that is important - the quality of life here. We do not have the general rat race like the mainland. It is not what you do for a living here, it’s the living that you do

that’s important.

Summer 2014

while to figure out what I think it would

have tasted like back then and to perfect

it. Now, I think I got it. It’s fantastic.”

The idea of opening a distillery

came about 14 years ago. Dave had been

living on Maui, but frequently found work

in the Caribbean, where a love for quality

spirits sparked while sipping Barbancourt

Rhum in Haiti. Despite having tended

bar for a number of years before what he

terms the “cocktail renaissance,” he had

never tasted such good rum, served on ice

with only a squeeze of lime. Working for a

cruise company as a certified dive instruc-

tor, the ships only came into port twice a

week - leaving him with a lot of free time

on his hands. Dave traveled to little towns

learning about the distillation process:

“I found all these distillers. Sometimes

just a dude in a shack. Some a little bit

bigger. They were making what they call

‘clairin,’ which is a moonshine product;

some selling high strength up to 180

proof and some blending it down to 40 or

50.” It was akin to an unpaid internship;

which did not bother him in his pursuit

of learning the trade. From going out with

his machete to chop down sugar cane or

watching farm animals walk in circles

to crush product.

It was years later that his idea

to open a distillery came to fruition. Dave

was in the construction business and

building houses on the Big Island when

the housing market crashed. He knew it

was time to pursue the dream lingering in

the back of his mind. His first choice for

opening a distillery in Hawaii was Maui -

the island he had lived on the longest. “I

knew how to make everything, that was

the easy part. The hard part was travers-

ing the bureaucracy.” Meeting with little

success on Maui, he made one phone call

to Oahu and was a plane the next day to

start his distillery.

After about a year and a half,

Dave’s dream finally materialized. During

his recollections he laughs, “I was broke

for a long time. It was ridiculous. So many

costly errors. Like everyone says, ‘If I

knew then, what I know now’.”

After “talking story” (the Hawai-

ian-islands’ tradition of sharing stories),


Dave led us over to his handmade bar and

the awaiting spirits, explaining; “I wanted

to make a vodka that was smooth enough

to drink at room temperature in Hawaii.”

Starting with the 80 proof vodka, he test-

ed his vodka, many times, against com-

petitors. He laughs as he recalls peoples’

reactions during taste testing. “Tasting

vodka is an odd thing because very few

people drink straight vodka.” His ultimate

goal was to beat Tito’s, a small-batch pot-

distilled vodka from Texas. “When I con-

sistently had my vodka chosen over Tito’s,

I knew I had finished.”

Next, we tasted the much-antici-

pated Okolehao. Dave describes the taste

as “surprisingly smooth.” Proofed at 100,

I would have to agree. Both the aroma and

taste contain floral notes reminiscent of

the flowers one finds on the Islands and

the tropical flavors that make this region

unique. Its taste is complex - like a gin,

yet finishes like a softer, sweet sipping,

rum. With such distinct characteristics, it

is a spirit unlike any other.

As Dave shows us the beautiful

Okolehao bottle, he jestingly mentions,

“I put the ingredients and recipe on the

back of the bottle.” A turn of the bottle re-

veals several lines of text, all in Hawaiian.

He smiles, “not really, it’s just a little sto-

ry.” A neck hanger on the bottle provides

a translation, along with several signature

cocktail recipes. His favorite drink using

the moonshine is called Hawaiian soda,

which is a simple twist on the classic vod-

ka soda. “Lime, soda, and moonshine,” he

proclaims. “I like it so much.”

The coconut vodka is bottled at

70 proof and embodies a wonderful fla-

vor. It is the most natural and authentic

coconut flavored spirit I have ever tasted.

Sipping it immediately transports one to a

tropical island. The accompanying cock-

tail Dave whipped up is the Hawaiian-

Colada, consisting of coconut vodka and

pineapple juice. He takes a swig and con-

cludes, “Very simple. Very tasty.” It is the

truth. The recipe may be simple, but it is

delicious.

While the unique taste of the

Okolehao is a worthy contender, my heart

favors the scrumptious coconut vodka.

As we sat sipping various cocktails and

straight liquors, Dave entertained us with

animated responses to typical questions

he has encountered: “People ask, how

many times do you distill? Well, how many

times do you shower a day? What differ-

ence does it make? Then they talk about

how many times it was filtered. Couldn’t

you do it right the first couple of times?

It took you nine times! And then you get

the weird ones... 22...25... Ok, whatever

works for you.”

At ten o’clock on the dot, Dave’s

two bottlers walk through the door. While

we continued our tastings, Dave joined

them in the bottling process. Forming

a mini-assembly line in the corner, he

manned the heat gun at the end of the line

- sealing each bottle before packing and

taping the boxes. Case after case stacked

up. It takes about eight hours to bottle

the 550 gallons or 230 cases of coconut

vodka. Dave periodically stepped away to

check on us. Each time, he slid behind

the bar and quickly concocted a different

specialty drink for us to try before hurry-

ing back to his end of the assembly line.

Dave embodies the spirit of Alo-

ha. His passion for distilling liquor and

his love for the islands is quite evident in

his final thoughts: “People ask me all the

time, what’s your exit strategy?” There is

no exit until I can no longer make [the li-

quor]. It is the quality of life not the quan-

tity of life. In Hawaii, that is important

- the quality of life here. We do not have

the general rat race like the mainland. It

is not what you do for a living here, it’s

the living that you do that’s important.

And as long as I can live here and enjoy

myself and make something other people

enjoy as much as I do, it’s great.”

Summer 2014

| MicroShiner.com » Photo by Vincent Buckley

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Documents

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