Craft distillers do it right - Part 1

The still at Osocalis Distillery in Soquel, California

I attended the 2007 Independent Spirits Fest in San Francisco, an event for independent distillers hosted downtown at the W Hotel this weekend. I tasted dozens of remarkable concoctions, some really mediocre ones, and a lot in between, about which I’ll be posting in installments here. Most fascinating about this journey was the chance to meet so many of the people behind the potions. In many cases, my research notes made in advance of the event revealed just one or two names behind a particular product, and when I arrived at their table, lo and behold, I found those same names on the pourer’s nametags.

Independent distilling is growing in popularity, and is poised to do for the spirits industry what craft brewing and microbreweries did for the beer industry. Modern Drunkard thinks so, and now that I've seen some of the brightest people in the biz, so do I. And when a small group of people decide to make something out of love for the craft and the end result, it’s bound to be better than the profit-engineered products churned out by multinationals. Whether it’s gin made with blueberries from Sweet Grass Farm Distillery in Maine, infused vodka from Peach Street Distillers way out in Colorado, or some crazy thing called bierschnaps from Essential Spirits Alambic Distillery near me in the Bay Area in California, people are putting their passions into their stills and making some damned fine booze.

By far the highlight of my evening was meeting Jeff Emery and Daniel Farber from Osocalis Distillery. Jeff is the winemaker for Osocalis as well as for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, and has been in the business for almost 30 years. He’s mastered his craft to such a degree that he’s branched out to experiment with new varietals and techniques, taking cues from less commonly-known European methods from Portugal, among others. I strolled through the gamut of brandies and not-yet-released calvados. This is deep complex mojo they’re making. It’s evident in the glass, but reaffirmed by a chat with these guys.

Daniel’s passion for the old stuff is contagious. He tells a story of a recent opportunity, bequeathed by a friend, to taste some French brandies from the early 1800s. He shared with us his amazement that, via this transcendent liquid, people in the 21^st century could have some kind of a visceral sensual connection with the people who created it several lifetimes before. His level of sincerity reveals his deep reverence for the art of distillation and, perhaps, his own desire to make a contribution to his own immortality by way of his creations at Osocalis.

More to come from this year’s Fest…