Over the past decade, few people have impacted as many American distilleries as Dave Pickerell. A trained chemical engineer and the former master distiller at Maker’s Mark, Dave left his cushy gig in 2008 to start a consulting business helping new distillers make the best products they could.
When you stop to think about it, the growth in craft distilleries over the past decade is truly amazing. In 2011, just seven years ago, there were fewer than 300 craft spirits producers in the United States. Today, there are more than 2,300 licensed distilled spirits producers, with nearly 1,600 active craft distillers and more in the planning stages. With those figures, “revolution” doesn’t sound like much of an exaggeration after all.
With The Doors’ lyrics in my head and thoughts about where to spend my ideal summer during my college years, Paris quickly became my number one choice. I was already, at that time, in love with whiskey and even kept a diary where, among other things, I wrote down the best restaurants, bars or night clubs the City of Lights had to offer. Whiskey bars naturally tended to top my list.
For most people, Santa Barbara is synonymous with wine. Those people must not know about Ascendant Spirits, Santa Barbara County’s very first distillery since Prohibition and one of the most exciting producers working in craft spirits today.
Money might make the world go round, but most professionals know that strong relationships can be just as valuable as greenbacks. There’s a lot that goes into making sure your business relationships are healthy and vital, but thoughtful gifts remain one of the best ways to show your clients, colleagues, and employees how much you value them.
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short-story writer, critic, satirist and screenwriter. Although her successes include two Academy Awards nominations, her involvement in left-wing politics led her to the famous Hollywood blacklist of Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin.