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            American Craft Distilleries are growing at an increasing rate. Prepare for a journey through flavor in BourbonBlog.com's series of podcast radio interviews with American Craft Distilleries. 

            We start in Oregon with Sub Rosa Distillery's Tarragon Flavored Vodka and Saffron Flavored Vodka. Sub Rosa literally means, “Under the rose” in Latin, referring to something done in secret. A real Renaissance man started this distillery with a background in logging, fishing, software developing and yes, even some wine and beer making. Mike Sherwood's background is varied, but his, “I never knew one day I'd be a distiller” story is like many others we find. An idea hits that sounds like, “What if I made a spirit that tastes like this?” That idea is followed by a lot of experimentation. In Mike's case, his wife and “partner in crime” helps him perfect the flavors with her culinary palette. The flavors of this Saffron vodka include toasted cumin, lemony coriander and hot spices.

            “I don't need a focus group to tell me what to do. In fact, a focus group would tell me not to do make the vodkas I'm making,” says Mike. “You now see larger distillers taking larger risks.”  

            So why has there been a resurgence of craft distilleries? “A lot of these distillers came from beer and wine backgrounds. ‘Been there done that’ and they want to do more. That combined with laws changing, making it easier and distributors are picking up these spirits the last five years or so,” Sherwood explains. He also encourages foodies to ask for locally produced and craft spirits just as you would with food. Listen to Mike Sherwood tell his story on the BourbonBlog.com podcast.

            From a one of a kind Oregon flavored vodka we travel to New Mexico to savor another ingenious American vodka and story. Olha Dolin and her husband Ron were visiting Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery in Kentucky several years back when they sampled some Organic Rain Vodka produced there. She was so in love with the flavor of Rain that she envisioned making vodka from New Mexico's famous Blue Corn. This vision soon led to the production of the world's first Blue Corn Vodka. Their Don Quixote Distillery and Winery's signature product is the Blue Corn Vodka, but they also produce ports, brandies, pisco and other spirits.

            We interview Master Distiller Olha Dolin, who originally hails from a Ukrainian family of vodka distillers. She describes how their Don Quixote Blue Corn Vodka is one vodka that doesn't need added flavoring. There are two factors that give this vodka so much flavor. First, Blue Corn is the sweetest of all corns and that flavor shines through in end product. Second, the high altitude leads to a sweeter end product and gives character in the distillation process. Fortunately for Olha, her husband Ron is an engineer and has designed a copper alembic pot still to maximize the advantages of distilling at 7500 feet above sea level. 

            Enough vodka for today? Now on to the Eastern slope of Blue Ridge Mountains, 90 minutes from D.C. to Sperryville, Virginia. In this town of two-hundred people, we find The Copper Fox Distillery once again doing a one of a kind American spirit. 

            Financial planner Rick Wasmund was attending a Scotch whisky tasting enjoying a “dram” of Johnnie Walker when he had a desire for a new flavor in Scotch. “Are there any fruitwoods used to flavor the malts of whiskies?” Rick asked himself. After searching and only finding more and more peat-flavored malts, he saw an opportunity do something new for his life, community and all the whisky drinkers of the world. Thank you, Rick! Today, The Copper Fox Distillery is the only distiller in the world that flavors their malt with Cherrywood smoke and the only distiller in North America that malts their own barley. 

            For the Wasmund's Single Malt Whisky, Applewood and Oakwood chips are added during the maturation process while it is aged in a used Virginia Gentleman Bourbon barrel. When I was introduced to this whisky for the first time at Firefly Southern Grill in Evansville, I was so amazed with the unique flavors balancing between a Scotch and Bourbon. Rick started Copper Fox in 2005 and they are on batch # 36 of the Single Malt always aiming to, “make it better.”

            Copper Fox has just introduced a delicious Rye whisky and a Barrel Kit. The Wasmund's Barrel Kit contains the distillate of Rye or Single Malt and a small charred barrel. This distillate is clear cask strength (124 proof) spirit which is what a whisky is before it is aged. Basically, you get to age the whisky yourself for a long as you'd like to see what it is like to be a distiller. 
            Join us as we learn what life is like distilling on this podcast series on BourbonBlog.com and check out our website for links to find where to buy and order each of these spirits.

Photos Courtesy BourbonBlog.com