John D.E. “Johnny” Jeffery’s journey into distilling began after a trip to Poland inspired him to make nalewka, a traditional infused liqueur. It’s a journey that’s taken him from Chicago and Michigan State University to craft distilleries such as Death’s Door in Wisconsin, Sante Fe Spirits in New Mexico, and Nevada’s Bently Heritage Estate—all of which he helped to launch.

Along the way, he’s embraced a collaborative approach among craft distillers, emphasizing the need to share knowledge so that everyone can make better, more compelling spirits. He continues that work today, advising small distilleries on how to pay attention to customer feedback and create meaningful experiences while maintaining creative traditions.

In this episode with host Molly Troupe, Jeffery also discusses:

the unusual experience of building a prison still for a California death-row case
the importance of having a skilled mechanic in the distillery
how sound and music can help identify problems in the distillery
balancing intuition with science in R&D projects and whiskey-blending
the importance of customer feedback to refining products
how storytelling connects the maker with the product and those who enjoy it
maintaining authenticity when scaling up

And more.

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Sid Dilawri from Filibuster Distillery says, “From the design and engineering to installation and start-up, G&D was easy to work with. We’ve had great customer service since commissioning our chiller, and I’d highly recommend them for any distillery system.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

41: John D.E. Jeffery Wants You to Balance Science and Intuition When Crafting Spirits

Spirits & Distilling Podcast