American Made
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mean in America," Robbat says.
This includes using Washington barley and Oregon oak in
crafting their single-malts. "I love that balance of tradition and
American spirit," Robbat says.
SPIRIT OF THE FUTURE
Which brands and categories emerge strong from this swell in
U.S. craft spirits will depend on a number of factors. Willis be-
lieves that sales and quality are critical.
"People are spending too much time in the distillery and not
enough time out selling," Willis says. "You need boots on the
ground. It's not enough to rely on the distributor."
"The baseline is that you have to be making a quality prod-
uct," he adds. "It's no longer enough just to be a craft brand."
Ellison concurs. "Whenever tells me that they're thinking of
starting a new craft distillery, my response is always, 'why? What
are you offering that's not already offered?'" he says. "None of
what we make solves anyone's problems. It's not like we get calls
from consumers saying they cannot find a good gin so can we
please make it."
"What we do is scratching a niche," he adds. "So people
have to make their product in a niche. Are
you local or national? People who
think they're going to be local and
national and have 12 products
— they aren't going to make
it. They need to focus on one
thing. Focus is the biggest
problem in this industry." BD
Barrels aging at Bully Boy Distillery.
Gin bottles being filled at Bully Boy Distillery in Boston (above), and the
company's full product lineup (below).
Single malts from Westland.
