Craft Distilled Spirits
Craft distilled spirits from CrushBrew — small-batch whiskey, gin, agave, and the independent distillers redefining what American spirits can be.
Kangaroo Island Spirits: Fifteen Years Ahead of the Boom and Still Leading
In 2002, Jon and Sarah Lark started a gin distillery on Kangaroo Island — a pristine wildlife sanctuary 150 kilometers southwest of Adelaide — using…
The Vodka Paradox: Why Tasteless Spirits Cost $50
Vodka is legally defined in the United States as a neutral spirit “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.” The entire premise of the spirit…
Jack Daniel’s: The Real Story Behind Tennessee’s Most Famous Whiskey
In 1884, Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel paid $2,148 for a patch of rocky Tennessee land that most people thought he was crazy to want. The…
Beer Cocktails: Beyond the Shandy and the Boilermaker
In August 2025, a bartender posted a video making something he called a Beericano — an Americano cocktail with a layer of frothed lager foam…
How Derek Grout Changed New York Spirits Law and Built the Hudson Valley’s Most Personal Distillery
In 2007, Derek Grout drove to Albany and lobbied the state legislature to create a new license category that didn’t exist: the New York Farm…
How Uncle Benny’s Apple Schnapps Became a Finger Lakes Wine-Spirit Hybrid
It started with Uncle Benny. In 1986, Herman Young visited his wife Wilma’s uncle in Germany and spent a day tasting the neighbor’s apple schnapps.…
Bowen’s Spirits: Pure California Whiskey in All Its Craft Glory
CrushBrew Editorial · Spirits · 7 min read Just as craft beer exploded a generation ago, small distilleries are now making their mark, and many…
What’s Fueling the American Made Sake Movement
CrushBrew Editorial · Sake · 8 min read Sake screams Japanese, so the idea of it being brewed in the United States once sounded almost…
Malt vs Grain Whiskeys: Where Distillers Divide
CrushBrew Editorial · Whiskey · 7 min read Follow the rise of craft distilling and you’ll notice that whiskey makers tend to divide: some focus…
Craft Distillers & Wineries Along the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail
CrushBrew Editorial · Beverage Trails · 9 min read The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail links family-run wineries, distilleries, and cideries across New York’s Hudson Valley and…
Blue Run Distilling Company: Distilling Spirits the Old Way
CrushBrew Editorial · Craft Spirits · 8 min read Bull Run Distillery is a small-batch craft distillery in Portland, Oregon, born from a friendly conversation…
Chicago’s First Distillery Breaks All Rules
CrushBrew Editorial · Craft Spirits · 8 min read Chicago had not been home to a distillery for more than a century when KOVAL opened…
From Wine to Spirits: How One Winery Expanded Its Horizons Almost By Accident
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine & Spirits · 8 min read Mazza has been making wine in the Lake Erie Wine Country since 1972, when brothers…
Terroir is Critical in Crafting Savory Spirits at Hudson Valley Distillers
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine & Beer · 6 min read Hudson Valley Distillers is a family-founded craft distillery in Clermont, New York, that opened in…
Historic Whiskey from Mount Vernon’s Distillery Crafted at Hillrock Estate Distillery
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine & Beer · 6 min read Second in the series “A Whiskey Rebellion: Craft Distilling in the Hudson Valley.” Hillrock Estate…