The Monthly Mash: March 2021

ACSA: What has it been like to watch this industry continue to grow?

Tom Potter: It’s been incredible to watch, and to be a part of. We’ve gone from fewer than 100 distilleries to a couple of thousand, and the range of spirits and innovation has been mind-boggling.

What are your top priorities now that you’ve been elected to the board?

The New York State Distillers Guild has a good history of contributing to the national effort. I think we’re one of the larger and more cohesive state organizations, and I think it’s important to maintain good cooperation between it and the ACSA. Founding ACSA board members from New York included Ralph Erenzo and Nicole Austin, who were so crucial in pushing the FET reduction. I’m proud to follow in their footsteps and hope to be at least half as effective.

When you were running for the board, you mentioned that you were part of a working group of New York City distillers discussing and negotiating with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) as they prepare to rewrite the city’s fire code. Have you learned anything during that process that would be helpful for other urban distillers to know about?

It’s a really important issue. One year ago, FDNY seemed ready to introduce the first public draft of a completely re-written code that for better or worse could have influenced municipalities across the country. A group of NYC distillers had been working with them for almost a year and I think we’d made a lot of progress. COVID froze everything, though, as the FDNY and everyone else had other stuff to worry about. I’m guessing it will resurface later this year. How many of our suggestions they ultimately incorporate will be key to whether or not the rewrite helps or hurts craft distillers. Once the draft is released for public comment we can analyze it and get more aggressive about advocacy and education, and at that time we will certainly also look for help from all industry allies.

Which of your products from New York Distilling Co. are you most excited about?

We’re probably best known for our gins, since we started selling them years before our rye whiskies were ready. But inside the company we’re probably most excited about an heirloom rye whiskey that we’ve been developing for more than nine years. We started with a dozen seeds and worked our way up from there. After a few years we finally got to a place where we had enough grain to distill meaningful quantities and also have enough to plant the next year. Those early barrels are really coming in to their own now and are showing beautifully. We think we’re going to have something unique and special in a year or two.

What are some of the biggest contrasts or similarities between your former career in brewing vs. your career in distilling?

Great people and fun conventions in both.

Not enough diversity in either. Most of the founding brewers and distillers I’ve met look like me, (albeit younger and more attractive)—white and male.

One big difference: the rise of craft beer felt really surprising. The rise of craft spirits didn’t. In the early years no one knew how important craft beer would ultimately become. When we started the Brooklyn Brewery there were already two other breweries in New York State, and I remember thinking maybe we were too late. Was New York really big enough for three? And then the first two went broke, which didn’t seem promising. Success did not seem inevitable. On the other hand, the rise of craft spirits seemed a near certainty. Looking at the overall spirits landscape 10-15 years ago, and keeping the previous experience of craft beer in mind, it was hard to imagine it wouldn’t happen.

We saw that you had reached out to Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery’s brewmaster, about working on the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, named after the beer writer. Was it important to you that distilling be included and/or what do you think Michael would think about distilling being a part of the foundation started in his name?

Michael had been a good friend of the Brooklyn Brewery, and we began to work with him in the mid-90s to raise money to train young brewers. Originally, we co-sponsored fundraising events with the New York chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food, which was founded by Julia Child and Robert Mondavi and was probably America’s first real foodie group. At that time Garrett was still an up-and-coming brewer, but Michael saw something in him and they became pretty close. When Michael passed away in 2007 Garrett spoke at his funeral.

A couple of years later, when I helped start the New York Distilling Co., I thought we had a platform to expand the Jackson remit to include distillers and it just seemed to fit. It’s hard to imagine now that this is even possible, but in his day Michael was at once the world’s foremost authority on beer as well as the world’s foremost authority on whiskey. His writing inspired me, and many others, to turn away from dull ordinary pursuits and turn toward making something fun and worthwhile. So NYDC organized dedicated spirits events; some on our own, some in collaboration with the Brooklyn Brewery, and some with the ADI back before there was an ACSA. Dan Farber of Osocalis Distillery, who was also a Michael Jackson acolyte, was of great help back then.

Any additional advice or words of wisdom for your peers?

I don’t think I have much wisdom to share, but I would certainly enjoy sharing a drink. To all my colleagues: Please look me up at our convention in December! Especially if you’re buying.

Editor’s Note: Garrett Oliver on Instagram recently announced the Michael James Jackson Foundation’s first round of scholars. Also recognizing a lack of diversity in the alcoholic beverage sector, ACSA last year formed the STEPUP Foundation. This internship program will promote diversity and inclusion for those of different races, color, national origins, genders, and sexual orientations who are eager to work in the craft spirits sector. We are finalizing IRS status, curriculum and funding, and we will continue to update you on this important initiative.