Craft Spirits Weekly
Welcome to the 101st issue of Craft Spirits Weekly , a service dedicated to bringing you the news most important to the craft spirits distiller. Check your inbox every Thursday to find a curated selection of articles and news pieces from the American Craft Spirits Association.
Metallica to Name New San Francisco Distillery After Dave Pickerell
Before he died last month while attending a whiskey festival in San Francisco, master distiller Dave Pickerell partnered with longtime SF-based rock band Metallica to create their own whiskey, called Blackened. That blend of bourbons, ryes, and whiskeys— selected by Pickerell and blasted with Metallica’s music while it aged in barrels—is being released in Bay Area markets today. And despite Pickerell’s sudden passing from hypertensive heart failure, the company they created, Sweet Amber Distilling Co., will soldier on, opening a distillery in the Bay Area sometime next year. They’ll call it the Dave Pickerell Distillery, a representative for the brand confirms. (Eater San Francisco) 
Register Now: ACSA Convention & Vendor Trade Show 8 Weeks Away!
Join fellow producers and other industry experts for the largest gathering of licensed craft spirits producers in the U.S. We'll be in Minneapolis, Minnesota February 10-12 with some cool pre-convention programs planned. And book your room now to take advantage of the exclusive discount rate of $119/night.
Potomac Distilling Co. Opens on DC Wharf
Todd Thrasher isn’t afraid to lighten up these days—or as it says on the pink neon sign at his new distillery and bar, “Have a Blast.” The 48-year-old veteran bartender opened his dream spot on Monday: Potomac Distilling Company, a waterfront rum distillery and island-style tiki bar at the DC Wharf. (Washingtonian)
Highside Distilling Opens on Bainbridge Island
For two years the Glenn family has labored away in a space on Bainbridge, wrangling their massive, custom still into place and getting the equally massive fermentation tanks in just the right spot. They ordered and set up the many other pieces of equipment they’d need for their new family venture. They navigated the maze of regulatory bodies. And then finally after all those months of work, Highside Distilling opened its front door for its first customer and sold its first bottle of gin in November. (Kitsap Sun) 
Investor Group Pursues Stake in Bendistillery
An investor group is seeking to purchase a piece of Bendistillery, a Bend company that makes spirits under the Crater Lake label and  Ablis , a CBD infused nonalcoholic beverage. For $7.6 million, Acquired Sales Corp., an over-the-counter stock that trades under the symbol “AQSP,” said it intends to purchase 19.9 percent of Bendistillery, which was founded by Jim Bendis, a Bend resident. (Bend Bulletin)
Maine's Sebago Lake Releases Barrel Rested Portland Rum
Sebago Lake Distillery announced the debut of Barrel Rested Portland Rum. Portland Rum is the newest rum to join the distiller’s range of super-premium offerings including Original Rum, KOPI Coffee Flavored Rum and Spider Island Rum. (BevNet) 
Still Austin Whiskey Releasing Bourbon Next Year
Although Still Austin Whiskey Co has been producing new-make whiskey— a spirit drawing primary flavor from its base grain—as well as a rye gin for the past year and a half, the urban distillery in South Austin has had a major goal in mind from the start. And it’s about to be realized: A full-fledged bourbon made from all Texas-grown grain releases next year. (Austin 360)
New Hampshire's Tamworth Distilling Announces National Aquavit Release

Steven Grasse (creator of the Hendrick’s Gin brand and Sailor Jerry Rum) and Tamworth Distilling & Mercantile released an improved recipe for Skiklubben, their celebrated aquavit inspired by the storied Nansen Ski Club in Berlin, New Hampshire. To commemorate the new release, Tamworth Distilling will be making its Skiklubben Aquavit available nationally for the first time at Warehouse Wine & Spirits. (BevNet)
Michigan's Long Road Partners with Local Coffee Company on Liqueur
A local distillery and a coffee roaster have teamed up to produce an Italian liqueur. Grand Rapids-based Long Road Distillers released Amaro Pazzo Tuesday at a special release party at the distillery. Statewide distribution will follow the in-house release, and the liqueur will be available year-round. (Grand Rapids Business Journal)
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