How the road of life led Jeff (Idlewild Spirits’ creator) into distilling is a long story that is better told in person, but the principles upon which Idlewild was founded are no secret. Just like business should be, Idlewild Spirits is a passion-bourn ideology. The perfectionist nature of the founder, Jeff Ruhle, will never be satisfied until it is exactly what he would want when visiting another distillery; high quality and intriguing new-age spirits, killer cocktails that explore all facets… Jeff Ruhle, who is the proprietor/master distiller, took the time out of his busy day to speak whiskey with us.
Jeff, I would like to kick off by asking what the backstory is to setting up the Idlewild Spirits Distillery, how you came to be involved and what drew you to the project?
JR: I have always been a big do-it-yourselfer, from building a computer when I was 13 to learning to homebrew before I was even of legal drinking age. Having been a long time homebrewer, I have a good friend who one day said, “With your brewing background, you have 2/3 of the knowledge and equipment that we need to start distilling, why don’t we give it a try?” Despite the fact that it is a federal felony to distill your own alcohol for consumption, I said why the hell not! This was right around the time that I had decided to give up ski patrol at the ski resort and start a brewery.
I went and volunteered at a friend’s brewery for a while to learn as much as I could, and learned one very valuable lesson. It takes a lot more to run a successful brewery (or distilery) than simply making good product. So, I ended up enrolling in business school. Through the course of business school and learning more about distilling, I changed paths from brewing to distilling. After graduating, I didn’t have close to the funds required to start a distillery, and didn’t want to take on any financiers, so I started a distilling equipment and supply company instead (MoonshineDistiller.com). As that grew, I was able to learn the ins and outs of the industry and that business was eventually able to finance the starting of Idlewild Spirits.
Wow Jeff, that is a very smart way of starting a business. Tell us about the name. What did you first envision for the distillery?
JR: Idlewild has a log history in this area. Almost a century ago, this valley was actually home to a German POW camp, which I believe is where the Idlewild etymology comes from. I have been told that it is used to describe an idyllic place (the idle) surrounded by beautiful wilderness (the wild), and this is the perfect way to describe our location which is surround by pristine national forest on all 4 sides.
There are many challenges to setting up a new distillery. Did you have any prior experience that you feel helped you do it successfully? Can you share some of the challenges that you had.
JR: Luckily, running a distilling equipment and supply company gave me a crystal ball into the process and state of the industry. One thing that almost all of our customers were experiencing was incredibly rapid growth. They were coming to us for 300-800 gallon systems, because they had tried to bootstrap their startup by getting started with a small 50 or 100 gallon still, and then needed to expand 6 months after opening. To avoid this issue, we just started with a 300 gallon still from the get-go.
Your favorite thing about going into the distillery each day?
JR: I love working with my hands to create something that I am passionate about, and that can be enjoyed by folks all over the place. The other day we had someone on a roadtrip stop in on their way through town, they tried a sample of our bourbon, and immediately asked to buy 5 bottles. That is damn near the highest compliment he could have given me, and I love the fact that he will be enjoying the whiskey across the country, around campfires, on ski lifts, and with the best of friends.
What whiskey expressions do you currently produce, and how are they all different?
JR: Owning Moonshine Distiller, I was able to custom engineer our still so that I would have no limitations in what I can produce. We produce everything from vodka to whiskey to rum to gin. As far as the types of whiskey, so far we have barreled bourbon, single malt, and a rye. Obviously, they all use different types of grains as the primary fermentable ingredient, but we also use different yeast strains with each to give it a lightly different flavor profile. Also, each undergoes a slightly different barreling regime.
What are the most important factors affecting whisky distillation? How do you ensure that these are carefully balanced to produce a consistently high quality product?
JR: There are a lot of things I stress that I think a lot of folks don’t. It may be the brewer in me, but I definitely stress high quality fermentations. We have big stainless steel conical fermenters that you find in breweries, but less frequently in distilleries (which often have open top wooden vessels). This is important, as I can control every little aspect of fermentation, from sanitation the vessels to the temperature they ferment at. And aside from the fermenters, in order to have a high quality ferment, you have to start with a high quality mash.
There are several factors that go into this, but I think the biggest one is the fresh grains that we use. We source all our grains from local Colorado farmers and pick up the grain directly from their farms so that we are getting the best quality grain possible (even if it means paying a little more for it). Also, unlike a lot of distilleries that tout their “Rocky Mountain Water” (despite being in heavily mined area which cause the release of all kinds of fun heavy metals and other minerals), we are surrounded by National Forest on all sides, where snow accumulates, melts, and runs right down the Vasquez Creek, which ends up right in our mash tun to start the process off.
Is there a flavor profile that you aim to achieve when malting, mashing, fermenting, distilling and maturing?
JR: Absolutely. Our whole process is engineered to retain as much of that full, beautiful grainy flavor from the fresh grains that we are using. Often with distilling, more flavor means a more harsh final product, but there are several things we do to create an incredibly smooth but full flavored product.
What are your hopes for the distillery 5 years from now? What do you want to be known for?
JR: As I mentioned, I designed the still specifically so we could make a very wide variety of high quality products. I want to be a distillery where someone can see something new of ours on the shelf that they have never tried before, but feel comfortable buying it anyway because they know that we only make high quality products.
What – in your opinion – makes the spirits produced at your distillery unique?
JR: Obviously everything has something they do that makes their product different. Other than buying grains straight from farmers, I think the thing that sets us apart the most would be my slight perfectionism. I pay incredibly close attention to every step of the process and every detail, so that we end up with our product being exactly how I want it to be.
How do you expand your whiskey nationally? Any plans to do so?
JR: We only opened to the public 6 months ago, so we are still not distributing much at the moment, until we can start pulling some more product out of barrels. My goal is to have our product in most of Colorado within a year or two, and then expand beyond that as production capacity allows.
Do you believe now is the most exciting time for a whiskey lover?
JR: Distilling is undergoing the same explosive growth that brewing had 10 years ago. Small producers are popping up everywhere, which I think is great. Some are not making great product, some are, but this variety is perfect for a consumer to educate themselves.
Name a few other distillers or distilleries who inspire you.
JR: Todd Leopold/Leopold Brothers in Denver. They are one of the few distilleries that make a wide range of products, and I feel safe purchasing any of them without having first tried them since I haven’t had anything they produce that hasn’t been spectacular.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
JR: If you’d like to try our product, please feel free to give us a call (970-281-5773)! Since Moonshine Distiller does a lot of shipping, our Fedex rates are very reasonable.
Fore More Information on the Distillery Please visit the following links:
Website: http://idlewildspirits.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idlewildspirits/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdlewildSpirits
