Tastethedram spoke to Jaime Windon (co-Founder) of the Distillery and Ben Lyon the (master distiller) about what it takes for a new craft distillery not only to survive as a new emerging distillery in the market, but to actually thrive and become profitable.
What was the dream for Lyon Distilling. Can you tell us about the name.
J&B: The dream was to start an artisan distillery where we make small batches of spirits that we love, and which exude our passion, creativity, and dedication to the integrity of the process. The name is intentionally simple and free of gimmicks or marketing fluff – it’s my last name.
What initial challenges and setbacks did you see when opening a new distillery?
J&B: Opening a distillery is a huge financial challenge when you’re small and self-funded, because from the moment you begin the permit process, you have no idea how long it will take to actually open your doors and generate any revenue. It took us 8 months to get through permitting, but some distilleries we’ve seen got approval in a single month, whereas others have taken well over a year. 
Would you share some of your failures with us during this process?
J&B: The greatest miscalculation we’ve had to wrestle with is underestimating demand. Had we planned for larger scale production early on, there would have been a lot fewer all-nighters!
What type of spirits are you currently producing? Do you source all the ingredients locally? grain, water, casks?
J&B: We’re currently distilling rum, whiskey, and a variety of rum based liqueurs. Our ingredients aren’t expressly local, simply due to the limits imposed by climate/logistics/etc, but we use the absolute best ingredients, and we’re especially proud that the molasses and cane sugar in our rum comes from a family owned and operated sugar mill in Louisiana.
Is there a particular flavor profile you were going for when making your spirits?
J&B: All of our spirits have a similar characteristic, in the sense that we’re combining the best qualities of various classic profiles, both in our rums and whiskies, but with our own signature on the outcome. More specifically, we use a very traditional, and inefficient distillation method, using classic pot stills, while combining mash bills or ingredient ratios which are incredibly unique both now, and historically speaking.
Can you tell us about the facility? What kind of stills do you use? warehouse storage, casks, etc?
J&B: We are in an old grain mill complex, and our building was used to house and dry the grains before they were milled – as such, it’s a large, warehouse-like space with a lovely tasting room that still contains the original wood beaming, etc.
Our stills are ‘pot stills’, designed to produce maximum flavor, even if that does come at the expense of some efficiency.
Our barrels are a range of sizes, from as small as 1 gallon, up to 59 gallon ex wine casks.
The American whiskey market is highly saturated and there are a ton of craft distillers, how will you guys stand out with your whiskey?
J&B: There’s always room for high quality spirits, and unfortunately, as popular as whiskey is, there’s a very real lack of variety in the mainstream market, which is where craft spirits are really filling a void. American Malt whiskey, American Rye whiskey, and others, are redefining the categories, and introducing people to whiskey that is higher quality, responsibly produced, and altogether more interesting than the generic, mass-produced alternatives.
Our whiskey very much fits into this ideal, with both our Rye and Malt whiskies using mash bills which are extraordinarily unique, and in turn have rich, unique profiles that are absolutely incredible.
If you could describe your whiskey in 3 words, what would they be?
J&B: Unlike anything else!
Robust, bold, balanced.
What is your definition of the American Single Malt Whiskey?
J&B: The American Single Malt category is really being defined by distillers using more creative mash bills and aging processes, and without so much reliance on smoked malts.
Can you share with us anything exciting in the pipeline for 2018?
J&B: We are currently working on new spirits – rum based versions of historically and geographically, significant concoctions that we are excited to make our own – infusing an array of herbs, botanicals, and other natural ingredients to create truly innovative flavors. We are also releasing our first straight rye whiskey later this year, and are experimenting with a variety of new barrel finishes.
