Our Production Process

Our mashing process starts with high-quality, locally sourced grains. We heat coarsely milled Corn, Rye, and Malted Barley to varying temperatures in hot water to gelatinize their starches. The final grain addition of Barley contains the enzymes needed to convert those starches into simple sugars suitable for fermentation.

After the mash cools, we pitch a French whiskey yeast called USW-6 and watch as all simple sugars and converted into alcohol within 3 to 5 days. A significant amount of a distillate’s flavor is created during fermentation. Our fermentation takes place in semi-open stainless tanks at about 80 degrees.

Most modern distilleries utilize a continuous distillation apparatus for increased efficiency and yield. We use old fashioned pot stills that look similar to those that would have been used hundreds of years ago. This batch distillation process allows us to methodically separate the fractions of our distillate and preserve many of the rich flavors from the fermentation.

All our whiskeys undergo a stripping distillation in our 120 Gallon still and a second and final distillation in our 30 Gallon copper spirit still. The
only thing continuous about our distillation is that we are continuously tasting and evaluating is as the still runs!

Selecting the right casks for each of our products is part of the magic of Haberdasher. We utilize a variety of sizes and barrel types depending on the maturation goals we have for each product. Our Bourbon is aged in 15 and 25 Gallon newly charred barrels (#3 and #4 Char). Most other barrel aged spirits from Haberdasher are aged in used oak. These previously used barrels add a slower, more controlled flavor addition to the spirit and preserve the flavors of our distillate. Barrels previously used for Whiskey or Rum add the nuanced profile we desire for more delicate spirits like Light Whiskey and Single Malts.

If we’re making it all from scratch, we might as well bottle it here! We hand bottle every product using a gravity fed bottling machine. Our core range products undergo a light filtration for clarity and to remove barrel char prior to bottling. Our single barrel spirits are completely unfiltered. Once the bottles are corked, they are hand labeled, numbered, and signed by the distiller.

The final, and most satisfying, step is the ceremonious waxing of every bottle. These Whiskeys and Gins begin their life as sacks of grain that we carry up the stairs on our shoulders. They leave our tasting room as finished products!