The craft spirits *boom* is in full effect, and people are pricking up their ears, opening their wallets and preparing their palates to explore and experience what small producers have to offer. These down-home distilleries are the equivalent of the Farmers Markets of the booze business. The products are often based on old recipes, carefully overseen every step of the way by an actual human who is personally invested in the result, and use the most natural and interesting ingredients possible.I wanted to interview Ashby Marshal for several reasons. Firstly, she is the Head Distiller at Spirit Works Distillery, which she owns with her husband, Timo, and she has just brought on an Assistant Distiller, Lauren Patz. They make several great products, but her sloe gin really caught my attention. Made from a delightfully traditional English recipe, yet using locally-sourced Red Winter Wheat from California, it's bright and tasty both sipped neat and in cocktails. Also, I'd be lying if I said that being a female distiller didn't pique my interest. In an field dominated by men (although that's slowly changing), female wine-makers, distillers, farmers and mixologists bring a slightly different perspective, and considering that liquor industry is more interested in female consumers than ever before, hearing what they (we) have to say is especially pertinent. Finally, small producers have a special place in my heart. Especially when they are conscious of the process from seed to bottle. When / why did you decide to become a distiller? What is your previous background?I can't say there was one specific moment that sent me down the distilling path. Really my interest began after I was out of college and moved to San Francisco when I first discovered the many intricacies of spirits and how important the raw materials are to the finished product. I’ve always been passionate about well-crafted spirits, in particular whiskey. But I also care deeply about environmental issues and chose a career working with nonprofits that took me all over the world – a path that ultimately lead me to Timo and led us to a spirited life at the still. How/ when did you meet your husband, Timo? Is his family in the alcohol business? What led you into the booze biz?Timo and I met back in 2002. We were both working as sailors on environmental research vessels and extraordinarily enough, we landed on the same ship. Being from two different countries, across the Atlantic, and ending up on the same 15-person crew is pretty amazing. We hit it off immediately and we got to know each other pretty quickly after our first three-month trip at sea. We traveled all over the world, assisting scientists and journalists document environmental issues everywhere from Spain, to Patagonia, to Alaska. It was an incredible experience to be a part of and to share with one another.Eventually, we knew that we wanted to be back on land. It was really a combination of things that led us down the path of opening Spirit Works Distillery. We were both passionate about well-crafted spirits – I’ve always had a great love for whiskey and wanted to find a way for my sense of aroma and palate to shine. It was family tradition that really lured us in though. Timo's family in England has made a traditional sloe gin (with a secret recipe) for generations and it’s something very special to the family. This was the inspiration to recreate it on our own terms, traditional, yet on a larger scale.At first, we were more focused on producing the key ingredients – growing the sloe berries and botanicals, but we ultimately realized that we were much more interested in distillation and creating something from grain-to-glass which, as we found out, is not a common approach. We spent several years learning the craft hands-on through visiting and working in other microdistilleries, and enrolling in courses and workshops around the country. At a certain point, we felt we had experienced enough to know what we wanted to do and began to build our own distillery.One of our key goals in developing our distillery and products was to actually make the base spirit for our gin and sloe gin. While doing our distillery research, we learned that many distilleries were buying their base distillate from large manufacturing companies and then redistilling it. The grain to glass process was something we really valued in order to create a premium product, one that has been strictly monitored each step of the way, from raw materials straight through to bottling. Describe Norcal Red Winter Wheat, and why you chose that as the base for your gins?The decision to use organic Red Winter Wheat from farms in Northern California (for all of our spirits except our Rye Whisky) reflects the respect for grain-to-glass production, which is at the heart of our entire distilling philosophy. We mill, mash, ferment and distill whole grains entirely on site at the distillery – which allows us to maintain the distinctive round and slightly sweet base for nearly all of our spirits. We are very lucky to have the Red Winter Wheat that we do coming from Northern CA. We wanted to source as local a grain as possible and we feel very fortunate to have this wheat available to us to create such a full flavored base spirit. We source organic and local as often as possible and will never sacrifice on highest quality ingredients, though we are not officially certified. Our grain base is organic and grown in California, near Sacramento. We want to support local purveyors when we can and also put the highest quality ingredients into each of our products. What inspires you about gin, in general?Gin is incredibly magical. It’s truly one of the most flexible spirits that a distiller can make. I like to think of it as the pinnacle of distillation because there is no room for error. You can truly make it your own by putting whatever you want into it and its up to others whether or not they like it as each palate is different. There is really a gin for everyone. It’s a little bit science, a little alchemy, a little magic – some people say it’s the best job in the world! I couldn’t agree more.Spirit Works Gin is designed to be a very balanced gin. We jokingly say that our gin is a “mid-Atlantic” gin in that its juniper content is somewhere between a traditional London Dry style, and the new American style that tends to be more citrus and floral forward. Mid-Atlantic is also a nod to the fact that I am from the West Coast, USA and Timo is from the UK. We use both old world botanicals and fresh CA botanicals. Our botanicals are; juniper, cardamom, coriander, angelica root, orris root, hibiscus, and before each gin run, we hand-zest lemons and oranges. There is a nice earthiness from the spices, but also bright citrus aromas and flavors from the fresh zest. Again, designed to be very balanced, great for both sipping and mixing.Just this year, we’ve expanded our gin program with barrel-aged products – which is super exciting! In addition to a deliciously deep Barrel Gin, we released the very first Barrel Reserve Sloe Gin, which is like nothing you’ve tasted. It’s been fun to experiment beyond our base gin. Describe Sloe gin, and sloe berries. For someone who has never tasted it – what is it like? Is the gin sweetened? How is it typically drunk? Sloe gin is something very unique and special: sweet, bright, tart, luscious. A tradition from the UK, it’s a gin-based liqueur made with sloe berries – a tiny relative of the plum that grow on blackthorn bushes in the UK that are commonly used as hedgerows.We find that a lot of people that visit our tasting room are unfamiliar with Sloe Gin so there is a lot of opportunity for education. Spirit Works Sloe Gin is currently the only traditional sloe gin produced in the USA. We begin with whole sloe berries and steep them in Spirit Works Gin then finish it off with cane sugar. Two pounds of berries, imported from Europe, are used to make just one bottle of Spirit Works Sloe Gin. Traditionally, sloe gin is served after a meal as a digestif like port and makes for a pretty luxurious nightcap, but it has quickly become a popular cocktail ingredient with mixologists for its unique color and flavor. With the resurgence of classic cocktails, the Sloe Gin Fizz is making a comeback – a cocktail first recorded in 19^th century. What is the historical / sentimental importance of Sloe gin, to you?Timo’s family in England has made a traditional sloe gin for generations. Each autumn, they would forage wild sloe berries around the coast in Devon, bringing them home to steep in gin until the next holiday season. It’s a family tradition (and secret recipe) that has been passed down for generations and always something that was very special to the family. This was the inspiration for us to recreate it on a larger level.It’s been quite special to share the fruits of our labor with Timo’s family. The first time his family in England tried Spirit Works Sloe Gin, everyone was very excited. It’s somewhat different than the traditional sloe gin that’s made in the UK in that it’s not quite as sweet. We wanted the fresh fruit character to shine through more than usual. They loved it and were very proud of what we had achieved. We’re so fortunate to share this wonderful tradition and story! Describe your whiskeys. Is the Red Winter Wheat used for them, as well?We are currently aging two types of straight whiskey. One is a straight rye whiskey, the other is a straight wheat whiskey. Since these are both “straight” whiskies, this means that we are using brand new American Oak barrels and letting the whiskey rest for a minimum of 2 years. We are using full size (53 gallon) barrels with full char. For the rye whiskey we are using majority rye and malted barley. For the straight wheat whiskey, we are using 100% wheat (same CA organic red winter wheat). We are still currently waiting for them to hit the two-year mark and at that time, myself and my assistant distiller Lauren will decide if it is ready or if it needs a bit more time. While we are extremely excited to release it, we will not do so until it is absolutely ready! Do you feel there are advantages / disadvantages to being a female distiller?Other than the occasional double take, being a female distiller leading all production on the floor (and now with a talented assistant distiller, Lauren Patz), there are really mostly only advantages. Being a female distiller is still very unique and very much a novelty in the industry but there is a great camaraderie in the distilling community. It’s a passionate, creative group but one that has historically been very dominated by men. I think (and hope) we will see more women enter the realm of distilling as women are known to have discerning palates, be detail-oriented and perfectionists – excellent traits for this job! Gender aside, it’s exciting to be part of such an innovative industry that is rapidly expanding and producing products that we are extremely proud of. What are your long-term goals in the liquor business?To continue to make and share the highest quality, grain-to-glass spirits possible and be a leading force in the craft distilling community. We also really want to be a source of education for those interested. Our tasting room is very much centered on the idea of a space where people can come to learn. We’ll answer your questions, you can watch us make the products, and we’re huge proponents of transparency in production. No matter the level of knowledge, we want to be a place where people feel comfortable asking questions and we’re really happy when someone can leave having learned something new. Anything else you’d like to add? We’re thrilled to be growing – and to be able to present our portfolio of grain-to-glass craft spirits to a number of markets beyond our California home. People can purchase our products in Oregon, Colorado, Illinois and soon Arizona and New York. And visitors to Sonoma County – just north of San Francisco – can come see us at the Distillery and taste through our products while seeing firsthand what daily production looks like in the Distillery! We’d love to see you!