Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/581407
46 / the tasting panel / october 2015 IN THE BIZ P aul Katuszonek's dream of founding a distillery was cut short three years ago by a fatal traffic accident. Now, six of his extended family members have not only made his dream come true, but they also have some pretty large dreams of their own. "There's no reason we can't become a national brand," says Ryan Woods, who provided key financing and is business head for the new company Do Good Distillery of Modesto, CA. "We have the equipment, we have the know- how and we have Southern Wine & Spirits as our distributor." • If this rapid expansion sounds like Woods has been drinking too much of his own product, consider this timeline: • Do Good incorporated on Oct. 11, 2013, the day when Katuszonek would have been celebrating his 31st birthday; • Do Good found the building that would be its distillery in January 2014; • Seven months later, it was ready to start distilling, beginning production in August 2014; and • Earlier this year, Do Good launched its first products: two rums and a gin. • More recently, Do Good unveiled Beechwood Smoked Whisky and Peat Smoked Whisky, which are now available and award winning. "Southern did not want a vodka and we did not want to make one, so we made a white rum and a modern gin that depends less on the juniper fla- vors," says Woods, who has a degree in economics and experience as owner of Pura Vida, a local shaved ice and espresso bar. "But we consider ourselves to be a whisky company," he says. "We are launching more whiskies this fall, a cherrywood smoked whisky and a rye bourbon, and we have ten different whiskies now aging in the barrel." Do Good invested heavily in equipment so it could produce in volume immediately and was rewarded with its first contract work, producing a variety of brandies for Joseph Wagner's Copper Cane Wines & Provisions. "We have been running the distillery 24/7 to make the brandy," Woods says. Currently, Do Good's production is six barrels a week with expansion in the process. The company has already started increasing production by adding a continuous stripping still, a larger mash tun and fermenters which will bring production to 16 barrels a week. Do Good's Master Distiller is Jim Harrelson; Woods and Harrelson are the forward-thinking individuals of this large operation. Harrelson spent ten years brewing his own beer before becoming a "whisky guy" and learning the distilling trade. His background in beer making carried over to distill- ing—for example the use of beechwood in whisky aging. He notes: "We are not tied to tradition, so most of our whisky's come from beer recipes." The name of the distillery has its own backstory that dates to America's founding fathers: "As Ben Franklin said, 'You do well by doing good,' which has become our philosophy," Woods says. Do Good Distillery Is Doing Great! A CALIFORNIA DISTILLERY EYES NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION by Roger Morris Do Good Distillery's first whisky, launching this fall, is smoked with beechwood. With Southern Wine & Spirits as its distributor partner, Do Good Distillery is looking to bring craft spirits to today's marketplace.