Nate Darling - Pekut and Carwick Independent Bottlers (Page 2)

Nate Darling

Cutting the Sugar Cane, a print of an original 1823 drawing by William Clark of enslaved workers cutting cane in Antigua.

Rum is f*cked

I'd like to encourage you to check out Céline Bossart's article Decolonizing the Whitewashed World of Carribean Rum on Liquor.com. It's required reading if you consume sugar cane products (rum, refined sugar, molasses) or similar things like coffee and chocolate here in the

Johnny Depp as character Jack Sparrow on a beach with his pirate accessories.

Bamboozled by booze (advertising)

In our search for the answer to life, the universe, and everything booze-related, we keep getting carried off by deluges of starry-eyed anecdotes, pontifications on polished copper contraptions of yesteryear, and plain old misinformation. Modern-day distilled spirits marketing is whack if what you're after is real information. Take,

An old ramshackle boat is grounded in low waters and lit by sunset light.

Our story

California is a land of sun-drenched valleys California is a land of sun-drenched valleys, rain-soaked mountains, salty sea air, and redwood forests. The air is filled with the scent of sagebrush, burning wood, and fresh citrus. The light here is softer, more golden than red, but no less intense. We

A container ship loaded with stacks of containers traverses grey waters.

Global value chain of rum

Ever heard of a GVC? According to Stefano Ponte, author of Business Power & Sustainability, a Global Value Chain is "the full range of activities that firms, farmers, and workers carry out to bring a product or service from its conception to its end use". Whether you'

Two Pekut & Carwick bottles are displayed with their flavor projections visible on the labels.

How to read our bottles

Take a peek behind the curtain on our label design! By now, you're sure to have seen the flavor projection (it’s on our bottles and all over our website): Hannah Coward designed this graphic to be a precise, but not overly dogmatic, representation of what *we* want

A room full of barrels and kegs at Spirit Works distillery.

Is it Whiskey or Whisky?

We love whiskey. No, wait. We love whisky. So which is it? The seemingly insignificant addition of the letter “e” can be confusing. Should I spell whisky with an "e"? In the wider world of spirits, it (mostly) depends on where in the world it came from. Whisky

Screenshot of whiskey educator Roy Duff's Youtube channel explaining Scottish pronunciation.

Pronouncing Scotch whisky

If I had to guess, I'd say that the second highest barrier to entry in the Scotch whisky world is pronunciation (the first is the misconception that all Scotch is "smoky"). I mean, how many Scots Gaelic non-speakers out there could pull off the phrase "

Seal of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Three cheers for the three tiers!

Last year (2020), President Biden signed the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. Biden's remarks that day began and ended with some light banter, but the 72 specific actions that he undersigned cover lots of ground—from net neutrality to fair poultry pricing. These actions

Casks, kegs, and tanks in a room at Spirit Works Distillery.

Why independent bottling will save the world

I was standing in a Campbeltown warehouse when I decided I wanted to be an independent bottler. "Sure", you say. "And you were probably at least five drams in." It might have been six or seven. I was in Scotland and had driven 3 hours down

A fresh green bell pepper photographed with a grey backdrop.

Green bell peppers in my whiskey?

Hopefully this blog is getting you into the idea of how deep the distilled spirits rabbit hole goes, and how excited we are to deep dive it with you. Here, we talk about flavor science, supply chain equity, manufacturing techniques, and so much more, all through the lens of some

19th century newspaper illustration of the Ladies of Logan, Ohio, members of the Women's Temperance Crusade..

Prohibition and social justice

The Gastropod podcast has an episode called "You're Wrong About Prohibition". Eager for distraction from a monotonous pile of dishes, I popped in my earbuds. Temperance was a progressive movement!?!? Modern booze marketing promotes a starry-eyed view of Prohibition tropes (see Tommy guns, fedoras, flappers, the

A damned lake is surrounded by mountains.

Do you need special water to make distilled spirits?

We're crazy about water Raging debates and mystical beliefs about water quality have a long history here in the US - especially when they get mixed up with claims about health. Mineral water is a good example of this, also "medicinal" hot springs – both are late

A copita glass of amber colored whiskey sits on a brick ledge.

It tastes so smooth

I've been to a few distilled spirits tasting events. Here's what happens: An enthusiastic audience sits down in front of a knowledgeable speaker who provides education, entertainment, and likely at least a little inebriation. Someone usually uses the word "smooth" and someone else is

A disheveled wet dog pouts at the camera.

How we taste

Ever watch a toddler taste something new for the first time? There's a pause, a moment of thought, and then a response, a shudder—and then maybe you're cleaning up a mess—or maybe the shudder gives way to elation and wide-eyed joy. Maybe there'