A master of all trades, Ryan Friesen started his career as a reporter for a news company and later moved on to an aviation company. With his experience in the education industry and knack for learning, he took a huge step and moved into the alcohol business. He took up small jobs in the brewing equipment stores and interned with a cooperage. Gradually with great dedication, he took up the role of a distiller at the Journeyman Distillery and learned the art of brewing and distilling. There has been no stopping since then, he co-founded the Blinking Owl Distillery in 2014 in Indiana and was also elected as the Vice President for the Californian Artisanal Distillers Guild. He recently moved to Ireland to take up the job of a Head Distiller at the Connacht Whiskey Company.

​Tell us a little about yourself and how you progressed into this role?

I’ve been asked this question many times over the past 10 years working in and around the spirits industry. It usually comes from people when I’m giving a tour, and it usually goes like this, “How do you become a distiller?! This is such a cool job. I’m a professional whiskey taster, so let me know when you need help!” I always laugh and tell them I’ll give them a call the next time I open a barrel. I never want to disillusion someone about how cool of a job they think distilling is because they are right. It is one of the most unique job descriptions on the planet. So few people get to do what I do on a daily basis, which includes anything from tasting and hoisting bags of malted barley (in our case at The Connacht Distillery malted barley from the Hook Head peninsula and malted by our friends at Minch Malt in Athy a short drive from Dublin), to checking on our ex-Bourbon barrels shipped in from some of most well-known distilleries in the U.S., to distilling and tasting the new make spirit as it comes directly off our three stills. That’s the romantic part, but it’s still a job like any other, and there are lots of tough parts folks don’t see on tours, like straining through long bottling runs, diagnosing and troubleshooting issues in the lab and on the production floor, and pushing people and machines as far as we can to make the best quality spirits possible.

Being a distiller is like every other job out there, you have to work hard to progress, both physically and academically. At my first distilling job at Journeyman Distillery, I spent my sessions milling corn, wheat, rye, and barley sitting on sacks of grain operating the grain shoot door with one hand and holding the Alcohol Textbook (that’s actually its name, it’s a big textbook on spirits) in the other trying to better understand what I was doing. But to get that first job, I had to start at the bottom. Well, I say bottom, but every job is important in a distillery, I just happened to start on a bottling line because there are no prerequisite job skills for that position. All are welcome. I showed up on time every time and always volunteered whenever opportunities arose to learn a new task. Eventually, a position opened for a production assistant and I was asked if I wanted to learn how to be a distiller. I said yes, and the trajectory has been clear ever since - keep learning and the opportunities will come.

After about a year and a half at Journeyman where I was fortunate enough to work with a group of women and men who were patient and passionate, who let me put my hands on just about everything in the distillery, and valued quality over all things, I felt ready to start looking for my next step. I could have made a career just at Journeyman, they are doing amazing things still today, but there were three talented distillers ahead of me (one is the owner, Bill Welter) who are local guys with roots in the area, so I felt I needed to look further afield. 

And as luck would have it right at that moment a little over 2,000 miles away a couple in Santa Ana, CA was starting to build their dream of a distillery and needed a head distiller. Long story short, they took a chance on me, an unproven entity, and I on them and their startup venture, and my (now) wife Melissa and I moved from Northern Indiana to sunny SoCal. That was seven and a half years ago, and we did some great things at the Blinking Owl Distillery. I’m very proud of the spirits we put out there and look forward to watching what they do next.

Again, and at risk of sounding presumptuous, I probably could have stuck around Blinking Owl for a long time. But the itch was back and it was time for a change. With patience and persistence, things have a way of working out, and again I found myself preparing for a major move, only this time it wasn't 2,000 miles across the county, it was 5,000 miles across the Atlantic.

How do you think the Spirits Industry has evolved?

I can only speak for the not-quite10-years I’ve been watching spirits. There are far more qualified people who have put in much longer tenure than I, who could speak to the historical nature of where spirits are today. However, even in the relatively short time I’ve been distilling, I’ve seen seismic shifts in the industry. Both in the U.S. and in Ireland, we are seeing a boom in brown (aged) spirits. I’ve only worked in the craft (aka small) sector, but the interesting thing about the changes we’ve seen is that they are affecting both small and massive brands, industrial-scale distilleries as well as mom and pop shops. The driving force of the growth of whiskey over the past 10+ years is the consumer demand for whisk(e)y. The tagline I heard once was, “this isn’t for father’s whiskey anymore.” But the funny thing is that’s exactly what it is, it was just being marketed better. 

Whiskey producers over the world had aging stocks of whiskey in barrels that they couldn’t sell as fast as they could make it. Little did our fathers, and as it obviously turns out our mothers and aunts and sisters and everyone else, were starting to want more variety in the whiskey they purchased. Maybe the tagline should have been, “same great whiskey,  now older and with a brand new look.” Though older doesn’t necessarily mean better, it usually does mean more exclusive, rarer, and more expensive. Brilliant minds in the whiskey industry began seeing these aging stocks not as a surplus but as an opportunity to begin releasing well matured, small(er) batches of high quality and previously unreleased expressions of whiskey that came from the familiar distilleries but were now being marketed under new labels. 

When big whiskey began releasing the floodgates on their old stocks at much higher margins it became clear to entrepreneurs the world over that if folks with disposable income were willing to shell out 50-100%, maybe even 200% more money for whiskey with a new label and look but coming off the same stills it had been for the past 30+ years, that suddenly the extremely capital intensive project of starting your own distillery finally made some business sense. Thus began the craft spirits movement we are fully wrapped up in today, slowed only by the global devastation that was and is the COVID-19 pandemic. Were it not for the pandemic the craft spirits industry was on track to mimic the rapid growth seen in the 1980s and 90s in wine and in the 90s and 2000s in craft beer. There are major differences between those industry trajectories, but the idea was the same.

What has ensued in the last 10-years is unprecedented growth in the spirits industry. In the U.S. alone we saw the number of registered Distilled Spirits Plants (DSPs) grow from just a few handfuls across the country to probably pushing 2,000 by the end of 2022. Ireland went from three, just three, to now into the 40s of operational distilleries in the country in the past 15 years…and growing! The story is the same around the world. South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, China, and India, everyone is getting in on the game, and it’s all because consumers re-discovered what was always there, that the spirits industry consistently makes a fine product enjoyed all over the world.

Connacht Single Malt Irish Whiskey; Image Source - connachtwhiskey.com

Tell us a little about your day-to-day role.

I’m still learning what my day-to-day role will be here at The Connacht Distillery. I only landed in Ireland about three weeks ago. It’s been a whirlwind experience, working through the immigration process, finding accommodations, buying a car, getting bank accounts set up, and diving headlong into the deep end at the distillery. My job is to learn every process we have at the distillery in detail, internalize that, and then start finding ways to make our excellent product more efficiently, more abundantly, and in as safe and enjoyable a working environment as possible. Sounds straightforward, but getting from here to there has a myriad of steps in between. Right now I’m in full training mode. The team at Connacht is working me through our training protocols to get me up and running on each step of the process from bringing in raw materials, to brewing, fermentation, distilling, barreling, bottling, inventory controls, and facility maintenance and management. I’ll let you know when I catch my breath.

How do you develop new products and what is the thought behind them?

For me, it starts with the consumer, and since I am a whiskey consumer, it really starts with me and what I like to drink. I’ve been lucky in my career to be able to say I’ve only made things that I like to drink. That’s still true here at Connacht. Everything we make has a reason for being, is well thought out, and fits in the market. There are many many things to consider when introducing a new product, but first and foremost is always taste. If it’s not good no one will drink it, or at least they won’t come back for a second bottle, and you’ve wasted a lot of time, money, and energy in the meantime. Quality of process and ingredients has to be front of mind, whether that’s where one sources their raw ingredients from, to what barrels to use in the maturation process, to the manner in which we run our brews and our stills. Everything counts and everything matters.

And certainly not least is the story. One has to ask themselves “why,” why do I think someone will want to drink this, why is it important to make this, why should anyone care? There are too many options out there for the team of people who think about these questions to get away with being lazy about the answers. I imagine consumer choice must be at an all-time high, and to stand out in the crowd takes a combination of creating a quality product that tastes great and meets the consumer where they are and in the manner they see themselves engaging with our spirits and our brand. 

It’s a delicate dance and rarely do you find a good answer to those questions on accident. It takes the production team being knock-out great in the distillery; the events and customer experience team knowing the product and story backward and forwards while providing a world-class experience at the distillery on tours and away from the distillery at events; the sales team has to know the market, what it will bare in terms of price, where to place it and how to get it in front of consumers; and it takes a dedicated and oftentimes brave and unwavering front office and ownership team to support all aspects of the distillery and get them to work in concert, because with a piece of that puzzle missing nothing works in sync and product doesn’t move and people don’t get to experience the reason we get up at 5 a.m. and go to work to make world-class whiskey.

The Connacht Whiskey Distillery; Image Source - The Connacht Distillery on Facebook.com

What’s unique about your distillery that you like?

The Connacht Distillery has so many things going for it. The distillery itself is situated on the banks of the River Moy in the heart of Ballina in Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland. That’s a lot of place names, but what it really means is that our distillery is in a wonderful place to make Irish Whiskey. We experience cool wet winters (that’s all I’ve experienced so far have only lived here in January and February), and from what I’ve been told mild fresh summers. Our weather is heavily influenced by the Atlantic giving us the classic climate to make Irish Whiskey. We source all of our malted barley, the main ingredient we work with, and the only thing other than water and yeast that goes into our Batch 1 Single Malt Whiskey, right here in Ireland. 

And our water comes from two lakes just down the road, both of which are the namesake for our popular gin, Conncullin Irish Gin, named after Lake Conn and Lake Cullin. It’s truly an all Irish product. The building which houses our three copper pot stills was in a former life the Duffy’s Bakery, so it’s a twist of fate that the building went from making loaves of bread to essentially bread you drink. But more than anything, and this is true everywhere I’ve been, it’s the people behind the process that make any distillery what it is. We have a dedicated team of folks who have created a uniquely Irish single malt whiskey that they can be proud of. My role is simply to make sure we keep living up to that standard and that I support them in that endeavor.

What were some of the challenges you faced when you distilled your first spirit?

There are many firsts in a distiller’s career, but one of the most significant has to be the first time they took a product from inception to liquid coming off a still. For me, that was back at the Blinking Owl and with our vodka. Having never made vodka from scratch and from start to finish before, I don’t mind saying I was nervous. But when the first drops came off the still and we were distilling alcohol I was relieved. When the first hearts cut went well and we tasted that first new make and it was good, I was emotional. We experienced every challenge you can think of from regulatory to construction, to equipment and process. It was all, pardon the pun, distilled down to those first drops of spirit coming off the still. It represented two years of painstaking work to get to that point, and I’ll always remember that first distillation and all that it meant.

Tell us more about Connacht Whiskey, its expressions, and what excites you the most about it?

We are just beginning to share our Batch 1 Irish Single Malt Whiskey with the world. I was lucky enough to be on-site, just a few days after I arrived when our first cases were loaded on a truck for shipment back to the U.S. market. Batch 1 is our heart, it’s our beginning, rather the Connacht family's beginning, I’m still a newcomer to the mix. But it’s that single malt whiskey, matured for over 4 years on-site that represents the distillery's reason for being. It’s the first aged product to have made it to bottle with Connacht hands involved from the beginning. The gin and vodka are great expressions as well and telling their story have already been fun for me. A surprise for me has been Connacht’s Straw Boys Poitin, a raw, rough, and ready unaged white spirit right off the stills. I’ve only begun my Poitin education, but it’s one of only three protected classes of spirits from Ireland, the other two being Irish Whiskey and Irish Cream. 

I had never heard of Poitin before, or more accurately I had never heard of it under that name. I was familiar with it by its cousin’s name, moonshine. Both are rooted in a tradition of home distilling, whether taxes were paid or not. But the twist on the story for Connacht’s, fully tax paid, the spirit is the Straw Boys moniker. The name “straw boys” celebrates the long-standing tradition in the west of Ireland of wedding crashers obscuring their faces with large conical hats made of straw who would pop into the reception, dance with the bride and groom, have a quick drink, and then be on their way. The appearance of straw boys at a wedding was a sign of good luck for the couple. Another expression we have is the Ballyhoo!, which gets its name from the celebratory exclamation. It’s a sourced spirit which we then finish in port casks at the distillery. It’s an exceptionally approachable and enjoyable spirit. 

How do you think a Distiller can help in driving marketing and sales personally?

They certainly can, but don’t necessarily have to. There are many ways to be a Head Distiller. You can be the “distiller’s distiller,” the one who is dedicated to the science of distilling and prefers to keep their head down and focus on the process. Then there’s the craftsperson, the one who embraces the history and lore of distilling and feels their way through the process based on experience and intuition. There’s the owner/operator, a special breed. This one does everything from making payroll to working with the local regulators, to running the brews and operating the still. The later distiller is still a wonder to me. I don’t know how they do it and still make good products, and I know a few who do.

I wouldn’t say I fall into any of those categories exactly, try to take the best parts from all of them and blend them to make what I hope will someday be a well-rounded, capable, experienced distiller. The nice thing about this industry, and any that makes a product people consume, is that the proof is in the pudding, or in our case the juice. Regardless of what kind of distiller someone is, whether they are good at or even want to participate in the sales and marketing side of the business, has a lot to do with their personality and the organizational structure of the distillery. In my view when it works really well the head distiller is the first point of contact at the distillery and the last line of defense for products going out of the building. 

That puts them in the unique and specific position of being the one person most in touch with the operation from top to bottom. So whenever the marketing of a line of spirits calls for a dose of realism, a splash of authenticity, or a figurative (and sometimes literal) stamp of approval, that person can be relied upon to provide. But sometimes those things come from other places like the production team themselves, the owners who can tell the story in a different way, or the consumer engagement team who probably know the consumer better than the rest of us. It just depends on what is called for in any particular piece of marketing.

What do you think are some of the essential skills required to distill?

Diligence and patience without a doubt. This is a really tough business to be in and if you’re not in it for the long haul, cracks will start to form. Distillers have to think generationally. Yes, we often create products in 7-10 days that can leave for shop shelves, things like vodka and gin, but more often we’re making choices today that we won’t see the result of for at least 2-4 years, but more often 8-12 years, and in some instances 20+ years. We’re often also called upon to make choices about facilities being built or altered which will have run-on effects for as long as a distillery operates.

Ryan Friesen at the Connacht Distillery in Ballina, Ireland

Define a Good Distiller.

I’m not sure if I’d dare to define what it means to be a good distiller. There are so many ways to get to that place. A few things that are true across the board are the ability to be organized and detail-oriented, but that’s not particularly interesting or unique to being a distiller. Interestingly distillers have a lot in common with chefs. Those first two traits hold true, and both jobs require a person to be in touch with their senses as well as being a good manager, both of time, resources, and people.

What advice would you give to future distillers?

Always always always show up to work on time. And on time means ready to work at the start of your shift. So if you need 10 minutes to put your boots on and get ready, make sure that’s happening before your shift starts. There’s no easier way to impress the people who will eventually offer you that promotion than to be a reliable team member. Volunteer for every assignment. You’ll have to learn to do them all eventually, you might as well be the one who asks for it as opposed to the one who needs to be pestered to do it.

And this one is the piece of advice that actually requires extra work. Do your homework outside of the workplace. There is going to be a component of self-study, at least that was true for me. I didn’t go to the one or two academic programs that are out there for distilling, so unless you’re one of the motivated and lucky ones who did or can, you’re going to have to bridge that educational gap on your own. There are plenty of resources out there, just ask your employer for them, and if they don’t know that means you’re the expert at that particular distillery, and you’ve already got a leg up. I’ve always said anyone can learn the tasks that it takes to do this job. The hard part is marrying them all together to create a complete skill set. The first part takes perseverance, the second part takes time. Coincidentally, just like good whiskey.

Which is your go-to drink and what is the perfect setting you enjoy it in?

Other than the first question about how I became a distiller this is the second most asked question. And I give the same answer every time. My go-to drink, or my favorite drink, or the best drink is the one that is appropriate for the setting. It’s not what is the best or my favorite overall, it’s what is the best for right now. That can be a floral gin cocktail, savory rye, a neat single malt, a seasonable beer, a bold wine, or whatever makes sense for where you are when you’re enjoying a drink.

But honestly, and I know this is sometimes a bit frowned upon by my friends in the service industry because it can easily go wrong, but truly my favorite thing to order is what the bartender is enjoying making right now. What ingredient are they playing with, what style of cocktail are they into right now. Even if it’s not exactly what I’d normally order it’s what the bartender might have more fun making. At the risk of sounding a little strange, I don’t say that I drink different spirits, I say that I drink different distillers. By that I mean it’s as important for me to know who is making the spirits and learn a little something about them as it is to know a brand or label. Pretentious? Sure. But I’ve had a lot of different spirits (not as many as some to be sure), and so far I’ve found you can learn a lot about a distiller by drinking their spirits, and a lot about a spirit by getting to know the distiller.

What do you do when you are not distilling and what’s your idea of a good life?

This has historically been a difficult question for me to answer, but these days I feel a lot closer to understanding it. The good life for me is traveling with my wife, trying new foods and drinks, seeing places we’ve not been to, and stretching our understanding of the world. I suppose you could boil it down to saying that as long as I’m learning, things are good. Sometimes learning is a bit painful though, but if things aren’t just a little bit uncomfortable, I know it’s time to make a change.

Interviewed by Shreya Kohli, Beverage Trade Network