Written by RICH MANNING
SWAMP SPIRITS Sugarfield Spirits Makes Craft Expressions in Louisiana’s Climate
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et’s talk about terroir. It seems like an easy discussion to have in the distilling industry these days. More producers in the craft sector are embracing the notion of expressing regional terroir through their brands. As more of these conversations occur, the bulk of the chatter tends to be around the synergy that exists between the grain and the surrounding environment. Sugarfield Spirits co-founders Drew and Thomas Soltau deeply appreciate this synergy. In a way, they have no choice. The W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M
brothers — the former serves as the COO, and the latter is its master distiller — operate their distillery in Gonzales, Louisiana, a modest-sized town in between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. This means they’re subject to Louisiana’s weather, which can fluctuate between unforgiving and brutal. Meeting their goal of producing high-quality spirits and liqueurs that properly interpret the flavors of Louisiana’s agriculture and the influence of its past requires them to fully understand the impact such conditions have on the distilling
process. It’s an understanding that compels them to interpret the concept of terroir in spirits in much broader terms.
IT'S THE HEAT AND THE HUMIDITY Climate plays a sizable role in distilling. Ask your average Texas distiller about the whiskey making process, for instance, and they will inevitably bring up the challenges of dealing with the Lone Star State’s summertime 69