America’s Founding Spirit & the Most Important Distillery You’ve Never Heard Of

Brandy doesn’t get the love that it deserves, especially given that it was America’s founding spirit, and no category has a bigger folk hero tied to it (Johnny Appleseed, anyone?). At its core, it’s distilled fruit—wine’s fiery cousin—born from orchards and alchemy, and few do it better than Clear Creek Distillery.In this episode, we dig into what brandy really is, why it nearly vanished from American drinking culture, and how Clear Creek is helping it make a long-overdue comeback. We also cover pears, patience, and how to make brandy that doesn’t just sip smooth, it sings.RELATED LINKS:Check out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberClear Creek DistilleryTOPICS & TIMES:What is Brandy? (3:26)Johnny Appleseed (8:58)History of Clear Creek (9:55)Everett’s Background (14:31)The USA & Brandy (17:47)Rise & Fall of Popularity (24:29)Why Distillers Like Brandy (30:25)Provenance of Brandy (34:15)Distillation Process (38:20)Fir Brandy (45:17) Checking the Stills & Types of Pears (54:50)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.