#26 - Keir Family Distillery w/ Sam Keir

#26 - Keir Family Distillery w/ Sam Keir

Author: Allan Cogan February 17, 2024 Duration: 38:52

In this episode I traveled to Northern Pennsylvania to visit the Keir Family Distillery located in the small town of Warren Center. The distillery sits on a farm just 5 miles south of the New York/Pennsylvania state border and is only about an hour from where I spend my time drilling for the Army National Guard.

I had the pleasure of speaking with owner and distiller Sam Keir and learned all about his business and the trials and tribulations of starting a small craft distillery. Sam and his wife Jenn have built a cozy tasting room in an 1890s barn that has been in Sam’s family since the 1930s.

Prior to this conversation, Sam took me on a tour of the entire space as well as the old original still back in the woods of the farm where he began his distillation journey – much to the anxiety of the ATF, but he’s now proudly making whiskey in his new 50gal still in the basement of the barn. The Keir Family is brand new to the game of distilling and are refreshingly humble about their operation and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.

I truly appreciate Sam and Jen for their hospitality and look forward to visiting again soon!

  • Follow @kfdistillery on Instagram
  • Visit https://www.kfdistillery.com/ to learn more

If you enjoy this episode, and others we’ve done, I’d really appreciate it if you followed us on social media Also, be sure follow us on your preferred podcast platform and leave a rating and review! We currently stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, YouTube and others! And soon, we’ll be doing this show in full video format, so stay tuned!

  • Follow us @craftedconvospod on Instagram
  • Visit us online at www.craftedconvos.com

Cheers!


There's a story in every bottle, a history in every glass, and a person behind every label. Crafted Conversations is a journey into the world of whiskey that goes far beyond tasting notes. Host Allan Cogan travels from historic Scottish distilleries to innovative urban bars, sitting down with the individuals whose lives are intertwined with this craft. You'll hear directly from Master Distillers about the alchemy of aging, from distillery owners about the risks and rewards of a family legacy, and from mixologists who treat whiskey as a living ingredient. This podcast digs into the personal journals of its guests, uncovering the passion, tradition, and sometimes sheer stubbornness that defines their work. It’s less about the technical specs and more about the human spirit-the late nights, the failed experiments, and the moments of triumph. Each episode feels like pulling up a stool for a deep, meandering talk with someone who has dedicated their life to their art. Through these genuine dialogues, the culture and society surrounding whiskey come into sharp focus, revealing how a simple spirit can connect people across continents. Tune in for a series of intimate portraits that just happen to be set against a backdrop of oak barrels and copper stills.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 77

Crafted Conversations
Podcast Episodes
Exclusively Craft | Selling the Story, Not Just the Bottle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:31
Beth Hurwitz spent 15 years selling bottles to distillers. She knew the product, she knew the people, and she knew the problem — the three-tier system was leaving incredible craft spirits with nowhere to go and no one to…
#75 - Life is a Preez: Florida's Best Micro Distillery! | Ramon Perez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:09
After 21 years in the U.S. Army, Ramon didn't take it easy in retirement — he opened a distillery. Preez Distillery in Largo, Florida started as a kitchen experiment in Alaska, grew through word of mouth during COVID, an…
#74 - Whiskey Run: Building a Wisconsin Craft Distillery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50:06
Join me in New Glarus, WI with Todd Kuehl, founder of Whiskey Run, as we explore what it takes to build a small-town craft distillery from the ground up. From transitioning a winery to whiskey, to grain-to-glass producti…
#72 - Vetus Distillery w/ Kate Kercheva [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:08
In this episode I traveled to Monroe, North Carolina to chat with Kate Kercheva, the wife of the fantastic husband and wife team behind Vetus Distillery who pride themselves on sharing their Bulgarian traditions and root…
#70 - Fair Game Beverage Co. w/ Lyle Estill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:52
In this episode I traveled to Pittsboro, North Carolina to chat with Lyle Estill - the esteemed Lion Tamer of Fair Game Beverage Company!I can't thank Lyle and the Fair Game team enough for their generosity and hospitali…
#69 - Muddy River Distillery w/ Robbie Delaney [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:30
In this episode I traveled to Mount Holly, North Carolina to chat with Robbie Delaney, owner and operator of Muddy River Distillery!I can't thank Robbie and the Muddy River team enough for their generosity and hospitalit…
#68 - Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. w/ Scott Harris [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:35
In this episode I traveled to Purcellville, Virginia to pay a visit to our friends at Catoctin Creek! In our previous episode with Catoctin, we sat down with the great Becky Harris - but this time around we were joined b…
#67 - Los Angeles Distillery w/ Lewis Harsanyi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:39
In this episode I traveled to Los Angeles, California to visit the great Lewis Harsanyi - a Hungarian immigrant making some delicious whiskey at Los Angeles Distillery! I can't thank Lewis enough for his generosity and h…