E121: Crafting Award-Winning Bourbon in a Control State with Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco of M&O Spirits

E121: Crafting Award-Winning Bourbon in a Control State with Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco of M&O Spirits

Author: Small Batch Standard November 14, 2025 Duration: 41:48
In this episode, we chat with Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco (the “M” and “O” behind M&O Spirits), a small but mighty distillery just outside Columbus, Ohio. What started as a bourbon experiment in a basement quickly turned into an award-winning craft distillery! Doug and Mike share how years in the film industry led to distilling, how a curious neighbor sparked their decision to “go legal,” and why they’ve stayed fiercely independent. Highlights include: * How distribution hurdles keep small producers stuck…even when demand is there (and what to do about) * Grassroots approaches to grow traffic without a marketing budget * Weighing the choice between staying small and handcrafted vs. chasing volume and big equipment In the episode, Doug sums up their operation as: “Everything is in-house, by hand.” And this episode truly highlights what it takes to be in craft in 2025. Don’t miss this one!

Every week on The True Craft Podcast, hosts Chris Farmand and Katy Noel pull up a chair for the kind of frank talk you’d usually only get in a private office or after hours at a trade show. This isn’t about surface-level success stories. Instead, each episode features a genuine conversation with a craft business owner, digging into the real and often messy details of running an operation. You’ll hear about the specific hurdles they’ve faced, the unexpected opportunities they’ve seized, and the tough, daily decisions that define life as an entrepreneur in this hands-on world. Created by Small Batch Standard, the podcast serves as an essential resource for practitioners who want to move beyond theory and into the practical realities of management and growth. The discussions are grounded, insightful, and focused entirely on the experiences of people who are actually doing the work, making it a unique listen for anyone building a business with their own hands. Tune in for a dose of honesty and actionable perspective that cuts straight to the heart of what it means to be a craft owner today.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The True Craft Podcast
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