ABOUT SPIRIT WORKS DISTILLING
NATIONAL DISTILLERY OF THE YEAR 2020!
“As a distillery deeply committed to quality and innovation in making and serving the best grain-to-glass spirits in the world, Spirit Works continues to raise the bar,” said Erik Owens, President of the American Distilling Institute.
“But the Bubble Cap award isn’t just about great spirits: it’s about celebrating distilleries that contribute to the craft community. In this area, Spirit Works is also a leader: women-lead, family-run, inclusive, diverse, accepting and supportive of everyone in the community. Ashby and Timo’s previous lives were in environmental justice, and they brought that philosophy to their new endeavor. They not only wanted to make spirits, but wanted to make sure everything they did was giving back to the process. Every decision was looked at from multiple angles, and the decisions they made had to reflect their goal of trying to make the world a better place by their participation in it. We acknowledge and celebrate that leadership!”
TIMO & ASHBY
Ashby is a west coast native and has chosen to live her life here in beautiful Northern California. Ashby started her professional career working for environmental non-profits as a Campaigner. In addition, she has spent years at sea as Crew on environmental research vessels sailing around the world. It was here she met her husband and discovered his generations old family’s heritage of making Sloe Gin. With a combination of Ashby’s passion, refined palate for the intricacies of distillation, strength in training others, and her talent in project management that Ashby has been pivotal as Head Distiller for the past 13 years. She has also been an early supporter and mentor of women in the industry for years and has been featured in numerous national media channels. When not at the distillery you can find Ashby trying to hone her pottery skilla while listening to a true crime podcast, walking along the beach with her dogs, and putting in valiant efforts to master organic broccoli growing.
Born in Peru, with British heritage, Timo spent much of his life at sea or on the road – until he met his partner Ashby and fell in love with her and Northern California. Together they were drawn specifically to West County, Sonoma which they have called home for almost 14 years now. With an education in Ethics, mastery in Tallship sailing instruction, and a keen eye for organization and developing systems Timo is known as a great communicator, business partner and all around distillery fixer of things. After meeting Ashby while working on environmental research vessels together, they discovered their shared passion of craft spirits. It turns out Ashby’s passion for the intricacies of whiskey and Timo’s generations old family recipe for Sloe Gin was just the right ingredients they needed to kickstart Spirit Works Distillery. When not managing the distillery Timo can be found walking along Dillon Beach with his dogs or mixing a mean cocktail on their deck at home.
Together, Timo and Ashby spent over 10 years working together for environmental non-profits while training folks in fast boat driving, IRATA climbing, and as sailing instructors. It is with this passion for the environment and working with their hands that you will find them at the distillery working side by side creating sustainable processes including mashing all organic grains, working the still, offering distillery tours, cleaning tanks, running the business and creating the best California distillery tasting room possible. They couldn’t do any of this without their incredible small staff of dedicated, passionate, mostly female producers of Vodka, Gin, Sloe Gin, Barrel Gin, Straight Wheat Whiskey, Straight Rye Whiskey, Four Grain Straight Bourbon, and Barrel Reserve Sloe Gin made batch by batch, grain to glass. Their dogs Bandit and Echo also get some credit!