Spirited Insights: Life Lessons from Working at a Distillery

A tale about self-discovery and career development by Andrew Edwards.

In 2021, I made a bold decision. After 6.5 years, I left my corporate job as a Group Account Director at ICF Next. After transitioning my team to WFH during the pandemic, I was tired of 8+ hours of meetings a day and burnt out. Creativity I was zapped and needed to switch gears.

It was time to say goodbye and I embarked on an exploration journey to find new passions and challenges.

I had the itch to be an entrepreneur, and someone offered advice to follow what I love. I had always been passionate about craft spirits but had no experience making them. So I started to research how I could learn about distilling alcohol. I hoped making gin would be as fun as drinking it. I was right.

That's when I discovered a Distillery Workshop offered by Distillery School Canada. This hands-on training program teaches you how to make your spirits in a real distillery. The workshop is at Sons of Vancouver Distillery, a small award-winning distillery on Vancouver's North Shore.

It was perfect because I could learn in my preferred way. I love to learn hands-on through apprenticeship. I've never been one who can sit and read about the theory. I need real-world experience.

Andrew at the start of the week, eager to learn.

I spent a week with two others who shared my interest in distilling. We were fortunate enough to learn from an expert who guided us through each step of the process. We gained valuable experience in fermenting, distilling, filtering, bottling, and labelling spirits. Additionally, we created our gin recipes and had the opportunity to sample various types of vodka, gin, whiskey, and rum. Sampling high-proof vodka at 10:00 am is definitely one to kick-start a learning journey.

Andrew tasted grain neutral. A base spirit is frequently used as a Raw Material Alcohol in producing Gin, Vodka, and liquor.

Lesson one - taste is completely subjective

One of the most eye-opening lessons I learned from the workshop was how much taste is subjective and influenced by various factors. For example, we learned that the colour of a spirit could affect our perception of its flavour and quality. A darker spirit may seem more complex and aged, while a lighter one may seem more pure and smooth. A pink spirit (my favourite) seems vibrant like you are ready to start a memorable night with friends.

The big wheel of flavours and colours.

Lesson 2 - people do judge a drink by the bottle.

Another factor that influences purchasing decisions is branding. The name, logo, bottle design, label, and story of a spirit can create expectations and associations in our minds. A spirit with a catchy name, a sleek bottle, and a compelling story may seem more appealing and premium than a generic one. I tasted firsthand that Costco's Kirkland vodka tastes better than Grey Goose. This is surprising, considering Kirkland vodka is much cheaper, yet it has won in my blind taste tests against the more expensive Grey Goose.

Lesson 3 - If you don’t succeed at first… Don’t hate. Iterate.

One of the most surprising things I learned from the workshop was how distillers can turn a bad batch into a good product. Sometimes, things go wrong, and the spirit comes out with off-flavours, impurities, or low alcohol content, instead of throwing away the bad batch. Distillers can use it to make other products. Goodbye, vodka and hello, Irish cream liqueur.

One of designACE’s core values is “Don’t hate. Iterate.”, which comes from the concept that nothing is a failure. In life, be prepared to pivot shamelessly. The stages of development can be challenging and require patience. It takes bravery to say this isn’t working. Let’s switch gears.

As Miss Frizzle would say “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy”

Lesson 4 - life is too short to do something you don’t love.

Lastly, I saw firsthand the passion and devotion that goes into a start-up. Seeing two lifelong friends pursue their passions was inspiring. I love meeting people who go to work for the enjoyment of producing a product they enjoy. As a lifelong salesperson, I have sold many products. A quick recap: as a teen, I started selling ballroom dance lessons, then upscale furniture, onto SaSS market Research solutions and finally, cloud-based communication platforms. If I am honest, I've always loved the commission of selling my products, not the product itself.

Andrew loves a hard working cat that is lends a helpful paw.

The most valuable lesson I learned at Sons of Vancouver was that pursuing your passion brings joy in both success and failure. I found new confidence to return to corporate life on my terms and do what I love. Help people connect and work together.

I have felt the pain of burning out in a job that pays the bills and the joy of working for less than I need to make ends meet in a job I love. I am happily building my business up from the ground and feel completely fortunate for our journey.

I am grateful to have a trusted and beloved business partner in every victory and stumble. I have faith that I am precisely where I am meant to be.

I am so thankful to start a company with my best friend Christine, doing what we love - helping people connect and create meaningful connections.