CRAFTED

Did Accountants Ruin Whiskey? With Leopold Bros founder, Todd Leopold

What do rye whiskey, fruit brandy, and vinegar have in common? At one point, they were all made on the same kind of still. Todd Leopold, co-founder and owner of Leopold B

Why This Device Could Change the Way You Make Coffee

What exactly is ‘pressure-brewed’ coffee? (Hint: it’s not espresso.) Today, Presston founder Korey Dausz joins Simon Stewart to talk about designing and building a coffee

High West’s Master Distiller, Isaac Winter, on the Most Misunderstood Word in Whiskey

Today we’re talking with the master distiller of one of the most prominent American whiskey producers of the past two decades, High West Whiskey. High West built much of

Zerno Founder Vel Genov on Coffee Grinders, Burr Geometry, Particle Analysis, & More

Zerno manufactures some of the best coffee grinders in the world, and last week, Jonathan Ellsworth returned to Zerno HQ to get into the weeds with founder, Vel Genov, ab

The Cult of Mezcal w/ Pedro Jimenez

There are more than 175 species of agave native to Mexico — so why is tequila made from just one? To answer that question, you have to understand centuries of tradition,

The Problem with ‘Perfect’

“That’s smooth!” That’s often the first thing someone will say after trying a new drink. But what if that’s a sign that we don’t actually know how to evaluate -- and appr

Hot Sauce, Human History, & Some Big Existential Questions

Hot sauce — many of us love it, but few of us know how & why it came to be; how it works; how it could kill you and how it might save you; and why exploring these topics

What is “Post-Natural” Wine?

According to all the headlines, the wine industry is in trouble — sales are plummeting, major producers are shrinking their portfolios, and the natural wine movement has

The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Tiki

Tiki is easy to dismiss: themed mugs, carved idols, Hawaiian shirts, and over-the-top cocktails. But the real history is far more interesting. After nearly disappearing i

Saving Tequila w/ David Suro

What happens when a category's success leads to its demise? Tequila is the fastest-growing spirit in the world, yet its popularity has put it on a path to extinction. In

Who Decides What We Drink?

Who decides which wines make it to wine shop shelves and restaurant lists? For decades, importers like Ronnie Sanders have quietly helped shape the way we drink wine. As

How to Build the Best New Restaurant in America: Bûcheron owners, Jeanie & Adam Ritter

Bûcheron (French for “lumberjack”) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, won the James Beard Foundation award for Best New Restaurant in America in 2025. Last month, Jonathan Ellswo

The Case Against Imitation: Brianne Day, Founder of Day Wines

For decades, Oregon’s winemakers have looked to France as the standard setter for what constitutes great wine. Brianne Day, founder of Day Wines, thinks it's time to stop

Cocktails in the Desert? Scott Gardner of Water Witch

Salt Lake City shouldn’t be home to one of America’s best cocktail bars. And yet, despite Utah’s strange liquor laws and its distance from traditional cocktail meccas, th

Our CRAFTED Trip Report: Washington DC & Manhattan

Jonathan just got back from an incredible 12-day trip to Washington DC and Manhattan, and had a ton of notable ‘CRAFTED’ experiences. So he and Eli Brown talk about a bun

How Good is Good Enough? Craft Pursuits & Diminishing Returns

How good is good enough? For those of us obsessed with any craft category (e.g., coffee, watches, wine, knives, audio gear, etc), we can find ourselves crossing the line

Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese on Quality, Value, & the Virtue of Inefficiency

Cheese can cost $12 a pound, or upwards of $100 for a wheel of the same size. So what is actually driving that difference in price, and is the most expensive option reall

Our CRAFTED Trip Report: Blister Summit & Salt Lake City

We just wrapped up our Blister Summit at Snowbird, then Jonathan Ellsworth, Sascha Anastas, and Eli Brown spent a pretty amazing 24 hours in Salt Lake City, where we disc

A Unified Theory of Cocktails with Dr. Kevin Peterson, Part 3

The neighborhood bar is one of the last places untouched by AI, big tech, and all their algorithms. But what if that’s actually holding each us back from finding our “per

Doug Frost on the Most Elite Certifications in the Wine World — and Why They Matter

Top mountain guide certifications (like AMGA and IFMGA) have a pass rate of around 70%. But what if we told you that in the wine world, the most rigorous certifications h