Listen "31: Sara Sergent of Alpine Distilling Blends Science with Instinct and Flair in Botanical Spirits"
Episode Synopsis
Sara Sergent, master distiller for Alpine Distilling (https://www.alpinedistilling.com) in Park City, Utah, has garnered countless accolades over her career, and today she works with some of the biggest names in the culinary world to bring their ideas to life, while also creating bespoke and diverse spirit expressions for guests at their social club. If there’s an ingredient out there, she’s probably tried it and worked through how it expresses best through distilling. Through the course of this episode, she shares that knowledge with us. Along the way, Sergent and host Molly Troupe cover:
distilling challenging florals
using vapor extraction to preserve delicate details in sensitive ingredients
choosing which form of a plant—from root to flower—to use in distillation
research methods for learning more about botanicals
juniper variants from distant locales such as Japan and Croatia and their different impacts in gin
the range of expression in different-origin angelica root
maintaining botanicals in top shape for distilling and drying ingredients in-house
the impact of different peeling methods on lemon expression
And more.
G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
distilling challenging florals
using vapor extraction to preserve delicate details in sensitive ingredients
choosing which form of a plant—from root to flower—to use in distillation
research methods for learning more about botanicals
juniper variants from distant locales such as Japan and Croatia and their different impacts in gin
the range of expression in different-origin angelica root
maintaining botanicals in top shape for distilling and drying ingredients in-house
the impact of different peeling methods on lemon expression
And more.
G&D Chillers: (https://gdchillers.com) G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Hank Pressley, head distiller at Moon Drop Distillery says, “Early on, we made a decision to partner with quality American-made companies. One of those companies was G&D Chillers, and we are proud of that choice. Our equipment from them has run long and strong. We put our first barrel in our rickhouse in September 2021, and in the next 3 years we have put back more than another 540 barrels. What a great decision to team up with a company like G&D Chillers.” Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
More episodes of the podcast Spirits & Distilling Podcast
47: Steven Grasse Connects the Dots from Wild Ideas to Realistic Strategies for Selling Spirits
09/12/2025
46: Owen Martin of Angel’s Envy Applies Strategies from Scotch to Signature Kentucky Bourbon
25/11/2025
40: Joe O’Sullivan of Minden Mill Controls the Variables in Dry-Climate Whiskey Maturation
02/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.