On this episode of the Distillery Nation Podcast, I sit down with Ryan Myhre, Director of Brewing and Distilling at Talking Cedar Distillery. Talking Cedar is the first tribally owned distillery in the United States, owned by the Chehalis Tribe in Washington.
Ryan didn’t take a straight path into distilling. He has a PhD in chemical engineering, spent time as a stay-at-home dad, and started homebrewing. He then worked at several breweries before joining Talking Cedar as quality manager and eventually becoming head distiller.
We dig into how Talking Cedar almost didn’t happen. After breaking ground in 2017, the tribe discovered a federal law that barred distilling on tribal land. Tribal lobbyists worked with state and federal representatives, and the restriction was overturned in 2018.
From there we talk product strategy. Talking Cedar is focusing on place-based spirits, starting with Kayak Gin, which is built around Douglas fir tips hand-picked every year. With the whiskey market oversaturated, the team pivoted toward white spirits made for cocktails: a triple sec, an amaro, and an aperitivo with native botanicals like yarrow and wild rose. Ryan also explains why Oregon grape root didn’t make the cut and what FDA GRAS approval costs a small producer.
Ryan shares his worst distillery moment: a continuous still commissioning that ran off-spec for hours and cost more than half the batch. He also explains the lesson every distiller should take from it.
Listen to the interview on the web
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Talking Cedar Distillery
- Talking Cedar Distillery on Instagram
- Book: The Kybalion: The Original - Seven Hermetic Principles (Affiliate)
- Book: The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity (Affiliate)
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