Follow along for sample size epiphanies and updates from the Distillery. You don’t have to read the book to read the blog, but it helps.
Against the Grain Available Now at Amazon
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Against the Grain Available Now at Amazon ~~
What Was a Jar of Moonshine Actually Worth?
A gallon of moonshine could represent a significant portion of a farm worker’s monthly wages during Prohibition. Follow the money and the history looks a little different.
If the Pisco Patrol Comes Knocking
Pisco traveled from South America to Gold Rush-era San Francisco, where Duncan Nicol turned Pisco Punch into a legend. My version takes the story a little farther east to St. Paris, Ohio.
Before We Called It a Side Hustle
Long before Uber, Etsy, and the phrase “side hustle,” people were looking for ways to make a little extra money. Use what you have. Develop a skill. Find somebody willing to pay for it. Make a little extra money.
Don’t Throw It Out Just Because It Missed the First Cut
Something can miss the cut the first time around and still have value. It may simply need another purpose, another opportunity, or another trip through the still.
The Moonshine Community Isn’t What Most People Think
The moonshine community isn’t fast cars and feuds. It’s generous people preserving a craft worth celebrating. A few of them even helped shape Against the Grain: Business Lessons From the Still.
Birdie Brown Was in Business
Women have been building businesses, managing farms, selling products, serving customers, and creating opportunities for themselves for generations. They just haven’t been given the credit and spotlight they deserve.
The Problem Wasn’t in the Jar
A single sip of moonshine reminded me of a lesson I've seen throughout my career: the place where a problem becomes visible is rarely where it began.
Between the Boardroom and the Backwoods
Against the Grain includes a little bit of the history of moonshining and a little bit of how to make moonshine, but it’s about neither. It’s a collection of lessons on leadership, entrepreneurship, resilience, operational discipline, and the habit of going against the grain when conventional thinking stops working.