The ClimateHound Pack: Oak and Grist Distilling Company
Tradition and innovation, respect for heritage and hope for the future: Asheville’s Oak and Grist Distilling Company has been connecting the past and the possibilities of craft spirit making since their founding in 2015, and their decision to certify as carbon neutral is part of their company-wide commitment to doing things right.
“Ever since their opening, I’ve been so impressed by the caliber of Oak and Grist’s products and by their dedication to quality at every stage of the process, from sourcing local grains to brewing, fermenting, distilling, and aging their whiskey entirely in-house,” says ClimateHound founder Palmer Fox. “I knew that they would understand carbon accounting and neutrality as key to their continued leadership in the distilling community.”
Oak and Grist has already set a new standard for North Carolina spirits with their single malt whiskey, created with the mentorship of Glen Moray’s former master distiller. It’s the first product in the state to meet every requirement – except locale – for a Speyside single malt scotch, and they’re a leading voice in the drive to establish a legal designation for American single malts. It’s no surprise that their American malt whiskey and their rye start with local grains, but so do their award-winning gins, the genever-inspired Dark Rhythm and their aged Barrel Reserve.
It’s also no surprise that co-founder and head distiller William Goldberg understood the goals of ClimateHound right away: he brings a degree in sustainable agriculture to his work and his vision for Oak and Grist. All of their grains are sourced within 500 miles of the distillery, and often much closer, helping the company to shorten the supply chain and minimize their impact. Through solar panels, they’re not only reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that exceeds the impact of the electricity they’re purchasing from the grid – they’re also offsetting some of their impact in other scopes.
“Distillation is a resource-heavy process, and you can't manage what you haven't measured."
Even with those efforts, though, Oak and Grist knew that they would need to take further action to become carbon neutral – and they stepped up to become one of ClimateHound’s early partners. William says, “Distillation is a resource-heavy process, and you can't manage what you haven't measured. As a community-oriented business, it's critical that we take the steps to manage and protect those resources for the health of our business and our neighbors."
“‘You can’t manage what you haven’t measured’ has become a mantra for the ClimateHound team,” says Palmer. “We’re grateful to William and Oak and Grist Distilling for the inspiration and partnership as we work toward the goal of a carbon neutral food and beverage industry.”