To look at the production team at Oregon Spirit Distillers, you’ll find a story of how amazing spirits aren’t simply made. World-class spirits are a product of a solid worth ethic and a growth mindset. Many of us worked our way up in the production department due to that solid work ethic, an unwavering commitment to quality, and most importantly, an enthusiasm for learning. We humbly nod to those who showed us the way, their ability to teach, and a willingness to share.
We are thankful for the body of knowledge created and passed down from generations of distillers that helps us make traditional and authentic spirits from scratch and by the senses. Our goals are lofty, and we accomplish them because of our strong team dynamic. It’s in our name, we are the spirit distillers of Oregon Spirit Distillers. We are proud to work together and make spirits we love to enjoy.
BRAD IRWIN
Owner
Whiskey has three main ingredients: grain, water, and passion. Brad found a natural bounty of all three in his hometown of Bend, Oregon.
In 2009, Brad and his wife Kathy embarked on the journey that would eventually create Central Oregon’s first grain to glass whiskey distillery. Local high desert grain and mountain water were easy to source. The region's unique climate provided plenty of corn, barley, wheat, and rye. Crisp and pure water from the Cascade Mountains was abundant. Brad’s passion for history, tradition, and quality is delivered in every drop that Oregon Spirit Distillers produces.
After 10 years in the role of Head Distiller, Brad has passed the honor to his carefully selected distilling team. As the owner, he can now focus on growing Oregon Spirit Distillers as a national brand and make time for his other passion, his family.
TANNER TISDEL
Head Distiller
Tanner is a native Oregonian. He was born in Portland and raised in Bend. As an adult, he’s always worked in and around the alcohol industry. His career at Oregon Spirit Distillers began on the bottling line. Here he became familiar with the final stages of the production process: filling, labeling, and sealing all our products by hand. With passion and a solid attitude, he worked his way from the ground up to Production Distiller and now oversees the distilling process on a daily basis.
When he’s not watching the still, you can find him keeping an eye on his ducks and chickens at home. Tanner also enjoys mountain biking and hiking followed by his favorite drink: an Oregon Spirit Distillers Wheat Whiskey on the rocks.
STEVE DENFELD
Lead Blender
Steve can be found in our blending room, where he spends his days proofing spirit and combining barrels of whiskey. We produce 12 barrels at a time of each of our whiskeys, and when they come of age 11 of those barrels are blended for consistency (with the other 1 barrel going to our Bottled in Bond series) before being proofed down. Steve's work is critical for finishing out the final product before bottling. Beyond his blending work, he is known around the distillery for his exceptional pallet and is often in charge of picking barrels for our Single Barrel program.
A huge whiskey, beer, and music enthusiast, outside of work Steve can be found sipping on a nice drink while enjoying music on his record player.
RYAN ACKERMAN
Distiller
Ryan came to Oregon Spirit Distillers from another distillery full of a passion for distilling and excited about whiskey. He and Tanner jointly play a major role in producing the fine spirits our customers know and love. He can be found doing everything from monitoring the still, to measuring out grain, to moving barrels with the forklift, to a hundred things in between.
Raised in Arizona, Ryan moved to Oregon a couple of years before joining us at Oregon Spirit. Outside of work, he can be found mountain biking, photographing portraits and landscapes, enjoying whiskey, listening to live music, and generally enjoying the outdoors.