Spirits | North America | Illinois | Letherbee
Letherbee
Summary
Bartender Brenton Engel was cooking up his own moonshine and it gained such a level of cult popularity that he was inspired to start Letherbee — an independent artisan distillery. The signature concoction would be a distinctive yet versatile gin, made from a recipe developed by Brent and fine-tuned based on feedback from colleagues through the Chicago bar scene. After researching tincture recipes, Brenton ordered the necessary botanicals and began what would become a two-year process in refining his recipe. His first batches were made on his home still which yielded 1.5 quarts per batch, and it took him 20 runs to achieve the flavor profile and high alcohol percentage he wanted. He shared the results with co-workers and his widening circle of bartender friends who confirmed the improving quality, so in 2011 it was time to go legal and scale it up.
He found a space in a building owned by a non-profit in Ravenswood, and with the small inheritance left to him by his grandmother, bought a small pot still. He spent the next six months experimenting with his original 1.5-quart recipe scaled up to 25-gallon batches, each of which required about $250 in materials. As he was self-funded, each batch had to wait until he had the
cash. During this time, Brenton met the rest of Letherbee’s current team:
• Cody Hudson, a graphic designer and part owner of the popular Longman and Eagle (also famed for its cocktail program). Cody shared a wealth of artistic acumen and came aboard as a partner and the designer of the distinctive Letherbee packaging.
• Nathan Ozug, Longman and Eagle bartender, with whom Brenton bonded over their shared interests in amaro, bitters, cocktails, and Txacoli.
• Robby Haynes, Brenton’s old musician buddy, who was running the bar at the prestigious Violet Hour, another Chicago hub for craft cocktails, who offered Brenton feedback and advice on his recipe development.
In early 2012 and 34 runs later, the Letherbee Original Gin recipe had been perfected and in April was picked up by an Illinois distributor. The next year and a half was spent in intense collaboration: Robby took the lead in developing the recipe for Bësk; Nathan, the Fernet; and Brenton, the Barrel-Aged Absinthe as well as the first Autumnal Gin. As the popularity of their spirits grew, Brenton left bartending in 2013 to concentrate on Letherbee full-time
With absolutely no influence from outside investors or marketers, the team of bartenders at Letherbee now distills and produces a range of craft botanical spirits including the aforementioned flagship gin, seasonal variants released semi-annually, barrel-aged absinthe, fernet, and bësk – based on a recipe developed by cohort Robert Haynes of Apologue Liqueurs, another Chicago-based distiller. Across the board, Letherbee spirits are made for “wellness” — not only to enliven the discerning drinker but to stock the arsenal of the professional bartender. On top of their regular offerings, Letherbee Distillers produces two seasonal gins that are one time limited runs, different every year: the Autumnal Gin and the Vernal Gin.
Letherbee's total production is now around 1500 cases.
