Camden Winkelstein

Camden Winkelstein
Brewing and Distilling (2016)
Head Distiller

Former submariner, Camden Winkelstein - who spent seven years on active service with the US Navy before graduating with distinction from an MSc in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt – is currently Head Distiller at a new farm distillery in Sourland Mountain, New Jersey and plans soon to set up on his own.

“When I left active duty as a US Navy submarine officer assigned to the USS California, I was looking for a new career that was a mix of engineering, process development, and manufacturing,” says Camden. “I was always interested in the craft beverage industry and I put together a plan to start my own company. It was very difficult to find open positions at existing companies where I could learn the required skills so I researched academic avenues and found the Heriot-Watt MSc in Brewing and Distilling.”

Studying on the other side of the Atlantic appealed to Camden: “I have always loved Scotland. I've played the bagpipes since I was 12 and I'm a huge fan of golf. I actually studied at St. Andrews for a semester during my undergraduate years. My time at Heriot-Watt was excellent. The course was exactly as described and there was a good mix of theoretical and practical training.

“School will always be school, even if it's about brewing and distilling, but the Heriot-Watt programme made it seem less like school and more like job training, “ he says. “I lived in downtown Edinburgh and there was always something new and different to see and do in the city. And travelling around Scotland - visiting distilleries, of course! - was just amazing.”

Camden excelled at his Brewing and Distilling studies and within two months of graduating in 2016 was offered the position of Head Distiller with a start-up company in the US called Sourland Mountain Spirits overseeing the installation of their distilling equipment and the first batches of their original gin and vodka.

“I've been helping the company get up and running for the last six months,” says Camden. “I truly enjoy business planning, process development and new product roll out. I'm still on track to start my own company too. There is really nothing better than seeing a distillery that you helped build turn out a great product that people really enjoy.”

His brewing and distilling degree from Heriot-Watt prepared Camden well for his current role: “The brewing and distilling degree was critical to my current success as a Head Distiller. It gave me the theoretical and practical skills I needed to make sure the new company I'm with gets off to a great start. The courses on brewing, fermentation, malting, distillation and maturation are all relevant in my job. I also use the techniques learned from the process technology class before nearly every manufacturing step. And the course in packaging has been critical to ensuring the company is compliant with all labelling regulations and has a high quality design package. So, from equipment selection to the distilling process to final packaging, I use knowledge gained from my degree every day.”

Camden – who is originally from Buffalo, New York and now lives with his wife Christina in Plainsboro, New Jersey - has some wise words for new students: “Make sure you keep up with the coursework. Read a lot. The experience is amazing unless you get behind academically then you'll just be stuck working hard trying to catch up. You should put careful thought into your thesis project selection as you will learn a lot about that area during the summer semester. I'm still in constant contact with my thesis adviser. Take advantage of any relevant work you can get while you are there as many of small breweries and distilleries take on unpaid help and you'll learn a ton. Also, hang out with your classmates as you'll learn almost as much from them as you will from the course!” With a high calibre academic record from Heriot-Watt, as Camden's career in the drinks industry matures, he's certain to distil with distinction.

17 March 2017