Molly Troupe
Advancing the Art of Distilling
Molly Troupe is the master distiller at the pioneering Freeland Spirits – one of the very few entirely women-owned and operated distilleries in the United States. She's currently the youngest female master distiller in the country and was recently listed in the Forbes ‘30 under 30' – an annual list of the brightest young entrepreneurs.
“I got into distilling through a love of chemistry. I thought I'd work in forensics after graduation but while studying for my undergraduate degree I realised I wanted more creativity in my career. A friend was pursuing a career in brewing, and that sparked my interest – the more I explored about brewing and distilling, the more I wanted to know.”
So Molly chose to travel over 4,600 miles from Oregon to Edinburgh to undertake her MSc at Heriot-Watt.
It was the only programme of its kind in the world, and I could not pass up the chance to learn about whisky in Scotland. Plus, it was a great opportunity to live abroad and experience a different culture. I was amazed by the landscape and the living history: coming from the Pacific West, it was a significant change to find myself next to castles and churches that were hundreds of years old
Studying at Heriot-Watt provided an ideal experience. Molly loved that what she learnt in labs and lectures she could then see being applied in various distilleries nearby.
“It was possible to visit multiple facets of the distilling community – from malting houses and glass manufacturers to breweries and distilleries – and to travel to Islay and the Highlands, and sample a ‘dram' of living culture! It was just invaluable to my learning.”
After completing her MSc in Brewing and Distilling in 2013, Molly returned to the States and worked as a Quality Control Assistant at Hood River Distiller's Inc., and then as a Production Manager and Lead Distiller at Oregon Spirit Distillers. In 2017, she joined Freeland Spirits, a gin and whisky distillery in Portland, Oregon, becoming a partner in the business and its Master Distiller.
Directing the distillation of its craft gin and whisky, Molly has developed Freeland Spirits into a highly distinctive brand through the use of both traditional and newer, innovative methods. Freeland Gin is unique, produced via a dual distillation process, and involving 19 different botanicals. Their whisky is a combination of a 3-year and a 12-year-sourced bourbon finished in Pinot Noir barrels.
So what's it actually like to be a Master Distiller?
A typical day for Molly begins with starting up the 2000L Kothe still, affectionately known as ‘Hell Bitch'.
“Once she's started, my day is dictated by Hell Bitch, but generally a run takes about ten hours and throughout it I am committed to watching and waiting for spirit to flow. While I wait I do my ‘side' work which varies day to day: sometimes it's mashing, checking ferments, monitoring barrels, blending whisky, proofing gin, and often it's responding to emails and attending meetings. At the end of the day, when the spirit produced is measured, I store it in a collection vessel and prepare Hell Bitch for her next run. Rinse and repeat!”
Supporting others in the industry is also part of Molly's working life and she serves on the board of the American Craft Spirits Association, helping to advance craft spirits by moving the industry forward through education, technology and legislation.
“My time at Heriot-Watt has been so important to my career. The Brewing and Distilling programme had an amazing culture and some of my most important memories are of Friday Whisky Club meetings, the Heriot-Watt Brew Festival, and the friends I made that I continue to make memories with. I recommend Heriot-Watt to anyone who approaches me with an interest in pursuing higher education in Brewing or Distilling.”