Don H.
Yelp
We set up a private tour and tasting for our group of eight people. Two were already spirits drinkers. The other six preferring wine and/or hard seltzer, with little to no understanding of spirits. Erica's tour and tasting changed everything. I think for the experienced spirits drinkers she elevated their knowledge, and respect for how spirits are engineered, to another level. And for the rest of us 'non spirits' drinkers she opened our eyes and gave us several "palm to forehead" moments. Erica's tour was nothing short of outstanding. Don't be fooled by her youthful appearance. She knows her industry, her own distillery, and the 30+ different products she sells extremely well.
For seasoned wine tasters, you might think the tour would begin with a taste and a walk with a glass in your hand. I caution you not to expect that. What we received at the beginning was a tour in the distillery that helped us all get a better understanding, and healthy respect, for all that goes into creating spirits, and spirits with unique flavors. This was time very well spent to give us all some common ground before we jumped into tasting.
I recommend that all that do a tasting heed their advise on sipping and holding to enjoy the unique flavors in each pour.
The flight options, while initially a little overwhelming with soooo many options, it is very well organized and with a few minutes each individual was able to find a flight that was of most interest to them. I will add that one of our big takealways was to have an open mind. if you don't like something, say a brandy, a gin, or a whiskey, it may be because you tried a low quality product (e.g., E&J brandy), or didn't taste it properly (sip and hold). Erica helped us to get over several "prejudices" as we tried quality product and used proper tasting methods.
To wrap this up, I will say Erica and DDD crushed this experience. Each person in our group came away very impressed with DDD and their products, and even more so with Erica as the very qualified ambassador for DDD and the spirit's industry.
I recommend all with inquiring (and open) minds give this a try. Once you do, you will likely bring friends and family back to share in these hidden treasures.