In the verdant hills of Defiance, Daniel Boone's legacy as the town's Syndic beckons a new expression of the vine, Judgement Tree Spirits. Co-owners Chris Lorch and Scott Koziatek first began holding court in the tasting room of Lorch’s family-owned business, Sugar Creek Winery, over a decade ago. They once dreamed of the day when distilling would rule their decisions. That day has come with Judgement Tree Spirits. Surrounded by vineyards, the duo is reminded daily of their roots.
Lorch's family bought Sugar Creek Winery in 1994 when he was a student at the University of Missouri. His personal connection to beverage production began when he brewed beer at Morgan Street Brewery in St. Louis. Here, he learned the foundations of fermentation, sanitation, and processing, and that brewing wasn't exactly his ambition. He set his sights on the vineyards and headed to Napa Valley, where he worked at PlumpJack Winery. It was there he was told, “When you make all the decisions about a wine, you’re the wine maker.” The budding maker moved back home to Defiance in 2000 and did just that.
Meanwhile, as Lorch was honing his craft, Koziatek was working at the roofing company that he started after high school. One could even say his business is what put a roof over the head of Judgement Tree Spirits. They decided to start a distillery together, and it took them 5 years to get a distillers license. After that “it was on,” Koziatek says, “To go from roofing to this is a night and day difference. Roofing was a job, but this is fun. I am so grateful that Chris invited me in on this. I never thought it would happen, but my dreams came true.” Judging by his bright smile, Koziatek finally found his passion, or as he puts it, “I now know what I want to do when I grow up.”
When Steve Newcomb of St. Louis Spirits Distilling inquired about some of Sugar Creek’s wine waste and how he wanted to put it through his still, “the light bulb went off for me,” remembers Lorch. The men rushed to get a small still and soon realized they were going to need a bigger one if they were going to try different forms of fermentation. “Curiosity got the cat,” he laughs. The men began researching and practicing, which led to the licensing process to become a full-fledged distillery, the Distillery of Defiance. “It’s not the easiest, because crush and distillation happens at the same time,” Koziatek explains how the juice must be distilled prior to the sulfites addition for wine. “When it’s ready, you got to go,” Lorch almost crosses his eyes at the mayhem which ensues during crush.
This distillery lives adjacent to Sugar Creek Winery where wine-stained oak barrels line the walls. The distilling room is like Dexter’s laboratory, there’s a stainless bench with assorted projects in various stages. There is an array of carboys, growlers, and other receptacles filled with the vapid liquids. Written on the side of one five gallon carboy is the phrase “A Tale of all Tails.” Koziatek laughs, “It was late night one night. Chris had run the last two stills of brandy and vodka. All the batches’ tails from that night are in there. There’s probably ten tails in there.”
The men are growing the business organically on the local level and self-distribute hundreds of cases of their craft vodkas and brandies a year. Besides the tasting bar at Sugar Creek Winery, connoisseurs can judge for themselves at retail stores and restaurants in the greater St. Charles area.