Welcome to Our B(ooze) Log

Tim Espinoza - The Man Behind The Booze

The Man Behind

The Booze

Everybody, meet Tim – Napa Valley Distillery’s Production manager and Head Distiller!

If you currently have any of our spirits or cocktails in your home bar, chances are that Tim is the guy who made it. Tim has been with the company since early 2015, but having been born and raised in Napa where he’s lived for over 30 years now, he’s always been intrigued with the world of alcohol. He first got into alcohol production working under Don Barkley, California’s first craft brewer since Prohibition, eventually becoming a Draft Technician. Tim has also worked on the sales end of the industry as Head of Sales at Carneros Brewery, but ultimately found his passion in production.

Tim came in contact with Napa Valley Distillery in May 2015, but was not hired as a Distiller. Initially, Tim was hired to work for one week helping pack Bar Club boxes. He took advantage of the situation to shadow Production Assistant Carlos and bend owner Arthur’s ear about his passion for spirits – and it worked. At the time Arthur didn’t have an opening for a position in production, so Tim was hired at the Oxbow Tasting Room, where he worked in sales. Eventually, in November of 2016 he was hired full-time as Production manager.

As Production Manager, Tim oversees all production operations i.e. fermenting, blending, proofing and bottling of products. He also manages the production schedule for his team, consisting of Carlos and Tyler. The three of them are to thank for all Napa Valley Distillery spirits filling your home bars – including Tim’s favorite, the Grand California. Fun fact: it’s the first spirit he made as a Distiller with the company! 

Of course, he and the production team are also in love with our Old Hollywood Ginns and excited to unveil more varieties in the future. As for Tim’s future with the company, he hopes over the next ten years to help build Napa Valley Distillery into a household name – a goal that doesn’t seem too far off.

You might run into Tim the next time you visit our Grand Tasting Salon. Be sure to say hi and ask him any of your burning spirited questions!

Feb 15, 2019 at 11:36 AM Permalink

Lulu Hartunian - The First Lady of Napa Valley Distillery

The First Lady

of Napa Valley Distillery

Everybody, meet Lusine (or, as we all know her, Lulu) – Co-Owner of Napa Valley Distillery and owner of epicurean boutique Napastäk!

Like her husband and Distillery Co-Owner Arthur, Lulu was born in Armenia. She and her family came to California in 1980. In 1996, she and Arthur met and started a family. She graduated with an Associate of Arts and, coincidentally like Arthur, worked in law for a time before realizing that wasn’t what she wanted to do.

Lulu has always had a passion for the culinary arts (especially with three kids to feed!) She has always enjoyed cooking and the experience it can provide for a family or a social setting. Coinciding with Arthur’s passion for spirits, Lulu believes that food plays an equally important role in the dining experience. She recalls watching Ratatouille with her family once, when the inspiration struck her. “What does Napa need?” she thought, and decided what it needed was a lifestyle brand of quality ingredients and kitchenware to enhance the dining experience in the home.

Arthur began sketching a logo – a rabbit holding a spoon. They enjoyed the idea of the Distillery and its sister company both having animal logos. The word “Napastäk” came to them, which means “the rabbit” in Armenian and was incidentally their daughter Isabella’s second word (after "papa"). From there, in 2014 Napastäk was born. The shop opened in the Oxbow, taking over the Distillery Tasting Room’s original retail space once it moved.

Today, Lulu runs the show at Napastäk and is excited to open its second location soon next to the Archer Hotel on First Street. Napastäk is preparing to release and do tastings of their own wines, a full realization of Lulu’s ideal kitchen experience. In addition to setting the daily game plans for Napastäk, helping attend to Napa Valley Distillery needs and, most importantly, being a mom, Lulu is excited for the future of both companies. She hopes within ten years to establish a Napastäk food club to compliment the Distillery Bar Club. 

Some of Lulu’s favorite places to eat and drink in the Napa Valley include Zuzu, Torc and Bouchon. Her cocktail of choice is an old fashioned or a vesper, but she loves gin, as well. In fact, one of her favorite Napa Valley Distillery items is the Summer Sequel Ginn!

Come see Lulu and the Napastäk team at the Oxbow and at the new First Street location, opening very soon!

Feb 1, 2019 at 1:00 PM Permalink

Arthur Hartunian - The Man Who Started It All

The Man

Who Started It All

Everybody, meet Arthur – the Owner and Proprietor of Napa Valley Distillery!

Like his wife and Distillery Co-Owner Lusine, Arthur was born in Armenia. When he was a kid, his family moved to Canada and soon after to central California. When he and Lusine met and started a family, Arthur went through a multitude of careers that he never truly fell in love with. He was a driver, a paralegal, an insurance broker and even a cards dealer in Las Vegas.  Even if he was financially successful, Arthur decided that he didn’t want to live or work in a place that didn’t make him truly happy. So, in 2009, he and his family set out in pursuit of his true passion – spirits!

After what Arthur describes as “about six minutes of research” into the industry, Napa Valley Distillery was founded in 2009. Arthur has always been committed to living in the moment, so he took his passion for spirits and brief experience with making liqueurs at home and started the brand we all know and enjoy a decade later!

Today, Arthur prides himself and the Distillery in the ambition to create unique products beyond people’s perceptions of spirits. Arthur has always set out to make classic spirits with historical roots and a modern twist – as evidenced by our wide array of brandies, for example. Having made brandy from grapes, pears, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries and more, he fancies Napa Valley Distillery to be one of the most creative brandy makers in the industry!

In terms of Arthur’s favorite Napa Valley Distillery product, he says it is without a doubt the Old Hollywood Ginn. He got the inspiration for the Ginn by researching the way gins were made in the 1800s. One of his most creative libations, he says the Ginn describes our company in a nutshell. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, Arthur’s cocktail of choice is a gin and tonic, although he considers himself an “equal opportunity drinker”. Some of his favorite places to eat and drink in the Napa Valley include Morimoto and Bouchon Bistro.

Over the next ten years, Arthur only wants to see more of the ambition and growth the Distillery has shown since the beginning. Going forward, he would like the Distillery to continue making things that other distilleries don’t necessarily want to make, proving that you don’t have to follow a trend to be successful – you just have to follow your passion!

As Arthur always says, “The best is yet to come.”

Jan 25, 2019 at 1:00 PM Permalink

Theodore Alexander - Tour Director & Spirited Specialist

Tour Director

& Spirited Specialist

Everyone, meet Theodore – Napa Valley Distillery’s Grand Tasting Salon Tour Director!

Theodore was born and raised in Sonoma County and currently lives in Napa. He’s been working for our Distillery since July 2015 – and in the words of Theodore, it all started with “a curly mustache and a fancy waistcoat.”

His cousins-in-law were bar Club Members and brought him to a tasting one night at the Distillery. The tasting made Theodore fall in love with our spirits (especially our Old Hollywood Ginn, which he still considers his favorite to this day!). Theodore was working as a bartender at the time and had a lot of questions. His cousin made a joke that he looked like the guys behind our bar and that maybe he should work there. Theodore jokingly asked if they were hiring – and the answer was yes. The next day he dropped off his resume, was interviewed on the spot and the rest is history.

As Tour Director, Theodore leads tours and tastings at our Distillery’s main location, facilitates our guests’ experiences and is one of the chief trainers for all new employees. In the years to come, Theodore would like to have a small hand in the manufacturing of our spirits. He would love to see the Distillery produce a bottled Sazerac sometime soon. 

Theodore is currently a licensed Certified Specialist of Spirits, as awarded by the Society of Wine Educators. This basically makes him the guy to ask for knowledge of any and all things booze. He hopes within the next 5 years to become a Certified Spirits Educator to take his expertise to the next level. He would also like to continue adding his own flavor to our tour program at the Grand Tasting Salon. 

When Theodore goes out, he enjoys a French 75 or a Rum Fashioned (even though he once was served one with 1/8 cup of sugar by mistake). One of his favorite spots in Napa is Tannery Bend Beerworks, where they have a beer that’s been aged in our Brandy Cordial barrels!

Come do a tour and tasting with Theodore sometime!

Nov 30, 2018 at 12:15 PM Permalink Comments (3)