In this episode, we chat with Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco (the “M” and “O” behind M&O Spirits), a small but mighty distillery just outside Columbus, Ohio. What started as a bourbon experiment in a basement quickly turned into an award-winning craft distillery! Doug and Mike share how years in the film industry led to distilling, how a curious neighbor sparked their decision to “go legal,” and why they’ve stayed fiercely independent. Highlights include: * How distribution hurdles keep small producers stuck…even when demand is there (and what to do about) * Grassroots approaches to grow traffic without a marketing budget * Weighing the choice between staying small and handcrafted vs. chasing volume and big equipment In the episode, Doug sums up their operation as: “Everything is in-house, by hand.” And this episode truly highlights what it takes to be in craft in 2025. Don’t miss this one!
In this episode, we chat with Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco (the “M” and “O” behind M&O Spirits), a small but mighty distillery just outside Columbus, Ohio. What started as a bourbon experiment in a basement quickly turned into an award-winning craft distillery!
Doug and Mike share how years in the film industry led to distilling, how a curious neighbor sparked their decision to “go legal,” and why they’ve stayed fiercely independent.
Highlights include:
In the episode, Doug sums up their operation as: “Everything is in-house, by hand.” And this episode truly highlights what it takes to be in craft in 2025. Don’t miss this one!
Learn more about Wanderback Beer Works at https://www.mospirits.com
Follow them on Instagram: @mospirits
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