Goleta Magazine 2020-2021 - 14

cover story

Goleta's First Distillery
Mixes it up
Left to right: A variety
of Goleta Red offerings
including their signature
Gin and Agave. During the
Coronavirus Pandemic,
Goleta Red quickly started
making hand sanitizer in
their distillery. Michael Craig
pictured in his distillery
tasting room.

GOLETA R E D DIS TILLING COMPANY opened
their doors in 2017 and quickly became a local favorite.
Michael, owner and distiller at Goleta Red Distilling
Company, worked a variety of careers since moving to
Goleta with his family in 1995.
He was (and still is) an artist and a potter; he's worked at
Santa Barbara Ceramic Supply, as a computer consultant,and
for a pool service company. And he was actually moved to
Goleta with UCP/Work, Inc, the organization he calls his
" life's work. "
But even one's life's work can be stressful-so to deal with
that stress, Michael learned to brew beer. And then he figured he could make spirits, so he started distilling at home...
which is illegal. Still, while he thought it would be kind of a
neat business, he figured it was really more of a fun hobby.
It was once Michael's wife Laura recognized his talent and
said " let's do this " that everything came together. She gave
voice to what Michael was thinking, and it was game on.
It was Laura who recommended the Orange Java Overproof,
his third bestselling spirit. It has a spot on the Goleta Red
tasting room bar, along with local favorites Goodland Gin,
Sterling Silver Rum, Solid Gold Rum, Cacao Flavored Rum,
and Fiesta Agave Spirit.
Although the tasting room is a popular stop on any tour
of Goleta, not everyone enjoys a tasting flight of straight
spirits. To accommodate those with a taste for a well-crafted
cocktail, Michael went back to his tried and true " research
and experiment " method.

GOLETA MAGAZINE

SBSCChamber.com

Once again it paid off-his cocktail making skills have
improved, using fresh ingredients and highlighting his
spirits to make drinks that not only taste great but are
almost too lovely to drink. Case in point: his Hemingway
Daiquiri. Inspired by the famous writer, the Goleta Red
version includes the classic ingredients (lime juice, simple
syrup, Sterling Silver Rum), along with the delish addition
of grapefruit juice and a maraschino liqueur Michael created to compliment Papa's favorite drink.
Michael has been innovating and experimenting in his
business since day one and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
his mantra was no different. As soon as we began to see our
world change in early March, Michael pivoted to start making sanitizer. Goleta Red has bottled over 50,000 bottles
of sanitizer which has been widely distributed through the
Goleta community. On the bottles Michael's tagline reads
" Made in our community, for our community! "
Approaching its second anniversary, neither Michael nor
Goleta Red Distilling Company show signs of resting on
laurels. Regarding laurels, Michael's Goodland Gin, named
after Goleta's nickname, won several industry awards in
2019, including Gold in the prestigious John Barleycorn
Society. " I'm very lucky to be well respected in the greater
community of craft distillers after such a short time, "
Michael says.
Michael has big plans for the next several years, including
increasing sales, hiring some staff, and putting down Rum
to age for at least three years. Like the Pileated woodpecker
adorning his Goleta Red logo, he's tenacious. " I'm constantly
beating my head against the wall, but I know if I do it long
enough, there's that nugget I'll get to. "

https://www.goletared.com/ http://www.SBSCChamber.com

Goleta Magazine 2020-2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Goleta Magazine 2020-2021