Caledonia Spirits Expanded Production 10x, Now They’ve Hired a 20 Year Industry Veteran to Lead Sales

In June of this year Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Distillery in Montpelier, Vermont cut the ribbon on their brand new $10 million craft spirits distillery, restaurant and bar destination. Now that they’ve expanded production 10x of their gin, vodka and other specialty spirits it’s time to expand distribution of their Vermont made spirits.

Hires Brown-Forman Sales Veteran with 20 Years Experience

The distillery has just announced the hiring of Joel Elmer as their new Vice President of Sales. Elmer comes to this craft spirits maker with 20 years experience in executive sales roles at Brown-Forman, one of the largest spirits companies in the U.S.

“In this industry, we hear about grain to glass, and Barr Hill is the embodiment of that,” said Elmer. “The coming to life of agriculture meeting distillation – Barr Hill has that authenticity. When I heard there would be an opportunity to possibly work with Barr Hill, I knew it was something that I wanted to pursue.”

Elmer most recently worked as Vice President at Brown-Forman Beverages Northeast Division where he directly managed sales teams throughout the U.S. His knowledge of the spirits industry, his deep relationships in the field, and his experience launching new brands and new markets aligns well with Caledonia Spirits’ significant growth trajectory.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Joel in market a number of years ago, and I remember really appreciating his candor, dedication, and relationships within our industry,” said Ryan Christensen, president and head distiller at Caledonia Spirits. “The recent growth of our team and the momentum of our brand have both aligned with Joel’s career path, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to Caledonia Spirits.”

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Elmer will lead the sales efforts of Caledonia Spirits, which moved into a new, sustainably-designed, 27,000-square-foot distillery in Montpelier, Vermont in late June. The new headquarters will allow Caledonia Spirits to expand its production to meet demand for its flagship spirits – Barr Hill Gin, Tom Cat Gin, and Barr Hill Vodka.

Caledonia Spirits is distributed in bars, restaurants, and retail locations across 32 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Japan.

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