Distilling Chaos: A Punk Rock Journey Through Spirits and Creativity

In this chat with my longtime 83 artist and friend Chad Kessler, the mastermind behind 451 Spirits, we dive into his fresh take on distilling. Chad is all about blending creativity with the traditions of spirit-making, influenced by everything from American whiskey culture to his skateboarding roots. We reminisce about how his journey has shaped his approach to crafting spirits that are not just drinks, but artistic expressions. It’s always a good time catching up with him and hearing about his next big moves in the world of spirits!

Let's dive into the intriguing world of 451 Spirits. Your distilling style embodies the chaotic spirit of punk rock. Can you share the madness behind your creative process? What does it mean to craft spirits with a rebellious heart?

Ultimately, it’s just believing that anything is possible and that there is SO much more room for creativity and experimentation in distilling. When you look at other parts of the world, they have these traditions in spirit making and they’ve been doing things the same way for hundreds of years. America is a fairly young country. Immigrants created Bourbon and Rye because those grains grew better here than what they were using in Europe. It was just a practical thing because whiskey, while appreciated, was more of a utilitarian spirit than a luxury meant for enjoyment. America also created Jazz & The Blues, which came from all these other musical traditions brought by people not from here. Those styles eventually lead to R&B, Rock and Roll, Country, Hip Hop, Electronic and so on. There’s a distinct thread running through the evolution of modern music. With distilling though, it seems we just kind of stopped at Jazz. It’s gotten better since I started this over 10 years ago but there’s still room for ore.

Speaking of uniqueness, your Sling and Stone Bourbon Blend certainly stands out among the rest. What sets it apart, making it a go-to choice for those on the quest for something truly exceptional?

Sling and Stone is an interesting one. We have a tendency to do things backwards from most distilleries. Most people start with vodka and gin and if they’re doing whiskey, they’ll generally source or buy whiskey from another distillery and bottle it as their own until the whiskey they actually made is ready, if they ever even bother making their own. We started with our own whiskey, made completely from scratch, in house, with a very unique mashbill. Now, 10 years later, we decided to source some whiskey, but not just bottle it and call it a day. The idea with Sling and Stone is take a flavor profile people like, Bourbon, but elevate it. So it’s always at least half Bourbon in the bottle, but where it gets fun is that we blend that with our other whiskies. The type of still I use, a Pot Still, creates a much more richly flavored spirit than the more common column stills that most producers use. It’s the same type of still used to create single malts and a little can go a long way in changing the flavor of the blend. Every batch is going to be different based on what we have available. It’s an experiment in blending. Batch #1-Genesis, is about 60% Bourbon with the remainder being a combination of our BoneShaker Whiskey and an Experimental Rice Whiskey that I aged in Red Wine barrels. Most people haven’t even heard of Rice whiskey but it’s really interesting on it’s own and work great in this blend.

And then there’s your skateboarding skills. It’s clear you’ve got some serious moves beyond the punk rock facade. How has your passion for skating influenced your creative work? Are there any gnarly stories that connect your tricks on the board to the distilling process?

Pretty much everything I’ve done in life can be traced back to skateboarding. Skateboarding lead me to the friends I made in my formative years, which lead to road trips with those friends which centered around exploration, we didn’t travel to other cities for a particular destination like regular people might do, but to explore. Those friends and that culture lead me to different types of music which also had a huge impact on me. It’s also what lead to me picking up a camera and shooting photos and making films. Skateboarding is probably the most DIY culture there is. Figure out what you want to do and make it happen. Skateboarding is all about looking at the world in a different way and finding different uses and approaches to things. What we know of as skateboarding today was born out of riding in empty swimming pools, taking something designed for passive leisure and turning it into a tool for something more creative and exciting. 

As far as gnarly stories, nothing really comes to mind other than what I just said. That influence of seeing a world with endless possibilities. You learn to take risks. You’re going to fall, you’re going to get hurt, but the pay off is always worth it. I will say it was quite amusing watching friends try to help with making whiskey, seeing how physical it is, when I broke my arm a few years ago. 25+ years of skateboarding and that was my first broken bone, not bad. All of the cumulative head trauma may have something to do with how my brain works too, who knows?

Ohio, the heartland of America, holds a special place in your heart. What is it about this state that draws you in, and how does it seep into the essence of 451 Spirits?

Oh, Ohio. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. Nothing draws me in here really, I was born here and I’m convinced this state exists as some sort weird gravitational quantum trap. People can’t seem to leave. I do think that those of us from here have a weird chip on our shoulders. Like we know it’s not great, it’s become a meme unto itself and while we like to talk shit about it, we don’t like when other people do. It’s that friend that you’re allowed to pick on but if someone else tries to pick on them you’re going to fight.

Navigating the artistic landscape while distilling is no small feat. How has your journey as an artist influenced your approach to crafting spirits? Do you find that the creative processes of music, art, and distilling intertwine in unexpected ways?

This ties right back in with the skateboarding question and the older I’ve gotten the more clear it’s become how much EVERYTHING is connected. To be clear, skateboarding, art and music don’t make ME special, they’re just the things that have lead me down the path to find my unique view on things, everyone is on their own path. Back to the question, what it all comes down to for me, is composition. To me, that’s what makes or breaks whatever it is your creating. It’s about finding balance. I talk about my spirits needing a good bass note to build on, but then you need other flavors, techniques and ingredients to create harmony, melody, lead notes, timbre, etc. Music and art are just a set of building blocks, same as distilling. These blocks together will make a sound, these blocks together will create a picture, these blocks together will make a flavor. It’s all in how you put them together and how they relate to one another that determines if it’s pleasing or enjoyable. That also comes down to personal preference. My philosophy with distilling, art and everything though is not to create what already exists. If you want Norman Rockwell, buy Norman Rockwell. You can’t make something with goal being to make other people happy, people generally don’t know what they want until they have it. I feel like Marty McFly sometimes with the spirits I make. “Guess you guys weren’t ready for that, but your kids are going to love it!”

For those daring enough to experience your world firsthand, what can they anticipate during public access hours? What kind of madness and revelry awaits visitors at your distillery/art gallery? Is everything on display for sale, or are some pieces meant for observation only in this curious blend of creativity and concoction?

Well, what started as a temporary setup on my bottling table has become a permanent installation of my music gear full of synths, samplers, pedals and such. It’s my own little chaos station/music studio now. I just drag another table out when it’s bottling time rather than break down all my gear. It started with just my drum kit, which my former partner liked to complain about, telling me it didn’t look very professional, but people love it. I’ve been in multiple bands over the years and this has served as the practice space for I think 4 of them. I could also be working on art, my easel is right next to all the music gear. It all started due to the slow nature of distilling itself where I’m essentially stuck here 10-12 hours some days. I love how it’s now my central creative hub where I can work on all the things I love in one spot and it’s very easy to switch gears. As for everything else in the shop, I always joke that everything is for sale if anyone wants to take a distillery off my hands but the truth is, besides the art I’ve also got a lot of personal mementos here spread throughout, every little corner and knick knack tells a story. A lady tried to buy these statues I have of my dogs once, that’s when I realized that no, not everything is for sale. But the art is! I had this conversation with a friend recently. They were curious how you put a price on something you out so much of yourself into and the way I view it and explained was that CREATING the art is what I need to do, once I’m done with it, it’s for other people. I get what I need from the creative act. Some pieces are priced higher because I’m not quite ready to let go of them yet, but they do have a price.

As the hunt for true spirits is a noble quest, where can adventurous drinkers find your creations? Are they confined to local bars, edgy liquor stores, or perhaps the digital underbelly of the internet?

We’re currently available in about 30 stores in Ohio and the shop of course, where you can get things I don’t distribute. I’d like to make things available online too but we aren’t allowed to ship direct to consumers. As far as bars, there’s a handful that have been very supportive over the years. Forbidden Root at Easton and Combustion Brewing have been featuring us on the menus quite a bit. We had our coffee liqueur, Death Before Decaf, release party at Global Gallery since we used their coffee and also had it featured at Ace of Cups for the annual Ramonesathon festival since I was playing.

You’re also brewing merchandise like a tempest in a teapot. What kinds of gear can your fans snag? Is there something rock ‘n’ roll enough for them to wear while savoring your fine spirits?

I love our new Tiki TV skull shirts, those are something my former partners never would’ve signed off on. We had a shirt designed by our friend and artist Chris Cropper, who is also featured on our vodka bottles, those are sold out though. I’d like to do some more shirts and more collabs soon but I’ve got to sell some more to justify and pay for it. Shop Here

 Lastly, looking into the future, what wild visions do you have for 451 Spirits? Are there any new concoctions or escapades on the horizon that might unsettle the status quo and send shockwaves through the liquor community?

In the immediate future, I’m working on a new spirit with The Tenacious Tiffany Wedekind who runs Wanderlust studios, amongst other things. She’s a fascinating and invigorating spirit herself and she hit me up about doing a collab. As far as shaking things up, when I first started dreaming this whole thing up, it was meant to be kind of a joke or art project. I wanted to create absolutely ridiculous spirits and do things like age them on charred vintage instruments and driftwood, just very conceptual, yet drinkable art. There’s a lot of nonsense in the liquor world where people talk about their vodka being 1 million times distilled and filtered through diamonds and shit, I just wanted to have fun with that. Now that I’m this far in, I’ve been thinking about revisiting that and creating an installation of sorts with very limited bottles releases tied in with large scale painted versions of the labels. I need to find a good venue for it though.

As we wrap up this conversation with Chad, it's clear that his innovative approach to distilling is a true reflection of his life experiences and passions. Blending the rich traditions of spirit-making with his unique creativity, Chad is not just crafting drinks; he’s creating artistic expressions that resonate deeply with people. It's always a pleasure to catch up with him and hear about his exciting plans for the future of spirits. You can find 451 Spirits online at 451spirits.com and on their social media @451spirits. For those in the area, you can also visit them at 590 Oakland Park, Columbus, Ohio 43214. I look forward to seeing how his journey continues to evolve and inspire others in the industry.