Building a Spirit Brand with Holly Robinson

Building a Spirit Brand with Holly Robinson

From GuildSomm Podcast by GuildSomm

June 9, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

In this episode, Chris Tanghe interviews Holly Robinson about her journey in building a spirits brand and her experiences in the industry.

In this episode, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe interviews Holly Robinson on building a spirits brand. Holly worked in restaurants before cofounding Seattle-based Captive Spirits in 2011 with partner Ben Capdevielle. Together they developed Big Gin, a London Dry style that has won many awards since its inception, then expanded their bottlings to include Bourbon Barreled Big Gin and Peat Barreled Big Gin. In 2016, Hood River Distillers acquired the brand. Holly next launched Fast Penny Spirits , an American Amaro lineup also produced in Seattle with business partner Jamie Hunt. Dubbed Amaricano, it uses Pacific Northwest ingredients while paying homage to Jamie's Sicilian roots. Today, Holly consults for numerous PNW companies with her latest company, Fathom 35 , and owns Sunny Hill restaurant in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review, as it helps us connect and grow the GuildSomm community. Cheers!

People in this episode

Host: Chris Tanghe

Guest: Holly Robinson

Topics covered

  • spirit brand building
  • distillation
  • entrepreneurship
  • Pacific Northwest spirits
  • restaurant industry
  • gin production

Keywords

  • spirits brand
  • gin
  • Bourbon Barreled Big Gin
  • Peat Barreled Big Gin
  • American Amaro
  • Seattle distilleries
  • restaurant ownership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Captive Spirits, Hood River Distillers, Fast Penny Spirits, Fathom 35

Places: Seattle, Pacific Northwest, Ballard

More episodes of GuildSomm Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the GuildSomm Podcast podcast page.