Westward Whiskey announced that Founder & Master Distiller Christian Krogstad is stepping away from his operating role at the company in order to pursue several of his many interests. He retains his equity stake in the company, as well as his Krogstad Aquavit brand that will continue to be produced at the Westward Whiskey distillery. 

“I started House Spirits Distillery (the predecessor of Westward Whiskey) out of my abiding need to create new flavors, exciting products, and innovative concepts, and out of it grew both Aviation American Gin and Westward Whiskey,” he said in a news release from the distillery. “Today, Aviation has its new home, and Westward Whiskey is the company’s focus. It’s time that I turn my attention and efforts to growing Krogstad Aquavit, and to new projects. It has been a fun and rewarding 20 years building House Spirits Distillery and the brands that emerged from it, and I’m looking forward to unveiling my next projects.”

Thomas Mooney, Westward CEO and Co-Founder, said, “Christian is a visionary who helped shape the craft distilling industry, and he is a friend to many of our peers.  Back in 2004, he set out to create a whiskey from the elements right here in the American Northwest, and we owe much of where we stand today to his creativity and skill.  I joined him as CEO of House Spirits Distillery (now Westward Whiskey) in 2011, and together, we have built one of our industry’s most talented teams and raised Westward Whiskey from a vision all the way to a leading luxury whiskey brand. 

“We will miss Christian, but he and I are confident that Westward is well placed to grow into a successful, enduring brand.  Today, we have a treasure trove of exceptional whiskeys that our fans can look forward to over the coming years, and an outstanding distillery team helmed by Andrew Tice (Partner & VP of Operations) and Miles Munroe (Partner & Head Distiller and Blender). Under their guidance and expertise, we will continue to innovate and push the boundaries of American whiskey further. We are poised for growth and expansion, and we look forward to a strong year end and 2023.”