Meet Sean Hallman and Lisa Ireland of Shadow Ridge Spirits Company in Oceanside

Sean and Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was an avid homebrewer for many years and decided to pursue the Professional Brewing Certificate offered through UCSD Extension. While enrolled in the program, I volunteered at the First Annual Del Mar Fair Distilled Spirits Competition, where I had the opportunity to meet several local distillers.

Approximately two years later, a friend approached me to help start a distilled spirits company. During that period, we worked on our recipes with distillery incubator California Spirits Company. We completed several production runs, after which my friend left the company. My wife and I decided to continue the company. Currently, Shadow Ridge Spirits Company is registered under Oceanside Distillers and is in full production.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The barriers of entry to the distilling industry can be tough. Fortunately, the San Diego Distilling Industry has had trailblazers who were instrumental in clearing the path for Shadow Ridge Spirits. The San Diego Distilling Guild and the distillers who are part of the community are incredibly supportive of each other’s craft. As a local industry, we share ideas and resources, as well as work together to grow the industry as a whole.

We have the incredible opportunity to work with Oceanside Distillers and Dieter Steinmetz of Steinmetz Spirits. Although we are two separate brands, we share everything. Like many before us, Shadow Ridge is looking to see where it fits into the industry. The Craft Spirits movement is a fairly new venture in San Diego, developing similarly to the inception of Craft Beer twenty-five-plus years ago.

Craft Spirits has begun to gain a loyal following of consumers who are looking for authentic, small-batch spirits that are crafted by local artisans. One of the biggest struggles for all craft spirits is educating the consumer about craft spirits. We want the consumer to learn what makes us different from mass-produced spirits, and the various nuances of craft spirits.

Our industry has been fortunate in that it has been able to piggy-back on the raw material infrastructure that developed as a result of the Craft Brewing Industry. San Diego County is home to two major grain warehouses and several premier yeast labs. We’ve had a major advantage having raw materials easily accessible.

Please tell us about your business.
Shadow Ridge Spirits Company is a small, veteran-owned company consisting of my wife and myself. This is a part-time venture for us. I am a former Navy Surface Warfare Officer and currently work as a Federal Civilian Employee for the Department of Navy. My wife teaches high school. We spend most weekends at the distillery. We’re a great team and love distilling together.

Shadow Ridge Spirits Company specializes in premium small-batch, hand-crafted spirits. Our whiskies are 100 percent grain to glass and are aged in American White Oak barrels. We currently offer Bourbon, Rye, Peated Single Malt, and an American Single Malt. All of our whiskies feature unique grain bills that include specialty grains and malted barley. They are aged in charred oak barrels, which enhance the grain flavors and helps to develop vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon flavors.  We primarily use 5 gallon, 10 gallon, and 15 gallons barrels.

Additionally, we offer both barrel-aged and silver rums which highlight the flavors and sweetness of high-grade sugars and molasses. We are in the R&D phase for Shadow Ridge Spirits Gin, which will provide a clean base-alcohol, allowing the hand-selected botanicals to shine.

Small-batch distilling enables us to have fun and experiment with new recipes to highlight the various grain and yeast flavor profiles, adding another layer of complexity to our whiskies. As a result, I believe Shadow Ridge Spirits Company is able to provide the unique flavors to craft spirit customers who are seeking something different from the big brands. Besides, it’s more challenging to come up with something on our own rather than replicate another company’s product. Our products are available in 375ml bottles at the Oceanside Distillers tasting room, liquor stores, and bars.