GRIFFO CONTRACT DISTILLING » BRANDY » BRANDY SPOTLIGHT
This article originally appeared on Wine Industry Network July 13, 2026.
SHAPESHIFTING WINE INTO SPIRITS
Premium distiller has good news for excess inventory crowding cellar space and compromising profitability.
Griffo, with 13 years of contract distilling excellence rooted in Sonoma County community and culture, has the distinction of being the most award-winning contract distiller in California.
Known as the premium “spirits production partner that scales with your brand,” Griffo is providing the wine industry with a much-needed option for excess inventory cramping the style of wine cellars throughout Northern California as the industry continues to grapple with economic challenges.
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Dylan Carney, Griffo’s Head Distiller, who got his Distilling Master’s degree in Scotland, is enthused by his company’s ability to create a premium, branded spirit from surplus, declassified or unsold wine – and respectful of the clients who wish to do so.
“We want to be part of what’s local, to help our customers create a different expression of their wine.”
—DYLAN CARNEY, HEAD DISTILLER, GRIFFO
“If someone comes to us, they’re asking us to innovate their product into a quality spinoff,” Carney explains. “It’s kind of like, ‘I’ve taken it (the wine) this far, I need someone to take it to the finish line.’ That’s exactly what we do.”
Griffo employs the expert services of “Betty,” affectionately named for a former company owner’s aunt. Betty is a state-of-the-art, all-copper construction hybrid pot still with column distillation from Vendome Copper & Brass Works out of Louisville, Kentucky.
BUILT FOR FLEXIBLE BRANDY PROJECTS
Betty’s versatile design is suitable for a wide variety of brandy projects. Whether the client wants to highlight the style of barrel or had a less-than-perfect fermentation, or if they want to highlight the nuance of the base wine, their hybrid provides flexibility.
Turning wine into premium brandy is something Griffo excels in. They’re equally adept at wine-based RTD cocktails, which are growing in popularity.
From Concept to Market
Partnering with wineries on expanding their profitability margins through reimagining brand and market positioning is what separates Griffo from its competition.
“People often come to us with an idea about starting up a brand that’s about 50 percent of the way there,” confirms Griffo CEO Will Maroun. “We’re able to talk them through the multiple processes required to get their idea from concept to market, through licensing and compliance issues … really, from point A to point Z.”
COMPREHENSIVE END-TO-END SERVICES
Through celebrated partnerships that make Griffo a go-to company for white label distillation, the team can support:
- Legal
- Compliance
- Recipe/Formula Development
- Certified Organic Spirits and Ready-to-Drink Beverages
- Packaging
- Label Design & Printing
- Testing
- Preservation
- High Speed Mobile Canners & Bottlers
- Storage & Fulfillment
- Logistics
- Distributors
The bottom line for Griffo is serving their wine country community home with the expertise and respect it deserves.
“I put in the same standard of quality and passion as the winemakers did before they brought it to us,” attests Carney. “So when we give it back, it’s elevated by a natural progression everyone can be proud of.”
“We find out in short time that we’ve been really successful for our clients who become our friends,” agrees Maroun. “If we’re not really good at customer service, then we’re not good at anything.”