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    Winemaker

    Daric Schlesselman

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    Winemaker
    Portrait of Daric Schlesselman

    Portrait of Daric Schlesselman

    i. Biography

    The work has been about continuity as much as authorship: building a distillery in Brooklyn and keeping its methods tied to the practical pace of daily production.

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    Early in his career, Daric Schlesselman founded Van Brunt Stillhouse in Brooklyn, New York (2011–2025), establishing the framework for a project that would stay closely linked to his own decisions and standards. He then carried it forward as owner at Van Brunt Stillhouse in Brooklyn, New York (until 2025) and Master Distiller at Van Brunt Stillhouse in Brooklyn, New York (until 2025), staying with the work through its early and later phases.

    Where They Are Now

    He really takes to heart that they are a farm distillery and that, despite being in Brooklyn in the heart of the city, he really wants to embrace that farm culture. That tension is part of the house character: urban site, agricultural mindset; city pressure, farm logic. In Schlesselman’s view, the point is not to resolve that contrast, but to hold onto it.

    Career - Founder — Van Brunt Stillhouse, Brooklyn, New York (2011–2025) - Owner — Van Brunt Stillhouse, Brooklyn, New York (until 2025) - Master Distiller — Van Brunt Stillhouse, Brooklyn, New York (until 2025)

    Signature

    Daric's signature wines include Due North rum and American Whiskey. Together, they show the range of his practice and the distillery’s house style—spirits shaped by attention to structure, texture, and the small details that separate one bottle from another.

    In Their Words Those two lines mark the distance between his earlier work and his later one: from television into spirits, and from an outside position into a long-running role defined by repetition, upkeep, and place. Van Brunt Stillhouse became the setting for that shift, with the farm-distillery idea holding steady inside a Brooklyn address.

    Recognition

    Daric Schlesselman has received NY International Spirits Competition, silver medal for American Whiskey (2014).

    FAQ Where did Daric Schlesselman work before? Daric Schlesselman's earlier career included Van Brunt Stillhouse, Van Brunt Stillhouse, and Van Brunt Stillhouse. What recognition has Daric Schlesselman received? Silver medal for American Whiskey, New York International Spirits Competition (2014).

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