Luka Cutura makes some fantastic whiskey out of the Seven Three distillery in New Orleans. But he could just as easily be out on the water harvesting oysters. “My family fishes 900 acres of ground in the inland waterways in southeast Louisiana. From the mouth of the river wast to the Mississippi state line. My family was part of the first early immigrants from Croatia. They ended up farming and cultivating oysters. And still do.” Fortunately for the rest of us, he spends more time making whiskey than pulling bivalves.
What whiskey first made you say fuck yeah?
Man, I’m a simple kind of guy; but I thoroughly enjoyed Black Crown. If we’re being completely honest.
If you weren’t making whiskey, you’d probably be . . .
Fishing oysters.
What’s a fucked up way you drink whiskey you probably wouldn’t tell anyone if you weren’t filling out this questionnaire?
Pour coke on it—used to be until I became a little more knowledgeable.
What’s a fucked up way someone you know drinks whiskey that makes you want to throw them off a cliff and seriously, Jesus Hashtag Christ, why, Darryll? Why?
Actually, it’s my dad who used to pour coke on his whiskey.
What song will get you onto the floor no matter what?
Give a quote from a movie you obsess over:
“Alright, alright, alright.”
Matthew McConnaughey as David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused, 1993.
Sum up the essence of great whiskey with a single word.
Nice.
List three whiskies you love that aren’t yours.
- Black Crown
- Garrison Brothers Straight Small Batch
- Blanton’s original barrel
Name the single most underrated or overlooked distillery in your state.
Name a whiskey you think our readers never heard of.
Bond & Lillard
What was your most embarrassing mistake making whiskey?
Well, they keep the Vice President away from everything as much as possible, so he doesn’t ruin it . . .
What are you reading?
Traditional Distillation: Art & Passion
Traditional Distillation-Art & Passion is an introduction to one of the oldest human endeavors – preserving the summer’s bounty. In this book, Hubert Germain-Robin focuses on the essential elements – philosophical as well as technical – for the production of “eau de vie,” or water of life. The true art of brandy distillation is to capture, in liquid form, the very essence of the Earth and its summer bounty. All passionate distillers share the same sense of connection between the product and the most basic elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, which we work with to capture the essence of the harvest, the eau de vie.
What’s a moment in your life that made you realize life is goddam beautiful?
Laying on a beach, sipping on a glass of “sliv” (slivovitz, Croatian plum brandy) overlooking the mountains and the Adriatic sea.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
Ragged Branch
