Jimmy Eat World Bassist Opens Distillery

It’s usually items of tin or aluminum bestowed as gifts upon ten-year anniversaries, but for Jimmy Eat World bassist Rick Burch, the decennium of the band’s classic album Futures coincides with the opening of a distillery in Arizona with friends John Miller and Jeff Barlow called CaskWerks Distilling Co, that specialises in whiskey, cider and gin.

“We’ve just signed a lease on a building so we’re going to start building out hopefully in October,” Burch said.

“We’ll have all our permits approved and then we can start cutting floor drains and moving walls around where they need to and hopefully by December running our first batches through the system, so it’ll be early next year we’ll have some bottles to share.”

2014 also marks 20 years of Jimmy Eat World, and it was the extensive touring schedule each of the band’s eight albums demanded that sparked Burch’s passion for distilling spirits. Booze and music often go hand in hand, so it’s not surprising that, after traveling the world in the band and experiencing what other cultures have to offer, Burch’s passion for distilling became more than a hobby.

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“The format of making a beverage is another creative format. It’s something humans have been doing for thousands of years but can still be very creative in that realm. It also puts a smile on your face, that finished product,” he laughs. “Travelling the world I discovered that I love whiskey and being able to visit these places around the world and try different drinks and makes. I found it very interesting so I wanted to learn more about it so I started investigating how it’s made, the process – I realised that I really love the process and when I was in Arizona I went and visited a distillery that was in the northern part of the state. It was on the high spirits and they let me hang out for a few months and kind of, help them out, you know, learn the process by just being around it.

“I discovered I loved it and discovered that I had some ideas on ways – you know, recipes and things so I was able to try some things out and found something that I really loved as far as the flavours I was getting and ensuring that friends and maybe more people would like to try this so I’m going big with it. Building a bottle to pass around the table, it’s a lot of fun.”

The logistics of shipping alcohol internationally can be a nightmare, but CaskWerks may eventually have the ability to supply their product to Australia.