Christopher Briar Williams
Chief Distiller & Blender
Chief Distiller Christopher Briar Williams conceives and develops Coppersea’s spirit expressions, manages general distillery operations and represents the brand in the market. He initiated Coppersea’s floor malting, mashing and distilling techniques and is responsible for barrel management, blending and overall quality.
Christopher is a co-founder of the Empire Rye Whiskey Association, and a founding board member of the New York State Distillers Guild. He holds a BA in American studies from the George Washington University, is a New York State Licensed Guide, and spends much of his free time camping, hunting, and fishing in the Catskills backcountry.
Patrick Franco
Stillman / Mashman / Livestock Operations Manager
Patrick joined Coppersea in October 2014. He has a broad range of experience in sustainable agriculture with several seasons each at both Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, where he trained extensively on heavy machinery and compost production, and at the Farm at Locusts-on-Hudson, where he co-managed the vegetable and livestock operation that serves restaurants both in NYC and in the Hudson Valley. In the distillery, Patrick is responsible for the production of our floor-malted grains, grinding and mashing. On the farm, he can be found leading our heritage-breed pig raising efforts. He holds a BA in English from the City College of New York.
Michael Kinstlick
CEO
A driven entrepreneur bringing acumen from his 20 years in business, Michael Kinstlick has worked in finance, software, and commercial insurance. He has a BA in Economics from Columbia, a MS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. His Craft Distilling White Paper has made him the “go to authority” for information on the US craft spirits market.