Christopher Briar
Chief Distiller & Blender
Chief Distiller Christopher Briar 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.
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.
Dan Denisoff
President / COO
Dan is high-performing Senior Executive of Manufacturing and Plant Operations. With a Global background, has lead all aspects of the manufacturing, new product development, procurement and supply chain processes. Known for getting things done, while balanced with a true entrepreneurial spirit and broad business background, he takes great pride in being a developer of talent and has the reputation of hard work, honesty and creating a culture of teamwork and excellence.
Breanna Nussbickel
Marketing & Events Manager
Breanna joined Coppersea in August 2020. She has a broad range of experience in the Fashion Industry. She brings that creativity to her role in managing the on-site experience, events, marketing as well as overseeing the Hudson Valley market. When you come to the distillery, she will likely be the one to greet you and talk you through our wide variety of whiskies. She holds a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology and has studied at Polimoda in Florence, Italy.
Meg Swett
Assistant Distiller
Meg joined Coppersea in January 2022. She holds a BA in Anthropology as well as minors in Evolutionary Studies & Biology from SUNY New Paltz. A former collegiate rugby player & captain, she brings virtues of integrity, discipline, and camaraderie to the coppersea team. She welcomes the venture of being a woman in the production level of the whisky industry, involved in every aspect of creation from the malting of grain to bottling of the final product.
Aaron Kravig
Assistant Distiller
Aaron joined the Coppersea team during the summer of 2021. A SUNY New Paltz graduate with a Master’s in English Composition and Rhetoric, Aaron has worked, and managed, for many years in local wine and spirit shops, where he developed an eclectic and broad taste for unique and challenging libations. Having promoted Coppersea whiskies for years on the sales floor, his advance toward producing heritage method spirits in the Springtown stillhouse was a natural and fulfilling step forward.
Margaret Dow
Tasting Room Bartender
Margaret Joined Coppersea in October 2020. Originally from Portland, Maine, she is currently getting her Bachelors for Food and Restaurant Management at The Culinary Institute of America. You can find her smiling face behind the bar of our Stillhouse on weekends for tasting flights and cocktails.