Charbay

Domaine Karakash first made Cognac-style brandy.^1,2,3 The family installed that still in 1986, and the Prulho family of Cognac, France, made it.^1,4 The Charbay name dates from 1987, after a dessert Chardonnay laced with brandy liqueur that Miles created, and became the business name, Domaine Charbay, in 1991.¹ His son Marko joined full-time in 1995 as the family's 13th generation of distillers.^1,2

For the 1999 pilsner whiskey, Marko had 20,000 gallons of pilsner brewed at Sonoma Mountain Brewing, double-distilled it, and filled 22 new charred oak barrels.^1,2 In 2011 Charbay distilled whiskey from Bear Republic's Big Bear Black Stout.^1,5 Whiskey from Racer 5 IPA was first released as R5 in 2012.^1,2,6 In 2014 Marko moved to Ukiah to work at the distillery full-time.¹