During her undergrad, biochemistry major and genetics minor Sam Harpst ’20 found a passion for the spirits industry. Today, Sam is the Operations Analyst & Project Manager for Statesville Contract Distilling, a division of Southern Distilling Company, located in Statesville, NC, where she oversees the lab.
Statesville Contract Distilling offers a diverse range of standard and custom new fill whiskies, extensive aged barrel inventory, warehouse barrel storage, private label production, and co-packing for more than 150 brands globally.
Some of Sam’s daily duties involve collecting and formatting data from the distillery operations department, including grain quality, enzymatic activity, ethanol production, process flow, sanitation, and spirit quality. She plans to continue her journey in the spirits industry and discover more and more about the science of fermentation.
“This industry is starting to grow at an exponential rate, and there are endless opportunities to further whiskey science!”
