Cisco Brewers is a
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
,
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
, and
winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
founded in 1992 on
Nantucket
Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
,
by Randy and Wendy Hudson.
It was acquired by
Craft Brew Alliance
Craft Brew Alliance is a beer brewing company that originally was composed of five beer and cider brands:
* Redhook Ale Brewery, founded by Gordon Bowker and Paul Shipman in 1981 in Seattle, Washington;
* Widmer Brothers Brewery, founded by bro ...
in 2018 and
AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters ...
2020.
History
Nantucket Vineyard
Nantucket Vineyard, a sister company of Cisco Brewers, was founded in 1981 by Dean and Melissa Long. After failing to grow grapes on Nantucket Island due to unsuitable climate and soil conditions, Dean and Melissa began to import grapes from California, Washington state and New York.
Cisco Brewers
In 1992, Randy and Wendy Hudson moved into a loft above Dean and Melissa Long’s winery to help with production. Eventually, they began producing beer on the site, with the entire process taking place outside, except for the cold-room. This outdoor brew space was called a
nano-brewery and was credited with being America’s only outdoor commercial brewery.
Growth
In 1996, the Hudsons moved to a new building called the Mortan Building. But, due to the construction, Cisco Brewers could not sell beer in July and August of 1996. This event created the company’s motto, “Nice beer, if you can get it.”
Triple Eight Distillery
In 1997, Dean Long applied to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a license to manufacture high-proofed spirits. The license was approved in the fall of 2000, and he began distilling single malt Notch Whiskey. However, the plan called for the whiskey to be aged for five years. So, to generate immediate income, the decision was made to also produce vodka because it could be sold immediately. The name for the vodka, Triple Eight Distillery, came from the fact that it was produced with water from Nantucket well #888. To help raise capital for the production of the vodka, people were allowed to purchase
futures
Futures may mean:
Finance
*Futures contract, a tradable financial derivatives contract
*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded
* ''Futures'' (magazine), an American finance magazine
Music
* ''Futures'' (album), a ...
on barrels of Notch Whiskey.
Craft Brew Alliance
In 2015, Craft Brew Alliance purchased a minority stake in Cisco Brewers. The acquisition also had Cisco Brewers start production of their beers at Craft Brew Alliance's Portsmouth, New Hampshire facility and make Craft Brew Alliance their master distributor.
In 2018, Craft Brew Alliance wholly acquired Cisco Brewers for $23 million.
Partnerships
Cisco Brewers support the shark research activities of OCEARCH. As a result, a
Great white shark
The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...
tagged by OCEARCH in October 2016 near
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
was named "Cisco" after the brewery. The brewery also produces Shark Tracker Light Lager in support of OCEARCH.
References
External links
Company HistoryOfficial site Company History
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Beer brewing companies based in Massachusetts