Meet Chase Estrin | Still Pirate & Rocket Scientist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chase Estrin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chase, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started as home brewers and decided to take the process to the next step and distill something. This may sound far fetched but what most people don’t know is that all grain-based alcohol starts as a beer.  At the time there wasn’t much going on in the Arizona distilling scene so we saw an opening and took it.

What should our readers know about your business?
At Adventurous Stills we make our spirits from grain-to-glass…..but wait, doesn’t everyone? Nope! There are distilleries who source products from others and bottle them. We make ALL of our products from scratch on our hand-built equipment in our Tempe distillery. And don’t think that because we make all of our products that they will taste good no matter what we do, we have to avoid many pitfalls to ensure a high-quality product! We have grown organically through making relationships and being active in the alcohol community at large. While we are glad to be in Total Wines in Arizona we always push people to buy our products from small, independent stores first. One thing that we have learned is that not many people understand the liquor industry. When people take a tour and learn how spirits are made, they walk out with a much better appreciation for what we do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For coffee I would tell them to hit up Infusions Coffee and Tea. This gem makes some of the best coffee in the country. For breakfast I would go to Crepe Bar. Everything is super delicious and breakfast crepes are definitely underappreciated. For Lunch I would push them to check out Haji Baba or Kuka Sushi. The thing I like about Kuka is that they use fairly small batches of rice so it doesn’t get stale. This leads to very high-quality rolls. For dinner I would go to either Cotton and Copper or Persepshen. Both source their food locally and have some of the best food in the state. For cocktails I would go to Little Rituals. This is the sister bar to Bitter and Twisted but is much less crowded. For beer I would go to The Wandering Tortoise. As for activities, I would definitely hike around the Superstitions. The Peralta Trail or Flat Iron are both great hikes. For a museum, I would go to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). It’s so cool to hear instruments from around the world. If you have more than one friend in town I would check out Escape the Room, what better way to strengthen a friendship than arguing about the steps to get out of a room!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This shout out is dedicated to our family and friends who have supported us on this adventure! There have been a lot of missed parties, trips, and general social events and we are glad that we have the support and understanding of our family and friends.

Website: www.adventstills.com
Instagram: @adventurous_stills
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdventurousStills/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adventurous-stills-tempe