Meet Aaron Rokjer | Craft Distiller

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

Hi Aaron, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think about risk a lot. When you bootstrap a small business, like I have, risk is every present. A bad decision, or a risk that is low reward could sink the whole ship. You have to make these little calculations before all decisions. Do I buy this extra piece of equipment now or can I manage without it for a little longer? What spirit should I release next? What is the cost vs potential return on trying something unusual? Should I hire someone or do I work a little later each day? This seem like small things but they can have huge impacts.

Now, that’s not to say I don’t take giant risks in life. At 31 years old, I moved across the country after living New York for years to eventually bootstrap a distillery in one of the most competitive and expensive cities in the country. I started with a foolishly small budget, in an industry that is filled with celebrity brands and millionaires who open distilleries as retirement projects. I remember reading an Forbes article on entrepreneur that said, “Naivete is a powerful, powerful state of being.” I think about that quote so often. Had I know what it would take to just get as far as Ive gotten, would I still have done it? Would it have seemed too overwhelming? Probably, but being blinded to the obstacles that are in front of you is what keeps you going with hope of success and happiness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was young I wanted to be an artist. Art was something I loved since I was a kid. Looking back it doesn’t make sense. I grew up in a small town in upstate New York. I wasn’t exposed to art as a kid. My parents were blue collar, middle class people. I don’t even know where I got the idea of being an artist. I think I just wanted to make things and share them with others and that seemed like what artist did. I went to art school without a real plan in life. Then wandered through life on the edge of poverty for most of my 20’s. I was grinding out a life in New York, but was never happy. It wasn’t until I came to California that I felt a shift in my mood and motivation. Maybe it was the sunshine? Maybe it was a chance to begin again. It’s that same old story of moving west to start over.

Starting the distillery began as a hobby. I was curious about the process. I’d make moonshine, or a neutral spirit and bring it to a party and had more fun sharing those spirits than I ever had sharing a painting. That feeling of sharing something I worked on and having people enjoy it motivated me to go further and take it more serious. That is the root of it all. Being able to work on an idea and sharing it with friends. That idea still motivates me to make new spirits and work towards a new goal of having a place for people to come and share those spirits with me.

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?
I used to live in Los Feliz and had some of my favorite places in that neighborhood. Griffith park was right up the road. Roosevelt golf course is one of my favorite courses in the city. 9 holes of beauty. Right across the street is the Greek where Ive seen some amazing shows. Down the hill a little and you hit great spots like All Time which was my favorite breakfast spot, but their dinners menu is also unreal. Yuccas Tacos was my secret spot for a great cheeseburger…I know, I know, there tacos are legit too but I’d always grab a burger. Down the road a little further was Ye Rustic Inn, which is a moody and dark bar that has the best wings in the city.

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?
There are countless people who have supported me and encouraged me as I got started. But there was one person who was there everyday when things got really hard. My partner Abby. She has been an incredibly supportive, and encouraging person to have in my life. She is relentlessly optimistic when I can lean towards pragmatic pessimism. Her positivity and love have kept me going through the last two years as the world shifted sideways. We just welcomed our first child into this world a couple months ago and I couldn’t be happier to share that with her.

Website: https://www.deadofnightdistillery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dead_of_night_distillery

Image Credits
Rob Hammer – Black and White Portrait Self – Bottle photos