Susan Johnson, The Woman Leading Denning’s Point Distillery

Risk doesn’t scare Susan Johnson. She credits that trait with her ability to successfully oversee much of the business for Denning’s Point Distillery. It carried her forward through launching the spirits brand, navigating a start-up environment and then pivoting through the pandemic.

Even Susan’s demeanor transmits that confidence. She’s cool and calm as she tells her story and what drew her to “the best job ever.”

Taking a Risk To Launch a Distillery

By the time Susan and her business partner, Karl Johnson, embarked on launching Denning’s Point, the two had already discussed the possibility for years. Karl came from a farming background with a deep understanding of agriculture and experience as a chemical engineer. He’d also been distilling for decades. Combined with Susan’s business acumen, the two made a great professional team. But the barrier to entry was still a bit too high.

A change in New York state’s laws eased that barrier just a bit. “New York had passed the Farm Distillery program in 2007, which really eased entry into the space,” Susan explained. She recognized the opportunity then but it still took about five more years before the business partners were ready to take their concept and make it a reality.

“The stars really lined up,” as Susan tells it. “One day we were driving the New York State Thruway amidst all the apple orchards and there were all the ingredients lined out right in front of us. And it was just one of those magical moments we're like: Let's do it.”

“We originally thought we would be in a farm space so we had been looking out further in the Hudson Valley at beautiful farm properties,” Susan explains. “It just became obvious that that was not going to work for us because most of them didn't have the utilities that would be needed.”

A Location Worth The Risk

Eventually, Susan and company landed on a spot in Beacon, New York, a place that qualifies as a bustling town but it’s also not quite metropolitan either. Located downtown, Denning’s Point easily settled in as part of Beacon’s fabric. They quickly became immersed in the community.

Susan remembers the early days as the easy part. “It was one of those in my memory, I recall it as sort of effortless,” she explains. “Things were just happening and firing on all cylinders.”

Once launched, the distillery focused on creating spirits that represented the Hudson Valley and incorporated local ingredients from nearby family farms. Susan focused on managing a nimble business that could “tack and tune” as they went.

The work suited Susan. “I love that there's no formulaic way that we do anything,” she admits. “Love that it's a wide-open space to make exactly of it what we want by whatever rules we want.”

Finding Strength in a Risky Time

The distillery’s nimble nature helped Susan and her team navigate the pandemic. Facing changes in distribution and production, the business adjusted quickly. The team made it a priority to support the community, creating hand sanitizer and giving it away to their neighbors for free. Meanwhile, the tasting room adapted to account for COVID public health procedures. Once able, the business welcomed visitors back.

Susan thrived in the face of each new hurdle. “The pandemic really forced us to finally calibrate moment to moment how we've been doing everything.”

“As a business owner to have that sort of adrenaline of having to work on the fly, take everything as it comes, make all the adjustments as we're going forward, keep fear at bay and keep the eyes locked on the vision,” Susan admits. “So it's been challenging but it also gave us the opportunity, the space and time to revisit some of our processes.”

On the other side of this unprecedented period, the distillery emerged with better systems in place. It was a better business and Susan was more prepared than ever to manage a brand in the spirits industry.

A Risk for A Promising Future

As she moves toward the future, Susan hopes to make an impact both for the distillery and for the community. “I really want our spirits to be ambassadors that bring the Hudson Valley to the rest of the world,” she says. “A leading example of what great New York spirits can taste like and to provide a road map for new craft distilleries of following behind us.”

“It's also wonderful to be part of this nascent industry that is still in some ways finding its legs, particularly for women,” Susan observes.

Admitting that women are under-represented in the industry, Susan suggests that the spirits industry needs to be a more welcoming space. When considering how that could come about, she reflects: “I think women that are currently in the industry, we should all be tasked with shining the light for other women.”

In fact, she encourages women entering the spirits industry to find a mentor that could help introduce them to the community. But she warns that anyone stepping into a leading role with a distillery needs to be prepared for risk.