Distiller. Liqueurist. Speaker. Industry Advocate.
Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is the founder and CEO of House of Applejay Distillery in East Ellijay, Georgia. She specializes in natural American liqueurs, modern mixology, spirits history, and the advancement of American Brandy and American Rum.
Born in Germany and now rooted in the North Georgia mountains, Caroline combines European liqueur traditions with American entrepreneurship. Her work brings together product development, historical research, public education, and national industry advocacy.
A Modern American Voice for Liqueurs
Caroline founded House of Applejay in 2022 and developed it as a liqueur-first distillery—placing liqueurs at the center of production, mixology, and the visitor experience.
As founder, CEO, distiller, and liqueurist, she directs product development, production strategy, brand positioning, educational programming, and long-term growth. House of Applejay has become an award-winning manufacturing business and Georgia Grown agritourism destination offering spirits, liqueurs, cocktails, tastings, tours, and educational experiences.
Its portfolio includes Applejay from Ellijay, Winter Cherry Mountain, Cranberry Mountain, Mt. Wildcat Old-Style Juniper Liqueur, and the Mt. Grassy Knob and Mt. Frozen Knob vodkas.
Under Caroline’s product development and leadership, every House of Applejay spirit entered in the 2024 New York World Spirits Competition earned a medal. In 2025, all three submitted liqueurs received medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, including Double Gold for Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur.
The distillery was also named a Best of Georgia 2025 Distillery, and Applejay from Ellijay advanced into the Top 16 of the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition.
Developing Liquistry
Caroline and Sabine Porsiel developed Liquistry, a liqueur-first approach to product development and modern mixology.
Liquistry moves much of the work of balancing a cocktail from the bar into the development of the liqueur itself. Fruit, botanicals, sweetness, aroma, strength, and structure are considered together during production, allowing the finished liqueur to become the flavor foundation of a cocktail.
The result is a more purposeful approach to cocktail design—using real ingredients, reducing unnecessary syrups and complicated preparation, and creating drinks that are easier to prepare consistently.
In 2026, Caroline published The Liquistry Manifesto, presenting her vision for a stronger American liqueur category and renewed recognition of liqueurs as complete, distinctive spirits.
National Leadership in American Spirits
Caroline is a co-founder of the AMBRU Campaign, an initiative advancing American Brandy and American Rum as distinctive products of the United States.
The campaign promotes American production, transparent practices, clear standards, and a stronger national identity for two spirits that played a defining role in the country’s earliest distilling traditions. Caroline’s leadership of the campaign has been featured in James Magazine.
Caroline is also leading the development of the proposed American Brandy & Rum Trail. Envisioned as a producer-driven nationwide network, the trail would connect distilleries, historic sites, agricultural regions, rural communities, and tourism destinations throughout the United States.
The initiative is intended to preserve American distilling history, strengthen rural economies, increase visibility for independent producers, and create new domestic and international opportunities for American-made spirits.
Speaker, Researcher and Writer
Caroline speaks about American liqueurs, brandy, rum, Liquistry, natural product development, spirits history, entrepreneurship, tourism, and the future of independent American distilling.
She has been selected by the American Distilling Institute to present her research and national industry proposals. Her 2026 presentations include Before Bourbon: The History of American Brandy & Rum and AMBRU Campaign: Building America’s Next Great Spirits Movement at the ADI Rum Summit in Miami Beach.
Her presentations combine historical research with firsthand experience building a licensed American distillery. She connects the history of spirits with current questions involving product identity, production standards, modern mixology, tourism, rural economic development, and international competitiveness.
Caroline also produces articles and educational programs exploring global distilling and drinking history. She created The Spirit of Distillation, a public series examining the people, discoveries, and cultural exchanges that shaped distilled spirits.
She is currently writing Who Got Drunk First—and Why? 150 Wild, True, and Holy Stories About Why We Drink, a collection exploring how drinks became part of politics, medicine, religion, trade, science, and everyday life.
International Business Experience
Before founding House of Applejay, Caroline built more than two decades of experience in international business development, market entry, and entrepreneurship in Germany and the United States.
She founded the German-American consultancy CPCon in 2008 and advised companies on U.S. market entry, business formation, brand rollout, market development, and business stabilization. She concluded her consulting practice in 2022 to focus fully on House of Applejay Distillery.
Caroline holds a Magistra Artium (M.A.) from RWTH Aachen University in Political Science, Economics, and Psychology.
Building the Future of American Spirits
Caroline’s work connects craft with a broader national vision: establishing American liqueurs as a serious field, strengthening the identities of American Brandy and American Rum, preserving distilling history, and creating new opportunities for independent producers and rural communities.
Through distilling, research, speaking, writing, and advocacy, Caroline Porsiel is helping shape a more distinctive future for American spirits.
American liqueur, reimagined.
Full professional background available upon request.