About Twisted Path

Dedicated To Wandering Spirits 

Our name “Twisted Path” is a reference to the concept of life as a path, and our belief that everyone should find their own path, without concern about what other people do or think.

It’s about being true to yourself, being authentic.

Our Story

Twisted Path was founded by distiller Brian Sammons in 2013. But distilling isn’t Brian’s first career. After college, he worked in intelligence in Washington D.C. First with the Department of Defense, then the Central Intelligence Agency, where he worked in counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations. He then went to law school, where he met his (now) wife Laura. They decided to start a family in Milwaukee, rather than return to the CIA life. After working as a criminal prosecutor, then a private attorney, they decided to chase the dream - Brian left the practice of law to turn a hobby into a career, and they built Twisted Path Distillery.

Our Approach to Spirits

We approach distilling with equal parts respect for tradition, and fresh perspective. We begin by looking at how things have been done before, and seek to understand why. We then step back to see if there is room for improvement. Sometimes we find the traditional approach is the best solution. But often we don’t (and not just in distilling). In that case, we aren’t afraid to try out new ideas. To us, the new ideas, experimentation, and innovation are the fun parts. Innovation is the cornerstone of Twisted Path.

Twisted Path Team

  • Founder & Distiller

    A self-taught small-batch distiller, Brian Sammons opened Twisted Path Distillery in 2013. The Whitefish Bay native and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alumnus took an unlikely route to the world of spirits - working in counter-terrorism with the Department of Defense and CIA, counterintelligence operations at the CIA, attending law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then working as an attorney all before becoming a distiller. Being his own boss suited him, as did the unique challenges of finessing recipes for organic rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, and other creations.

    Brian has always been a ‘do-it-yourself’ kind of guy and he took that approach to every aspect of the distillery. From building and designing his own patented heating system on our first still, all the way down to constructing our water heater for mashing, and even light fixtures, Brian wanted our motto of “Made From Scratch In Milwaukee” to permeate every inch of the business.

  • Tasting Room Manager

    A Chicago native, Jon moved to Milwaukee in pursuit of his Master’s of Music degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Working for a number of bars to support himself, Jon became increasingly interested in food science and cocktails before ultimately leaving his music studies behind. Working in a craft distillery, his studies largely inform the creative process behind the bar program at Twisted Path.

    In keeping with Twisted Path’s ethos of innovation and uncompromising pursuit of quality, Jon has pioneered several elements of the cocktail program unlike any other program in Milwaukee, including extremely high pressure carbonated cocktails, our from-scratch cocktail bitters and liqueurs program, and our hand-bottled cocktails.

    Jon is also our photographer, plant-enthusiast, and director of research & development.