Alumni Spotlight: Felicia Keith-Jones

B.Ed. Elementary Education '95 Hometown: Craig, Colo., and Soldotna, Alaska Fun Fact: Felicia studied the art of distilling at Jameson, Bushmills and Jack Daniels.

Felicia Keith-Jones left formal education behind after graduating from UAA, but she's been a student of the world ever since. Whether studying the art of distillation in Ireland or learning the ropes of lobbying on the job, she's continued her education independently for years. A single conversation with her may range from the finer points of barreling bourbon to detailed research on summer tourism. She can operate four types of airplanes, just pushed a bill through Juneau and is the youngest female owner of a distillery in the nation.

She's a woman of many interests and talents, but the distillery she opened in Sterling is her personal point of pride. After researching spirits for several years, she opened the doors of High Mark Distillery in 2012 and already has 207 distribution sites across the state. Now, thanks to a recent bill that cleared the Alaska Legislature on the session's last night in April, she can expand her business even more.

A late night in Juneau

The bill in question, House Bill 309 (HB 309), updated alcohol regulation in Alaska by allowing distilleries to open tasting rooms, provide tours and sell their product on site. The down-to-the-wire victory is a major step in advancing the state's young distillery industry. The oldest distillery has only been open for five and a half years and High Mark-the most recent arrival-has been in business just 17 months.

Prior to HB 309, new distilleries were tagged with old policies. "When they put together the enforcement through [the state], we basically were dealing with old antiquated rules that had no bearing because there weren't distilleries in Alaska [yet]," Felicia explained. While the more-established wineries and breweries could give tours and host tastings thanks to earlier changes in state law, distilleries were shut out as the new kids on the block.

HB 309 opens up a spectrum of business opportunities for distillery owners, allowing them to contribute both to tourism and their bottom line. "We worked extremely hard on that bill and we kind of moved a mountain," Felicia said. "It was unbelievable that we were able to completely get through the House and the Senate." Bills can wallow in sessions for years, but the whole process for HB 309 wrapped in three weeks with a unanimous decision in favor of the bill. "That does not happen," Felicia said of the tidy unanimous vote. "The good news is, they were completely backing our industry the entire time."

Bad weather and good conversation

The recent success in Juneau is just the latest chapter in High Mark's history, which originated with a series of snowed-in conversations at the airstrip in Bethel. A few years after graduation, Felicia took a job running operations for a private airplane guiding company based in Bethel. A three-generation Irish family arrived one week during a spell of nasty weather, derailing their planned eight-day rafting trip of the Kuskokwim River. To keep the family upbeat during the stormy days and growing delays, Felicia would serve up a big American breakfast each morning and keep the family chatting, hopefully softening the blow of another grim forecast.

Holed up in a hangar, the amiable crew quickly got to know each other. Felicia-with a Scottish father and an Irish mother-was interested in all the family's stories, but particularly those related to her growing interest in distilling. One chat led to another, and the family offered up their seaside cottage on the North Atlantic so Felicia could pursue her interests in distilling. "I decided, well, if you're being so generous, I'll offer my home," Felicia said. So they swapped houses as the storm rolled through.

Soon after, Felicia hired a nanny and took her two sons to Ardara, a small seaside town in the northernmost county of Ireland. She got to work, studying at Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin and Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland, then stopping in Scotland to tour the nation's whiskey trail.

Throughout the British Isles, she witnessed the pride she wanted to bring back to Alaska. "I wasn't looking for cousins, I was looking for history," she said. "In America we view [distilling] so much as a science, just turn and burn and get these products out and make a dollar. The truth is, in Ireland and Scotland, they take distilling spirits as seriously as the Sistine Chapel."

Felicia returned to the States, further studying the craft at Jack Daniel's, and then checking off her credentials at Dry Fly Distillery in Spokane, Wash. After five years of research, she opened the doors to her own distillery in 2012.

Alaska's Napa Valley

With the success of HB 309, High Mark and the state's other distilleries can now operate tasting rooms, sell their product and give tours on their premises-all just in time for the summer rush of tourists. Of the state's five distilleries-located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Haines, Sterling and Wasilla-only High Mark operates on the Kenai Peninsula, a position Felicia now plans to take full advantage of.

"The Kenai Peninsula is touted as the playground of Alaska, and it truly is. It's also become kind of the Napa Valley of Alaska for spirits, wines and breweries," she said, citing five breweries and one winery in the area. "Not only is there huge potential for tourism, but it's already being realized. It's not blue-sky dreams, its already taking place."

Currently, High Mark Distillery is adding vodka, moonshine and applejack to the Kenai's Napa Valley reputation (the first batch of bourbon-High Mark's fourth spirit-is currently in the middle of a two-and-a-half-year barrel-soaked waiting period).

Felicia admits the applejack has "stolen the show." In fact, High Mark is one of only two distilleries in the nation producing the spirit. The applejack recipe comes direct from her Scottish father's family secrets, and she keeps the process closely guarded today. "When we produce, the doors close," she said. "We keep ours hearty, robust and old school, so it's exactly like you'd find in Scotland or Ireland."

Back on the ranch

Located off the Sterling highway just outside of Soldotna, High Mark distillery sits on a 10-acre ranch surrounded by hayfields and pine forests. The site houses a few repurposed buildings, including a 5,000-square-foot airplane hangar (now home to offices and an event space) and a barn converted into a temperature-controlled barrelhouse. A three-story log cabin off the main highway will open as the new tasting room this month.

The tranquil location combines the culture of Ireland with the setting of Alaska-traditional Irish pubs, according to Felicia, are social centers and family establishments. After bringing her two boys with her on the European research trip, she knew she wanted to maintain that family feel back in the States. "Children don't have to be banned from this. It's not all about the alcohol, it's about the experience," she said. "We view alcohol so differently in America. It's supposed to be about the entire atmosphere that comes with the flavor." To create that atmosphere in Sterling, children can visit the horse field, take part in the facility's new "chocolate factory" or meet the ranch's two new piglets, brought in specifically for the under-21 crowd.

Seawolves and spirits

Despite the twists and turns of her career, Felicia says her UAA degree continues to pay off through her new business. "I never in my entire life saw myself becoming a distiller," she admitted, "but that degree has come in handy so many times." She learned public speaking and effective writing from the College of Education, both skills indispensable for growing her business. She additionally loaded up on history courses at UAA, and that academic interest continues to play a part in her everyday life. "[It] has absolutely propelled our spirits into a different category," she said of her dedicated focus on history. "I absolutely adore distilling because it's so seeped and steeped in history-there's not one inch of it that isn't historical-and to study old-school techniques over in Europe was the key to making it a true love for me.

"I almost feel guilty because you can't really call this a workday," she laughed. "Any time you can be doing what puts a smile on your face all day long, you've picked the right spot."